Indian Beauty Parlor Sleeping around in the City that Never sleeps
New York City, an international hotspot for tourists, promises a unique and
diverse experience for visitors from around the globe. Dubbed the "City That
Never Sleeps", the city's hotels are as unique as the place itself. For the
traveler looking for something a bit special, these hotels all deliver.
Live the Dream
The Dream Hotel, with 220 guest rooms, including 15 suites, is the brainchild of
socialite-hotelier, Vikram Chatwal. Opened in 2004, the dйcor lends a sense of
the surreal to this luxury hotel and includes a copper statue of Catherine the
Great, Neptune and Madonna with child surrounded by mismatched armchairs.
Making it particularly unique though, is the Deepak Chopra Centre - a veritable
oasis of ancient Indian healing in Midtown Manhattan. Founded over a decade ago,
the Chopra Centre and Spa at Dream is devoted to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian
healing philosophy of founder, Dr Deepak Chopra.
The Dream Hotel is located close to some of the most iconic New York
attractions, including Times Square, Broadway, Rockefeller Centre, Carnegie Hall
and Central Park.
Room and suite amenities include 37" or 42" wall mounted Panasonic Plasma TV,
preloaded iPod digital audio players, in-room movies and DVD upon request,
300-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, ultra-plush feather duvet,
cashmere-feel bathrobes, multiple dual-line telephones, voice mail and data
ports, high speed broadband Internet access, in-room safe and fully-stocked mini
bar.
Pooch Pad
The Affinia 50 is an executive club suite hotel with 207 guestrooms and suites.
The distinct businesslike feel is undeniable, but that's not to say that the
Affinia 50 isn't family-friendly, with kids under 12 years staying for free.
Setting it apart from the other New York hotels, it is pet friendly, so the
beloved family pooch is more than welcome. Pet amenities and services include
food and water bowls, door hanger to notify staff of the presence of an animal,
doggie-doo sidewalk bags and kitty litter pans, a directory of local dog parks
and runs, list of pet-friendly restaurants and resources, a pet parlor, doggy
day-care, pet taxi provided by Pet Chauffeur, and pet psychic. It's a dog's life
for a hound on holiday.
Room amenities take care of business travelers and include a dataport for
computer, fax machine, modem hook-up, wireless high speed Internet, TV Web
browser and two-line phones with voicemail. In addition, the hotel also offers
concierge, grocery shopping and secretarial services and the use of the fitness
centre.
Casablanca: A Timeless Classic
Inspired by the romance of the movie from which it takes its name, the
Casablanca Hotel is an intimate family-owned boutique hotel that promises to
capture the hearts of its guest with its unique serenity.
An island of gracious, yet glamorous tranquility isolated from the surrounding
bustle of the world's busiest city, the Moroccan dйcor of this 48-room hotel
consists of warm wood panels and mosaic tiles, antique Berber scarves and rugs
adorn the softly-lit hallways, with tropical plants and desert cacti completing
the North African illusion. Archways, ceiling fans, ornamental moldings, unique
tapestries, paintings and murals - the attention to detail is exquisite.
A special offer to guests, the Casablanca Hotel Broadway Package, treats guests
to two prime location theatre tickets plus of course, the usual amenities and
services like complimentary continental breakfast served each morning, assorted
teas, coffees, cappuccino, espresso and cookies throughout the day,
complimentary use of the New York Sport's Club, concierge, room service,
secretarial service, shoe shine, laundry and dry cleaning service.
The Waldorf Astoria - the Movie-Maker's Choice
In 1893, millionaire William Waldorf Astor opened the 13 story Waldorf Hotel.
Four years later, his cousin, John Jacob Astor IV built the 17-story Astoria
Hotel next door. It became known as The Waldorf Astoria. Demolished in 1929, it
was rebuilt and opened on October 1, 1931 becoming the world's largest and
tallest hotel.
You know how sometimes you see a place, and something about it just seems so
familiar? The Waldorf Astoria is just such a place; most likely, because you
have seen it before - it has been featured in numerous films, such as Arthur,
You've Got Mail, Maid in Manhattan, Scent of a Woman, First Wives' Club, For
Love of the Game, Analyze This and Serendipity.
Room and suite amenities include, in-room coffee service, mini-bar,
fax/copier/printer, two-line speaker phones with voicemail, television with
premium channels and Lodgenet video, Frette linens and bathrobe, wet bar or
kitchenette, delivery of the newspaper of your choice, safe deposit box, work
desk with lamp and chair, marble bath or shower, hairdryer, and alarm clock with
clock radio and access to 24-hour housekeeping, babysitting, twice-daily maid
service, beauty salon, dry-cleaning, pressing/laundry/valet, fitness centre.
There are several reasons for opening a beauty parlor n India
The leadership envisions mobilizing women to volunteer their time to help
counsel and pray with
women that come into the parlor. In addition, they expect the parlor to be self
sustaining after two
years.
- A beauty parlor provides a non-threatening place to witness, where women
meet in a relaxed
and private atmosphere, conducive to sharing about their lives.
- The beauty parlor ministry provides a practical training ground for
women,teaching them to
be followers of Christ and to earn a trade for their future.
- The beauty parlor’s audio and video systems and library will help create
an environment to
transfer Christian values and disciple new converts.
INDIAN BEAUTY PARLOR: WAKE UP TO YOUR WORLD OF DREAMS
What we dream about may have a bearing in the world of reality. Often dreams
which appear meaningless are actually reflections of our everyday life and its
problems
Thrice in three months, Bernie Bell, an Indian Christian settled in Delhi,
India, had the same dream. All she saw was a banyan tree standing on a small
plot of land. Soon after, she and her husband John, a Lebanese settled in India,
moved house close to what is now the Escorts heart Institute and Research Center
in Delhi. There she saw something familiar: a solitary banyan tree on a plot of
land, similar to the one in her dreams. A week later, she had the same dream
again: but this time, standing near it with hands folded and a halo round her
head was the Virgin Mary, saying to her "Yaadro". To Bernie, the word meant
nothing.
She mentioned the dream to John, who was amazed. " 'Yaadro', in Arabic, means
May it Happen, or may it come to pass. But how did you dream of a word in my
mothertongue?" Bernie was convinced that her dream carried a significant
message: in essence, that the plot of land was meant to be theirs. They hoped to
open a beauty parlor there one day. It seemed impossible; Bernie was earning all
of Rs.1,200 a month as a beautician, while John was looking for a job.
On Bernie's insistence, they traced the landowner, who had already committed the
plot to a grocer. That night, Bernie had another dream in which the Virgin Mary
stood on a huge sphere Earth crushing the head of a large snake. In her hand was
a beauty parlor which she handed over to Bernie. Bernie awoke convinced that the
Virgin Mary, by crushing the snake, had crushed the obstacles in her way to
getting that land.
Three months later, a miracle happened. The landlord came to offer them the
land. Stunned, John asked him why he had changed his mind. The landlord said "
My brother owns the rear half of the land. He feels that if I give the front
portion to a grocer, the value of his land would drop. Both of us feel a beauty
parlor would be better." John confessed that he had no money. The landlord said
that they could pay him in installments.
Bernie's card reads "Yaadro Beauty Salon, Sarai Juliena". In the center of the
card is an emblem of the Virgin Mary with a halo around her head, hands
folded—just as she appeared in Bernie's first dream. The banyan tree outside the
salon now stands as silent witness to the belief that dreams do come true. But
what was Bernie's dream? A fantastic coincidence or a guiding finger that
pointed her in the right direction?
Bernie, in talking about the fascination dreams have for her, says: "There are
many things we don't know about ourselves. But there is another part within us,
which knows. That part which knows speaks to us through our dreams".
Bernie has very succinctly given the gist of the power of dreams and their
relevance to our lives. We believe that all our solutions come from our waking,
rational self. That is not the full picture. The range of our dreaming
intelligence stretches from a dream like Bernie's which guided her towards a
future event, to those that deal with our every day anxieties, fears and
problems.
Dreams direct, warn and help us in a manner entirely different from our waking
self, throwing light on an existing dilemma or a future event. The old adage,
sleep over it, is based on the belief that sometimes having gone to sleep with
indecision or anxiety, we wake up remarkably clear headed and full of hope. This
happens because our dreaming intelligence has offered us a convincing point of
view, which, without known why, we can trust implicitly. It is now recognized
that the purpose of sleep is not only to rest the mind and body, but also to
dream.
Radhika has a horror of bats. Twice she dreamt of thousands of bats lifting her
off the ground. She awoke in complete fright. Nightmares may well be a way of
drawing our attention to an emotionally charged situation in our lives.
Dr. Manju Mehta, a clinical psychologist at the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, New Delhi, India, says: "We dream much more when we are upset. Our
mind is active and looking for a solution. Our dreaming mind keeps us in touch
with thoughts and feelings which we may normally not acknowledge. In dreaming
about them, we ventilate our deepest emotions and purge ourselves of many
disturbing feelings."
Dreams not only tell us about our fears, but also help in conquering them.
African tribes use dreams for this purpose. A fearful youngster is expected to
go to sleep visualizing a hunt, lucidly imagining how he will vanquish the
animal. For a few nights nothing may happen. Then if he dreams of charging,
spear in hand, and killing the animal, he would be cured of all his earlier
fears.
That is what lucid dreaming has been used for in recent times, to help control
and conquer fear and anxiety. Lucid dreaming is realizing that you are dreaming.
Apart from the dreamers knowing that they are dreaming. Another characteristic
of lucid dreaming is that the colors and details are far more vivid than when
you are awake. It is often the fantastic nature of the imagery, which causes the
dreamer to exclaim: "This is impossible. This must be a dream."
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