A Vacation To Remember in London, England

My time in London was set right in the middle of my month long overseas adventure. From Christchurch, New Zealand I'd traveled through Bangkok and onto the majestic city of London. Just flying over the area was exciting; looking down on the Thames River was great and for some reason reminded me of the Eastenders TV programme.

After settling in at my sister's apartment I got some valuable sleep, traveling can be great fun but the jet lag can quickly bring you back down to earth. The next day I headed out to St Paul's Cathedral, it's an amazing monument and was well worth the visit. After taking the usual touristy photos in front of St Paul's I moved on to the Tate Modern Art Gallery. They had some really fascinating exhibitions on at the time with some great sculptures and art work.

Heading out to lunch reminded me of how expensive everything is in London after you've exchanged New Zealand dollars to British Pounds, after coming from the very cheap Bangkok; I realized that this part of my holiday was going to be expensive. Holidays are all about spending money though so it was time to move on and spend some more.

Being a huge sporting fan I was very keen to get to Wimbledon to watch some tennis. After the first day got rained off I decided to make the journey to the grounds and see what my chances of getting in were. Turned out that I just had to wait in line, a particularly massive line! Luckily waiting in line turned out to be part of the fun, I received my queue card, my official guide to queuing handbook and numerous other goodies that were dropped off to those who were waiting so patiently. We waited in the line for an hour and a half in the end which wasn't too bad, especially when you compare it to the other line of people who were queuing for good tickets to the following days play!

As I walked into the legendary Wimbledon complex I realized that this was so much more than a few tennis courts, it was like a small town it was so big. I watched some games on the outer courts first, had to pinch myself that I was actually watching tennis at Wimbledon, where were my strawberries and cream? After having some fun checking out the speed of my own tennis serve I ventured towards the main courts, I managed to purchase some resale tickets to the main courts and ended up watching both Raphael Nadal and Andy Murray, couldn't believe my luck! The atmosphere was amazing, even for so early in the tournament.

The next day involved lots of time in the underground and on foot as I made my way around London's Museums. I went to the Science, Victoria & Albert, Natural History and British Museums and thoroughly enjoyed each one, just the buildings were impressive. I particularly enjoyed seeing all Egyptian and Greek artifacts such as vases, statues and the Rosetta stone. It's a shame I had limited time because there was so many interesting things to see.

For dinner we went out to the Ivy, a very posh restaurant that my sister had booked well in advance. The food was good and the atmosphere nice, if not slightly pretentious. After a few drinks at a local pub we meandered back to Clapham Common and my sister's apartment. It had been a great day of sightseeing and certainly one I wouldn't forget any time soon. Luckily I had bought enough memory on my digital camera to last me a lifetime because I was taking a lot of photos.

London is full of amazing sights and to do it justice you would have to spend weeks exploring its vast areas. The only problem is that it can take a long time to get from A to B so you have to be prepared for some frustrating times whether it's delays on the underground or huge lines at famous attractions. Luckily you'll never find yourself disappointed with what you find in London, it's a destination that should be on every traveler's to do list.

Travelling with Your Camera

Think positive! The year's not half over, there's still half to go. That is when it comes to Photography Events and Festivals.

At least once a year, all across the country, smalltown America comes together to show their spirit by holding family-friendly festivals. These events are generally held on a weekend and feature local art, music and culture. And then there are the week long functions, such as the Yamhill Fair and Rodeo, which is held Sunday to Sunday in McMinville, Oregon. Not only will you FIND local art and cultural here, but you'll want to have your camera handy for those awesome rodeo riders and prizewinning flower entries.

But the Photography Events I'm going to acquaint you with now are the ones held in metropolitan areas throughout the world. These functions draw both local and internationally acclaimed artists. There are several well known events planned for the second half of 2007. Some of these festivals are being held in various cities throughout the United States, one in Canada and two in France. If you've dreamed of combining a vacation with your love of photography, this may be your chance to do just that. Choose a destination, pack your suitcases and camera bags and head out for the experience of a photographers lifetime.

First on the calendar is the Les Rencontres D'Arles Photographie held in France. Although this has already begun, it runs until September 16. If you are fortunate enough to travel to this phenomenal show, you will encounter 50 magnificent expositions.

Next on our calendar is the Foto Septiembre USA, held every year September 1 - 30 in San Antonio and other Texas cities. This is an International Photography Festival which is a popular destination for both artists and photography enthusiasts. Not only do they provide a forum which allows artist to exhibit their craft, but they also operate through a website and publication. This provides exhibitors, sponsors and advertisers the additional valuable support of internet exposure.

Next we head north to our Canadian neighbors in Montreal. The Le Mois de la Photo has been held every year since its inception in 1989 to celebrate the 150Th anniversary of photography. It is dedicated to Fine Art Photography and will feature 30 exhibits in galleries and museums throughout the city. The goal of this event has always been to educate the general public about photography as an art form. This year's guest curator will be art historian Marie Fraser whose theme will be The Narrativity of The Image, which should prove to be a captivating topic.

Next we're headed south to Georgia for Atlanta Celebrates Photography, ACP9, held in October. This is a citywide festival which is in its 9Th year. It has art exhibits in diverse locations throughout the city. You will enjoy lectures by international and local artists, a pushpin show, a film series and the public art program.

On to The Big Apple and the PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo 2007 being presented October 18 - 20. This is being called the premier event for forward- looking imaging solutions and photographic education. It also promises to bring leaders, pioneers, and rising new stars together for unprecedented networking events.

Paris Photo which is considered by many to be the leading fair for still photography will be held this year on November 15-18. It will offer photo enthusiasts some 100 galleries and publishers from all over the world. In addition to the exhibits, there will be book signings, prize award ceremonies and lectures. What could be better than to be in the City of Lights with your camera and other photographic devotees.

We wrap up the year in Florida at the Photo Miami scheduled for December 5-9. This International Contemporary Art Fair will be held in the Wynwood Art District of Miami. It focuses on Photo-based art, video and new media.

Any one of these Photography Festivals would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip whether you're a hobby photographer or photograph for living. Dust off you your camera bags and hit the road.

Disney Cruise Ports of Call

Disney Cruise Ports of Call

While the Disney cruise ships themselves are a fabulous vacation destination, they are also a floating 'Fantasyland', traveling to beautiful and exotic ports of call. If you can manage to tear yourself away from the activities and amenities of the Disney cruise ships for a few hours, many wonderful adventures await you when the ship docks.

The Disney Wonder departs each Sunday from Port Canaveral for a 4 night cruise, and again each Thursday for a 3 night cruise. Both itineraries include stops at Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay, Disney's own private island paradise. The 4 night cruise also includes either one day at sea, or an additional stop at Freeport, Bahamas.

The Disney Magic departs from Port Canaveral each Saturday for a 7 night cruise, and it alternates between cruising the eastern Caribbean and the western Caribbean. The Eastern Caribbean cruise includes stops at St. Thomas/St. John, St. Maarten and Castaway Cay, while the Western Caribbean itinerary includes stops at Key West. Cozumel, Grand Caymen and Castaway Cay.

This summer of 2007. The Disney Magic has departed from its usual journey around the Caribbean, and instead has traveled across the Atlantic to cruise the Mediterranean for the summer months. It is departing from Barcelona, Spain for 10 and 11 night cruises to beautiful cities on the Mediterranean, with stops in Italy, France, Spain and Sicily. Next summer, the Disney Magic will travel through the Panama Canal to spend the summer on the Mexican Riviera, with stops at Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallerta and Mazatlan.

Beware that the passport rules for American travelers have changed, and may or may not affect your travel plans. As of today, passports are required for all travel across borders by air - including Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, but not for travelers who arrive by cruise ship. They are planning to make passports required for cruise ship travelers soon - perhaps as early as January, so be sure to keep posted as to the rules. Even when passports are not required, having one certainly makes disembarking much quicker, and the wait for passports is extremely long due to the changing rules, so if you need a passport, be sure to apply sooner rather than later.

Dating Tips and Seduction

Some guys will never become great with women.

"What?!"

You might think I've lost my mind, but it's true.

A lot of guys just won't get it.

And it's not because they're not smart enough or somehow defective...

In fact, it's a subconscious choice, that they have made unknowingly.

I know what you're thinking.

"How can I make sure I'm not one of those guys?"

Am I right?

Well I'm here to tell you how. You will probably never hear what I'm about to say from other gurus because it's such a very subtle but very powerful fix that most leave it out of the equation.

Meet Matt. Matt's a good guy, likes to be social and has taken a bootcamp with another one of the pickup companies. But Matt still doesn't get the success he really wants; in fact he's not successful at all.

"Vin, why don't you help him!?"

There are a couple reasons why I don't help Matt out. One being he's too set in his ways and is stubborn.

BUT, that's not the real reason. If Matt was only stubborn I'd have an easy time changing his mind about things.

The real reason why I can't help him is the same reason why he isn't successful with women.

I've already said Matt's a good guy, but every time I talk to him I get the feeling like he wants something from me. In fact a lot of our mutual friends have said the same thing to me about him.

We don't like hanging out with Matt and neither do women.

Matt always give this vibe of having an ulterior motive. He talks to you like a friend, which is great, but he naturally gives off a vibe that says to me that he's trying to take knowledge, power and fun from me.

The same thing happens to Matt when he's talking to women. He treats them in a friendly manner and is funny but always gives off this vibe that on another level he has an underlying intention.

Having intentions with women isn't a bad thing. If you express your sensual intentions openly they'll acceptable it, especially if you have tight game. It may even turn them on. IN FACT it will skyrocket your conversion rate if you do it the right way.

But if you hide your intentions you come off as creepy and weird. Women won't trust you or feel safe being around you alone. You could be the best actor in the world but... THEY WILL KNOW.

Being creepy is the "Death" card in the Tarot deck of your love life. It will kill any chance of success you might have.

So now you know what might be going wrong. How do you fix it?

Well to start off you need to begin being fun and unattached to the outcome whenever you can. It's not about giving back money. It could be anything from telling a great story to a group or being a great host to a bunch of your friends. It could also be a compliment (in the right way of course) or a tease that will spike emotions in way that is fun to a woman.

Be out there talking to women not only because you want to pickup, but because women are amazing and fun and interesting and wonderful.

Next you need to start doing is being clear about your intentions. This doesn't mean directly telling a girl "The whole purpose of me talking to you is so that I can get into your pants." That's going to kill your pickup about as fast as being creepy.

There are small subtle changes you can make in your behavior that will affect how your intentions are perceived and if you're congruent with what you're saying. There are so many small fixes that I could write a novel on them.

Do you want to read a novel about fixing your creepy vibe and then taking the months to implement it that it will require? I didn't think so. I wouldn't want to spend the months writing that novel either.

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3 Tips for Celebri-Mom Daters

Yes, dating as a celebrity is hard, but some stars do it better than others. Take (please, quickly) Britney Spears, who desperately needs a role model. Our nominee is Reese Witherspoon. Divorced from actor Ryan Phillippe, stylish Reese is now with all-around sweetie Jake Gyllenhaal. Never see them together? A lady never tells.

So

here's what Reese could teach fellow single mom Britney Spears

here's what Reese could teach fellow single mom Britney Spears and other single celebri-moms looking for love:

1. A good man is hard to find. It doesn't matter if you're the most popular pop star in the world or an Oscar-winning actress, a good man is hard to find, and for sure you probably won't find him at Pure in Las Vegas at 3 a.m. on a Thursday.

2. Always put your family first. It's OK to take a night off from the club scene to hang out with the kids at home. A man who doesn't mind a quiet evening might be good for you, but try to stay away from your mannies and bodyguards.

3. Be good to yourself. Shaving your head, trying to get a job as a waitress, stripping down to your underwear in public -- not good ideas.

Be good to yourself and everything else will follow.

Be good to yourself and everything else will follow.

More Ah-Ha's and Oh-No's in our celebri-date file:

Jessica Biel -- we'll pass on the guys (Chris Evans, Ryan Reynolds and now Justin Timberlake?), but we'd borrow her wardrobe and her little black book.

Jennifer Aniston -- we're rooting for America's sweetheart (who can count exes Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn and model Paul Sculfor among her conquests). She keeps it smooth and classy, just like her clothes.

Kate Hudson -- we shudder at ex-husband Chris Robinson (father of son Ryder), and the trend continues (Playboy Owen Wilson? Dax Shepard? Eew).

Cameron Diaz -- Cam's taste is questionable in a lot of ways. Clothes and men? She's either dead on the money (Justin Timberlake) or way, WAY off (Criss Angel, Jared Leto).

 

Britney Spears' Love Life -- Just Say, "Gimme More" or "Oops, I Did It Again"

That says it all, doesn't it? The mother of two hasn't had much success when it comes to dating. She's just 25, but her many men already include Justin Timberlake, Columbus Short, a record producer whose name I can't even remember, that recent manny-bodyguard guy, and she's even been linked to Colin Farrell and Fred Durst. And then there are not one, but two ex-husbands: childhood friend Jason Alexander and dancer-rapper-actor-whatever Kevin Federline.

Before Ms. Spears jumps into another relationship (I mean, you Criss Angel!) and finds herself crying, "Oops, I did it again," she should think about the day when her kids will be old enough to search the Internet. Their mommy will have a lot of explaining to do.

On the complete other side of the dating spectrum is Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon. 

On the complete other side of the dating spectrum is Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon. Who has the blond beauty been linked to since she and Ryan Phillippe split after seven years of marriage? No one, really.

Sure, there have been reports about a budding romance with Jake Gyllenhaal, her co-star in the upcoming movie "Rendition," but if Witherspoon is dating the hunkster, she's been able to outsmart us all. There have been no photos of them canoodling, and there certainly haven't been any handholding red carpet appearances of the maybe-couple.

Witherspoon's top priority? Her and Phillippe's two kids, eight-year-old Ava and Deacon, who turns four next month.

 She'd much rather be at home with the kids than out partying 

She'd much rather be at home with the kids than out partyingShe'd much rather be at home with the kids than out partying and looking for love in the wee hours of the morning in places like Las Vegas.

If Witherspoon finds love again, the last thing you should look for is one of those at-home mushy-gushy celebrity tabloid magazine cover stories.

Same holds true for Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and the super-private Renee Zelwegger. Even if their not-so-stellar dating life improves, these A-listers will be the last to talk publicly if or when things take a turn for the better.

As for the bachelors of Hollywood,

 Sean "Diddy" Combs is the Spears of the male set. 

Sean "Diddy" Combs is the Spears of the male set. While he may not have had any public displays of wacky behavior like shaving his head, Combs is also going to have a lot of explaining to do when his kids (he has three with Kim Porter and one with Misa Hylton-Brim) catch on to their free-lovin' daddy.

With Jennifer Lopez as an ex and rumors of romance with starlets like Sienna Miller, Combs is like a modern-day Warren Beatty. I guess he could always explain it away by reminding the kids that their daddy was Date.com's Sexiest Single Father in 2005.

Like Combs, George Clooney has made a second career out of being single. He's the first to say he's not the marrying kind (his first and only marriage to Talia Balsam ended in divorce in 1993 after less than four years of marriage). Clooney may have dated more women than he would like to admit, but at least he does it with class.

Leave it to Mr. Clooney to announce he has a new girlfriend in the most subtle of ways. Sarah Larson was with him recently when he hit the Venice Film Festival. But you wouldn't have known it except for a simple kiss he gave her while having dinner at a chic-chic black-tie soiree.

Clooney likes it quiet and private.

Hmm, perhaps it's time for Clooney to give Witherspoon a call.
More info: Millionaire Singles Dating tips.