Home,sweet home

Dear Blogreader,

I enjoyed reading this article the other day.It shows beautiful homes under the unpretentious title of MANSION OF THE WEEK!South Africa is really a haven for luxurious and illuminous homes whether it is beach front homes,country side Dutch-influenced homes or city pads.

Feast your eyes and prepare a check with digits followed my several zeros.The fetching prices are of course more affordable for buyers with Euro currency,US dollars,famous artists,oil barons and MLM Rockstars AKA Professional Network Marketers!

Read all about it here

Ol'e!

Sarah

Santiago where are you?

Dear Blogreader,

I read in a South African online newsletter,that a film of the modern classic and one of my favourite books,The Alchemist,will be made soon.Apparently this was confirmed by Paulo Coehlo´s publicist at the Cannes Festival this year and Laurence Fishburne will directing and starring in it.It will be shot in Europe,the Middle East and North Africa.The only missing piece to the coming to life of this literary brilliance is of course,Santiago.Those of you who have read the book will know he is the ¨protagonista¨and central character in the book.Now,I found it exciting that there is now an extensive search for someone to take this role,happening in Spain and South America.I mean for me,this is like fast forwarding ¨The sixth sense¨ and not being able to imagine any other little boy being able to convincingly utter those immortal words,¨I see dead people...¨ the way Haley Joel Osmont does it!This time however,our expecations are enriched by our own personal journey going through the book.It will be a tough job to re-produce the work as poignantly as Paulo Coelho leads the reader to do in their imaginations.In all cases,Im looking forward to it!

NewsFlash:This classic will also be translated to a first ever African language of Xhosa for use as textbooks in South Africa´s Xhosa speaking provinces!

I will conclude with these words from the book,which made a lasting impresion for me:¨if you want something badly enough,all the universe conspires to help you get it!¨...read that again...and again..and again,until you see it!

Im celebrating already!

Sarah

Good Blog References from South Africa

Dear blogreader,

Im so grateful and happy with the presenation and content of the wesbite iafrica.com

Its laid out in a way that allows a reader to easily browse and read articles of interest.I find their lifestyle article particuarly informative and entertaining like this article which discusses blogging in South Africa.

Apart from the still developing internet service and the plan by small and big investors like Bill Gates for Africa and Southern Africa in particular to affordably implement it for a widestream population.

The following blog gives general descriptions of various blogging activity in South Africa by subject matter

Read the article here

Till soon,

Sarah

Museums´ Afternoon in Madrid

Dear Blogreader,

Today I went to see two art expositions with a friend.The two were ¨El pan de los Angeles¨ from the Uffizi Gallery collection in Florence(From Botticelli to Luca Giordano) and Alphonse Mucha´s ¨Seducción,Mordenidad y Utopia¨.My friend liked the Uffizi collection more.She is Italian and she had fond memories of seeing some of the works in Florence at the Uffizi Gallery as shown above, when she went there in her school days!

Anyway,it was an afternoon well spent.In both expositions,there were some interesting revolving themes of Spirituality and Christianity.The collection from Uffizi Gallery was strictly works based on the most illustrious stories of the Bible.So there were paintings of Adam & Eve,another with Manna falling from heaven,then there was, of course,The Passion of Christ which is from the main theme of Jesus´s body as the bread of life.I really liked the collection and its diversity,from paintings to tapestry.My favourite pieces were by Lorenzo Monaco,Fransceco Salviati and Fabrizio Boschi.

The second and last part of the exposition was quite exciting as well.Personally,because I went to Prague in December last year,and got introduced to Alphonse Mucha there.His works were quite broad as well,and included sketches that went on to become famous posters,sketched drawings for paintings,jewellery designs(and in particular a bracelet he designed for Sarah Bernhardt),stamps,bank notes,cake tins...all with his famous signature Art Nouveau!All these reminded me of Andy Warhol´s trademark design which was termed pop art because everyone from Paris to when he went back to his native Chech Republic wanted his Art Nouveau on anything that had a surface!

I like Mr. Mucha´s biography as well.In particular,that after attaining fame and fortune he made a point to give back and do some wonderful work for his native Chech Republic through the Slavic Epic.He led an interesting life in his own right,and is said to have been a known freemason.I love his style.In particular a water painting called Song of Bohemia,which has soft touches and is a living,organic depiction of three peasant girls from his Slavic Epic theme.

I now have a new-found appreciation for my Möet & Chandon white-star bookmark which I bought from The Mucha Museum in Prague.The man who shot to stardom after Sarah Bernhardt and the public loved his commissioned work (poster for her play called Gismonda) and although he died after contracting pneumonia in the duration of a Gestapo interrogation,seemed to have achieveda life well-lived.

My top 7 sayings today

Use your power to create
1."I am a child of God. I came from the womb of creation."
-- Tao Te Ching

Forgive the hurts
2."Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
-- Paul Boese

A light look at life's journey
3."If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere."
-- Frank A. Clark

All is mind
4."I want to know the thoughts of God; the rest are details."
-- Albert Einstein

Time to blossom
5."The voice of our original self is often muffled, overwhelmed, even strangled, by the voices of other people’s expectations."
-- Julie Cameron

How do you show you care?
6."Love is not only something you feel. It is something you do."
-- David Wilkerson

The 4 D's of spiritual growth
7.My ABSOLUTE favourite:"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears."
-- Glenn Clark


Adopted from www.higherawareness.com

April First-What was your gag?

Dear Blogreader,

I have been thinking about a couple of gags.

I flirted with the idea of sending my boss a resignation letter for fleeting moments.But I will pass,you know its noty April Fool´s if its still discussed the next day,and I dont want to predict the future:)...Well instead,I sent an sms to my sister saying I was coming home to South Africa this saturday,maybe its not so funny,huh?On second thought,I will follow up on the ¨I have resigned gag..only this time with my friends...¨

Here are some cool April Foll´s gags:


Cheers for now,

Love Sarah

Build the awareness habit

Adopted from Higher Awareness.

Dear Blogreader,

This really hit home for me today,as I am going through this stage of my life.Discovering who I am involves some strange,easy and hard questions with equally if not more harder and bizarre answers.It sometimes feels like doing 200km/h (Im South African!:))on a highway.However,the process of pausing and allowing ourselves to see the answers is humbling and stabilisng.From hence comes some self-awareness,acceptance(or need for improvement) and finally self-confidence knowing that Im a work in progress and the show must go on!

Lets think about the following...

“It is difficult to see the picture when you are inside of the frame.”

-- Author Unknown

Start building the awareness habit: STOP and PAY ATTENTION. Set an intention to become aware of how you automatically react to different things in your life.

For example, how do you react to the alarm clock, the shower, traffic, work colleagues and situations, your partner or children? How do you react to anger or fear in someone else? How do you react to your own anger or fear? Become a witness to your own life. Pay attention to how you do things.

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.”

-- Abraham H. Maslow

Awareness is the key to all change. Open to your own inner wisdom.

Till we meet soon,

Love Sarah

Do you give your creativity a fair chance to blossom?

Dear Blogreader,

I took this test today,and through the list of questions I have resolved to take some time off and steal away to a place where I will allow my own creativity free reign.I recently decided to take some time out and to re-endorse this perspective I quote Eddie Cantor who said:"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast --you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." while Blaise Pascal said "All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone."

It is exactly not about making productive use of down time,it is about breaking away to have some downtime.This time of stillness and quiet gives permission to our seamless,boundless stream of thoughts and ideas to flow.Let it flow.Lets give ourselves permission to play.

My personal favourite is a quote from Sophia Bedford-Pierce who said ¨Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise."Whooa,I agree!

The result of my free Epstein Creativity Competency Inventory for individuals test (ECCI-i) is found here.


Have a great day,

Sarah

Some of my favourite forwards

Dear Blogreader,

Here I recall a favourite anecdote:
A beautiful Thought for the day
5 important lessons to learn from a humble pencil.

1. It tells you that everything you do will always leave a Mark .
2. You can always correct the mistake you make .
3. The important thing in life is what you are from inside and not from out side .
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening which will make you better in whatever you do .
5. Finally, to be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

Source:Unknown to me

2008 Travel Diary

Dear Blogreader,

Are you a passionate traveller?

Which one of these steals your fancy?

Best Regards,

Have a fantastic weekend!

Sarah