Open Sesame!

Closed letter boxes

It's "Open Sesame!" when the postman shows up

Oasia Hotel Downtown

From the looks of it, the following iconic hotel has taken 'going green' to new heights.

Pretty soon it could well become a famed 'hotel in a bush' and the sky-scraping gardeners will have their hands full to keep the hotel trim.

A good way to remember the name of this hotel would be to add 'O' to "Asia".

Let the the following blurb from their website enthuses you: "Oasia brand empowers guests to journey well when travelling through three wellness pillars – Recharge, Refuel and Refresh."

Click here to find out more about Oasia Hotel Downtown brought to you by Far East Hospitality.

The Importance of Close Relationships and Social Integration

To my mind the amount of sleep or the lack of it would have a big impact on longevity. 

Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash

For your refreshing, click on the following a clip, obtained through a chat group, on a study done regarding the top predictors of longevity, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Finding Happiness

How can I be happy? Where can I find happiness?

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

If you are on a quest for happiness, click here for "Finding Happiness" by Dennis Burke Ministries. 

Take your time to read through and meditate over the Word of God as contained therein; it would be well worth your time. 

Slow down, be still, and know that God is real and present with you.

Have a wonderful life!

Inspiration from J. K. Rowling

Click here for Evan Carmichael's J.K. Rowling's Top 10 Rules For Success (@jk_rowling), which  he has summarised as follows:

Photo credits: Jack Anstey @jack_anstey
(Courtesy of Unsplash.com)

"1. Failure helps you discovers yourself

She went from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status within 5 years.

2. Take action on your ideas

The Harry Potter books have become the best-selling book series in history.

3. You will be criticized

Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers asked that she use two initials, rather than her full name. 

4. Remember where you started

She was diagnosed with clinical depression which she claims gave her inspiration to create the Dementors in the Potter series.

5. #Believe

Twelve publishing houses rejected her original Harry Potter manuscripts, but eventually small publisher Bloomsbury gave her a chance with a small advance. 

6. There is always trepidation

She conceived the idea for Harry Potter in 1990. The 7 years that followed saw the death of her mother, divorce from her first husband and relative poverty until Rowling finished the first novel.

7. Life is not a checklist of achievements

She named communist and civil rights activist Jessica Mitford as her "most influential writer".

8. Persevere

She's the United Kingdom's best-selling living author, with sales in excess of  £238m.

9. Dreams can happen

In 2010, she was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors.

10. We have the power to imagine better

Harry Potter is now a global brand worth an estimated US$15 billion."

Photo credits: Carlos Cram @cramtek
(Courtesy of Unsplash.com)

To fire up your belly and get you moving to do your thing, you may wanna review the following quotes by J.K. Rowling:-

"I've been writing my entire life, and I'll always write."

"Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power to that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared."

"You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity."

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive."

"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

May you find good success as you persevere in the pursuit of your passion and dream life.

People Matters

Your world is a better place because of the people around you. You could have all the wealth and talents in this world, but it would be void if you are out of touch with people, especially those who matter the most in your life.

Photo credits: trevoykellyphotography (Courtesy of Pixabay) 

Do not rush through. Take the time to chill out with family and friends, and walk through life with them. People need people; it keeps us humane with thoughts and consideration for others.

To digress, it is a chilling thought that people who are disconnected with others may well take up arms, consequently, to harm others just so that they can be noticed.

Give priority. Make time for your precious ones. You may not be perfect, but you are part and parcel of their lives; you have a special relationship with them that extends beyond casual acquaintances. The best ones are those who accept you unconditionally and care about you sincerely -- sacrificially, even. So, be the best version of yourself for them to return their favour.

When a relationship is reciprocal, it grows healthily and deepens. However, it would take a lifetime to maintain good relationships. But, it is well worth it as you are not meant to sojourn through life on planet Earth on your own.

Your relationships and interaction with others will smoothen your rough edges, polish up your personailty and spur you towards your calling or purpose in life. You are like a diamond in the rough being prepared (painfully at times) for your revealing. 

Stick it out with other people and you will find the better place together with them.

Click here for Rachel Platten - Better Place (Official Video).

Live In The Moment

A sage asked a young man and an older man what they could see in the horizon as far away as possible.

Photo credits: Alexas_Fotos (Courtesy of Pixabay)

After a period of due contemplation, the young man quipped that he could see his career path, doing all the things he enjoy (hopefully) and maybe marriage. As for the elder, he lamented the process of aging and stressed the wealth of having good health.

The sage smiled and said wryly, "I see God."

The bad things will not last forever; they will come to past. Neither do the good things at the level that you are used to. As such, even an earthly king or billionaire will have his winter years before he meet with God Himself.

Our life on earth is like a dressed rehearsal for heaven. Get to know God who has already revealed Himself in person of Jesus Christ and through His written Word as contained in the Holy Bible.

Having said that, live life to the fullest every day with guidance from the Word of God through His Holy Spirit.

Live in the moment, moment by moment. When you are eating and drinking, enjoy your meal. Thank God you can ingest food with ease and taste them, too.

Listen well with full attention to the person you are speaking with. Honour her by being a good listener and connect with her by showing that you understand and empathise with her.

Focus on what you are doing right now and shut out the distraction. Enjoy the music, the news article, literature, scenery, painting, cooking, washing the dishes (cos' you have a good pair of functional hands and not made as a dishwashing machine!), roller-coaster ride, etc. 

Do not take life for granted. Be thankful. Live in the moment aside from time spent planning your schedule and setting goals. Connect with the people around you and take on God's nature of love to love them unconditionally.

Have a great day ahead!


Click on the following video clip to view some near misses which was circulated to me via a chat group as a reminder that life can be fragile:-

It is loaded when people say, "Thank God, I'm alive!"