Categories
Uncategorized

I don’t believe it

I find great joy and happiness in having a shower, it is relaxing, it is refreshing, especially with the heat and humidity here in Malaysia.

I also find that being relaxed, allowing the shower water wash away the unwanted feelings and thoughts I may have built-up during the day, I have time to reflect and allow my mind to wonder, a time for new ideas.
This morning, after waking in a hot and humid bedroom, I eagerly sought my first shower of the day, and standing there, the lukewarm water washing down from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, for some reason my mind went into thoughts about the rubbish we throw away. How my brother-in-law saves tin and aluminium cans to be recycled, and how as I have purchased breakfast cereal, lightbulbs, glue, screws, etc, how all these purchases had been wrapped in cardboard packaging, and how I had carefully folded down the boxes into flat pieces, and placed them into a plastic bag, just incase the garbage collectors recycle.
I then realised how much rubbish we accumulate just in packaging, and I had an internal voice shouting at me, “I don’t believe it“. We waste so much.
On finishing my shower, and drying myself off in a nice fluffy bath towel, my eyes caught the now empty toothpaste tube and the new boxed tube waiting to be unpacked. My thoughts went on to imagine the box packaging flat adding to the pile of other unwanted cardboard. I thought, “why do they use packaging?”, obviously for looks, presentation and also stacking on the shelves and distribution from the factory and the shops.
I opened the box and that internal voice again went off, “I don’t believe it“, the tube of toothpaste was very much smaller than the box indicated, I had not been given the amount of toothpaste in the tube as I thought I had purchased.
Looking at the tube, it was far shorter than the box. Not only was the tube much shorter than the box, but if you take into consideration the flip cap and the closer at the base of the tube, then the actual toothpaste only takes-up 2/3 of the outer box packaging.
Then if you look at the shape of the tube which tapers off at the base, there is a lot of space empty in the outer box.
Sensodyne toothpaste tube much smaller than the packaging
In a previous career, a position where I helped set-up and run a computer ordering system for a cosmetic company, Fashions by Opus, I got that inner “I don’t believe it” voice when I saw in the warehouse the packaging for the cleansing cream, the eye and lip makeup tubs and jars, realising just how little product the consumer was actually getting compared to the packaging indicated. Within the outer plastic/glass tub or jar was placed an inner sleeve which tapered inwards towards the base.
Looking on the dressing table there were many jars which were large, but on examination, the inner contained much smaller quantities product than the packaging indicated.
Olay jars too big containing only a small amount of product
I don’t believe it” how we humans are being taken in by oversized packaging, packaging which is just waste.
See other examples of not enough product to the packaging, click.
Categories
PhotoReading Travels Türkçe

Relaxing in Antalya

My travels are not only work, although I do tend to fly into a country and immediately start training, and on the last day catch the next flight available to my next destination, so not much time for sightseeing, so it is good to have reasonable accommodation to rest my head and body.

Here in Antalya I have stayed in many hotels over the years, including the 7 star Rixos Premium Hotel in Belek, and the hotel I am now in is pleasant and comfortable, the Grida City Hotel. OK, not a 7 star, but the staff are very pleasant to me, and I sleep well.
Although quite a walk from the sea front, and situated on a busy road, I can relax and work in their garden under a cloudless sky, to  prepare myself for more courses I am scheduled to give. PhotoReading Friday 8th – 10th April 2011.

View from the Grida City Hotel, Antalya


Antalya, Southern Turkey


The beach on an April evening in Antalya, Turkey
Categories
Hypnosis Travels Türkçe

Another day, another country, another training

Traveling to different parts of the world, giving training, talks, speeches and presentations, has become part of my life, and I love my work.

Last week I was in Shanghai, China, then back to London for two days, now I am in Antalya in Southern Turkey for more courses.
Researching and updating my knowledge bank all the time, it is good sometimes to return to some of my favourite courses, one being hypnosis for the medical professionals, and here in Antalya we are due to work with dentists and doctors, to teach them how they can use relaxation techniques for themselves and their patients. Doktorlara Hipnoz Kursu Click to visit., organised by BİZ Eğitim Danışmanlık ve İnsan Kaynaklar in Antalya.
Other courses are being arranged for the local community such as PhotoReading(contact BIZ 0242 229 75 51 or 0533 603 93 27), short courses for hotel management, and one day courses for school children on memory, reading and learning skills. We are also scheduled to give talks to universities in the area.
I love my work, meeting new people and old, returning to previous venues to meet previous participants, when without fail, they remember what we learnt together.
If you have training requirements from a worldwide respected trainer, contact Phillip Holt [email protected].


BİZ Eğitim Danışmanlık

 bizegitim@hotmail.com

0242 229 75 51    0533 603 93 27

Altınkum Mahallesi, 419 Sok. No:13/1 Antalya

Categories
Uncategorized

Too hot to handle

It was after a long day that my hosts, Aisha and Mohamed Solimon, decided that we should go to a sauna to relax and refresh our tired bodies.

Since last November, staying In the Rixos Premium Belek Hotel, Turkey for nearly six weeks and the Rixos Al Nasr in Tripoli, Libya for two weeks, I was able to partake their saunas, and nearly died as overheated once, well I felt as if I was dying.
For me, I have never felt the benefit of cooking myself, of sweating so much that I had to drink gallons of water to replace that which I had lost. For others, I respect their joy and excitement.
So we visited the Stonebath Sauna (Yi Sheng Tangin Shanghai, which is advertised as a new concept of natural mineral therapy spa, and China’s first medical stone spa.

I felt that I was attending a pyjama party, as we had to remove our normal clothes to wear robes given to us.


Phillip Holt and Mohamed Solimon

Under orders from Aisha, I had to drink loads of water before entering the sauna, and when we did, I understood why it was called Stone Bath. There were more pebbles (stones) in the room than on the beach in the UK’s holiday town of Brighton (click to see views), and they were hot.

We had to lay down on these stones, and sacks of equally hot stones were placed on our ankles, stomach and shoulders, meaning we were pinned down, unable to move. Ten minutes like this and it was time to get out for more water to be poured down the throats, only to return for more heat treatment.

For me, I did not feel any benefit, apart from sweating a lot and having a shower after. The companionship was great, and the others enjoyed the benefits, but then it is all about the Cat on the Mat.


Image from Stonebath Sauna (Yi Sheng Tang) Shanghai

But, I must say, I enjoyed the night out.
Categories
Thoughts

A secret is a secret

We all have secrets, some dark secrets, some secrets that are the keys to wealth, power, knowledge, some are only thoughts, some just fears, secrets that we want no other person to know.

We arrange our lives to hide our secrets, taking roads where our secrets will not manifest themselves, where others will not behold that which they should not or could not comprehend.

Sometimes these secrets will be brought to the surface by circumstances beyond our control, meaning we have to face maybe nightmares, or to give away the information which could be worth more than money could buy, bring upon us embarrassment, loss of power, loss of dignity, allowing others to gain.

Sometimes the secrets are stored below our conscious understanding, hidden away in the metaphors of our sleep, only to be manifested in our dreams resulting in our abrupt awakening with beating hearts and often shouting out our fears our secrets.

Sometimes our secrets do not hold us back, but will help us help other people who hold the same or similar secret. Our knowledge of how our own secret has steered our life, taken us on a path perhaps avoiding a deep belief or fear, that would cause anguish and possibly pain, or a path of knowledge and wealth.

Knowing what other people may be going through hiding their own secret, can help the holder of a secret to unlock the doors letting those taking the same pathway, to understand that nothing is a secret, and there is an answer to their fears and pain, there is a pathway to joy, happiness and wealth.

Yet those who offer the keys to the doors to release the secret, so that others may face their own world, may not have found the keys to unlock their own secret, and they still want that hidden from those who could bring further pain and suffering, they are happy with their secret.

Often these people with the key, have to confront their secret fear, their nightmare, their knowledge, so to fulfill the desires of others, knowing that once their secret is revealed, they could be held up for ridicule, or loss of face, wealth.

Yet these people with the key are willing to be ridiculed so others who may prosper, gain their desires, reach their goals, sometimes with the vain hope that their secret can be again hidden away in the vaults of lost memories.

Sometimes, the people who have been helped by the key holders of a secret, wish to 

burrow deep below the surface of those who helped, to inform others of the secret held by those trying to exist in a world where the secret could do harm, they are willing to dig down, to bring to the surface those secrets which are like knives is the back of the holder of the secret, they reveal the secret to others, perhaps for their personal gain or enjoyment.

There are times when secrets should remain secrets, and not revealed to others so to cause ridicule or loss to sufferers, to holders of knowledge, so the revealers can gain power, wealth or knowledge that really they are not entitled too.

Categories
NLP

MisInterpretation, Queen Bohemian Rhapsody

I was never a lover of the pop group Queen, their dress style, their hair, their choreography on stage, well that is apart from some of their music.

Their music was very popular, with their records reaching number one in the charts on many occasions, and being played continually on the radio, they grew on me.
I hardly ever listen to the lyrics of songs, never search out the hidden meaning, the messages other people seem to hear, perhaps I am more interested in the musical arrangement, the interplay of the individual instruments, but, after a few plays the lyrics get into my subconscious, and I often find that I am singing along with the song, or that the words pop-up into my thoughts, my inner mind.
So it was with Queen’s song Bohemian Rhapsody, a masterpiece of a song, an operatic piece in its’ own right, giving a story which flows with the music,
I had never really understood the lyrics, only that it was about a young man who had killed a man, singing to his mother and using strange words that I had no idea how they fitted into the song, well that’s the way I understood the song.
Scaramouche“, who or what is that? I now know, just found out that it is a character in an early film referring to a comic character, “Scaramouche” also refers to a Greek translator of the Old Testament, and why does it ask “Scaramouche“, “will you do the Fandango?“.
Why “Galileo Figaro“? Still do not understand that.
Then there is this person called “Miss Miller“. Who is this “Miss Miller“? Where did “Miss Miller” come from?
As usual, miss interpretation, it is not “Miss Miller“, but “Bismillah“, an Arabic word used to mean “in the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate“, or “in the name of Allah (God)“, as used in the Islamic faith.
Looking at the lyrics now after all these years I see the word “Beelzebub“. What does that mean? I had heard the word over the years, just the word without knowing the meaning, it was just the sound. I now find that a “Beelzebub” refers to a once worshiped Philistine deity, “Beelzebub” meaning “Lord of the Flies“. Later it was used in the Christian faith to refer to one of the seven princes of Hell.
All the above came as a Thunderbolt to me. All these years I had been happy in my (miss) understanding and ignorance of the song, yes I was a little bewildered, but who isn’t with lyrics of songs.
I had put my interpretation, my understanding or lack of, on the words, “Miss Miller” – “Bismillah“, “Scaramouche“, “Beelzebub“.
I had put my “Cat on the Mat“, my understanding, and I was wrong. How many times a day do we do the same thing in understanding the world about us, and how many times a day do others misinterpret our meanings?
Another question arose from one of my Turkish translators and friend, Asu Yildirim, asking, did I take the saying I often use in my courses, “nobody loves me” from this song Bohemian Rhapsody? No I did not, at least not consciously. But Asu, I know that you are mentioned in the song, “thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening“, the translation of you family name Yildirim as in the display of Antep in Gaziantep Castle Museum meaning, “thunderbolt“.
Gaziantep Castle
Gaziantep Castle
Oh Poo Poo .
Wait for film to load.


Is this the real life? 
Is this just fantasy? 
Caught in a landslide 
No escape from reality 
Open your eyes 
Look up to the skies and see 
I’m just a poor boy (Poor boy) 
I need no sympathy 
Because I’m easy come, easy go 
Littl
e high, little low 
Any way the wind blows 
Doesn’t really matter to me, to me 

Mama just killed a man 
Put a gun against his head 
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead 
Mama, life has just begun 
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away 
Mama, ooh 
Didn’t mean to make you cry 
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow 
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters 

Too late, my time has come 
Sends shivers down my spine 
Body’s aching all the time 
Goodbye, everybody 
I’ve got to go 
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth 
Mama, oooooooh (Anyway the wind blows) 
I don’t want to die 
Sometimes wish I’d never been born at all 

[Guitar Solo] 

I see a little silhouetto of a man 
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango 
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me 
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro 
Magnifico-o-o-o-o 
I’m just a poor boy nobody loves me 
He’s just a poor boy from a poor family 
Spare him his life from this monstrosity 

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go? 
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go 
Let him go 
Bismillah! We will not let you go 
Let him go 
Bismillah! We will not let you go 
Let me go (Will not let you go) 
Let me go (Will not let you go) (Never, never, never, never) 
Let me go, o, o, o, o 
No, no, no, no, no, no, no 
(Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama Mia, let me go 
Beelzebub has the devil put aside for me, for me, for me! 

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye 
So you think you can love me and leave me to die 
Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby 
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here 

[Guitar Solo] 
(Oooh yeah, Oooh yeah) 

Nothing really matters 
Anyone can see 
Nothing really matters 
Nothing really matters to me 

Any way the wind blows…

Categories
Travels

Nunney Castle steam train leaves Fishguard Harbour. Alternate video to YouTube.

In some countries, YouTube is banned or blocked, so my followers cannot view any video I may post using YouTube. 
Thank you for pointing this out to me, especially form my friends here in Turkey, yes I am now back in Turkey to run some courses, NLP Practitioner, Memory Skills, a five day hypnosis course, plus PhotoReading and Mind Mapping, in Istanbul and Gaziantep.

The new Mayor of Fishguard and Goodwick, Bob Wheatley greeted the Nunney Castle steam train. This video show the 1935 steam train leaving Fishguard Harbour station, May 2010.

For those of you who experienced difficulties, I have found an alternate method of viewing the video.

Enjoy.

The Red Dragon Steam Train Nunney Castle at Fishguard Harbour


Categories
Eating Out

An English Breakfast

I have written about many foods I have eaten around the world, and each country I visit will give their own ingredients and presentation styles, but I have never written about an English breakfast.

It had been a warm weekend, both with the weather and the people I had been with. I had attended the making of the Mayor of Fishguard and Goodwick, had fantastic evening meals on Friday and Saturday, I had witnessed the arrival and departure of the steam train Nunney Castle as it had done many years before, taking passengers from the sea ferry at Fishguard Harbour arriving from Ireland onwards to London, I had unwittingly caught the sun on my face as I sat drinking my hot chocolate and a fairy cake watching the ferry arriving and docking in the harbour.

Stena Line ferry arriving at Fishguard Harbour 

Sunday morning I awoke early, and lay in bed with the curtains open, the french window wide open, which allowed the early morning sun to bath me, and as I lay their I started to get hungry.
After a refreshing shower I went down to the breakfast lounge, and took a window seat, again overlooking the quiet waters of the harbour, and was given the breakfast menu by the attentive and friendly waitress.
What should I have, just a cereal, maybe toast and jam, poached egg, scrambled egg or have a full English breakfast?
I decided on a full English breakfast so that I could photograph the meal to show you. Honestly, that was the reason.

An English Breakfast at Fishguard Bay Hotel


A typical English breakfast will start with an orange or grapefruit drink, a bowl of cereal and a tea or coffee. Following will be the main part of the breakfast, a fried meal. This will typically consist of fried bread, slices of bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms and a fried egg. The meal will end with toast and marmalade.
Now I know that there is too much fat or frying in the meal, and it could be deemed bad for health, I had ordered the breakfast and I could not let it go to waste. 
Yummy.
Categories
Travels

The Red Dragon Steam Train Nunney Castle at Fishguard Harbour

Why are we so fascinated by the power of steam railway engines?

Should I rephrase the last statement, to, why do I still get great joy being around these powerful engineering  masterpieces?
I had been in the Welsh harbour town of Fishguard , celebrating the “making of the Mayor of Fishguard and Goodwick “, Bob Wheatley, and one of his first official duties was to welcome the arrival of the steam train Nunney Castle, running as the old service, The Red Dragon, from Fishguard Harbour to London Paddington railway station.
The Nunney Castle, number 5029, is a 4-6-0 configuration (see Train Spotting, a very British hobby ), was built in 1934 for the Great Western Railway (G.W.R.) at Swindon. In 1964 it was sold to a scrap metal company where it stayed until 1976, when a preservation society, the Great Western Society, started the rebuilding which continued until 1990 when she returned to service, and since has continued to be worked upon and updated.
Nunney Castle was hauled into Fishguard Harbour station by a diesel local, and was met by the Mayor Bob Wheatley, and prepared for a nostalgic journey, with crowds of onlookers admiring the perfectly painted livery of the G.W.R.

Mayor Bob Wheatley greets the Nunney Castle

The engines fire had been lit four days previously ready for this journey, and her carers hovered over her like bees around a honey pot, polishing and preparing her.
Eventually, she signalled her departure with a whistle and hissing steam.
Nunney Castle leaves Fishguard Harbour 22nd May 2010
I was told the Nunney Castle and her likes would make the Fishguard to London Paddington journey in just four hours, and little bit quicker than my more up-to-date train and mini bus journey which took eight hours.
Fantastic seeing such beauty in motion. 

4-6-0 wheel configuration see Train Spotting, a very British hobby

Categories
Travels

Robert Wheatley Mayor of Fishguard and Goodwick 2010

I have not seen so much metalwork being worn for many a year.

The occasion was “The Making of the Mayor” for Fishguard and Goodwick, two towns on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Fishguard and Goodwick 2010

Councillor Mayor Bob Wheatley and Laiyng, with other dignitaries.

 

Bob, (Robert) Wheatley, has been elected as Mayor for Fishguard and Goodwick for 2010, and the day was a celebration, the the start of his time in office, and along with his wife, Laiyng Wheatley, the Mayoress, friends family, other dignitaries, councilors and Mayors and Mayoress’s of other local towns, all wearing their chains and robes of office, a service was shared at the local church followed by a reception at the Fishguard Bay Hotel .

Welsh people are a proud people, having warm hearts and a very welcoming nature, and it was a shock for me to be walking through the narrow streets of Goodwick, and every person I meet, said hello to me. In London, I could go days without speaking or greeting a single person. 

The Welsh also have their own language, and as those who know me know, language and me do not agree, I speak only English. Part of the service was sung and spoken in Welsh, and thus for part I was lost.

 

It was a pleasure to witness my long term friend take the office of Mayor, and present himself adequately, no, in fact handsomely, with the speeches he made during the evening, all made from his heart.

I have know Bob and Laiyng for many years, and their warm hearts, their kindness, their never failing hardwork and sincerity will serve them and the community of Fishguard and Goodwick well for 2010.

I wish them well.