New Dimensions

Fresh Hope Migration is an established and successful Immigration Agency specializing in South African: Immigration Visas Business Visas Work Visas Relative Visas Study Visas Visa Extensions Visa Appeals Change of Conditions Permanent Residence Applications They also assist with Nigeria tourists / work visas and passport applications. Place of Business Situated in Kempton Park on the East Rand (near Johannesburg), Gauteng, South Africa, Fresh Hope Migration have years of experience in the Immigration Industry. If you meet the requirements for a work visa call them for an appointment or send them an email. Visa Services Fresh Hope Migration - Immigration Agency Kempton Park, Johannesburg - specializes in the following visa services: immigration visas, business visas, work visas, relative visas, study visas, visa extensions, visa appeals and change of conditions. I have known them for a few years and have found them to be friendly and helpful. If you need he...

There's a place and a time to get out of your comfort zone and engage in social activity. Today was one of those days for me. I woke up early this morning and managed to get to church on time. What for? That on a Monday morning, too. Once a month they host a breakfast for the business people. After "The Message," which was excellent, we went for breakfast. After finding a place in the crowded canteen I sat next to an estate agent across the table. He seemed very interested in what I shared about my work and requested a follow-up meeting. Next, I joined a friend at his table and again shared what I do for clients which resulted in a positive outcome. That was a good start to my day and month. At home, I dug into some website designing and typing in Word. Before long it got much busier and I was multi- tasking 3 projects. With more clients comes more work. Then my work became even busier as the day continued. Later I spent some time catching up on Facebook. It...

How I miss the carpet of flowers that used to greet me when I was a young boy living in Namaqualand. During Spring those flowers always decorated the countryside where I lived in Nababeep. It was like heaven with all the colours imaginable. How fortunate I was to grow up in that mining town. Far away from the city. Isolated. Yet I wouldn't have had it any other way. Okay, I had to learn a new language, Afrikaans, because the majority of the folks there spoke it. In the beginning, my friends had to put up with my English until I picked up a few Afrikaans words. Fortunately, they were patient with me and helped me master their unusual language. After we moved closer to the mine so that my father could walk to his workshop I made friends with Dirkie Coetzee who became my best friend. We did many things together. Sometimes we just listened to his favourite Jim Reeves records and other times we read fiction books about "Die Swart Luiperd." My favourite hero was Ta...

50 years on a good reason to celebrate. Five decades have passed since Okinawan Goju Ryu was introduced to South Africa by a remarkable man, sensei James Rousseau.  His journey through this period has created a wake of profound energy, immense interest in what he nurtured and a legacy that has crossed boundries, spilling over into branches that today continue to practice some form of what he brought to this country. Today we look back at all that has gone before and stand proudly beneath the great tree that has grown from the tiny seed planted in 1966 when sensei James established himself in South Africa as the founder of Okinawan Goju Ryu with the grade of Sandan. Sensei James began his karate training in the Shotokan system in 1961 and received Shodan ranking in 1964. During one of his trips to Japan he became acquainted with Goju Ryu and decided to concentrate his training in this system.  He relates many interesting experiences, crediting his wife Wendy for her su...

I bought a green Bicycle - my Silverback replacement. Cycling is part of my DNA, just look at my Facebook avatar. Read my previous article and you'll understand. My dog, Java, is a cross between a chow and a sharpei. I reckon she is magical and possesses some kind of super powers. She sees through walls and has super hearing. If Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, then Java is a close second. With energy like that, I would be a sensation on my mountain bike - but alas. Maybe Java is also psychic because she shadows my every move in the house even if she is outside. She even knows when I'm about to bring her a treat and sits wagging her tail in delightful anticipation outside the door. Sometimes I wonder who is smarter, me or Java. When the Glam Guru recently visited us to film Maggie I decided to put her in the carport - just in case. The filming crew took a long time to bring their gear in the house and I went to investigate. Java was up to her magical ...

This year I was expecting Father's Day to be just like any other day. But I was in for a surprise. My wife, Maggie, had planned a special lunch for Youth Day and invited my eldest son and his family over. Some other special guests couldn't make it. Just before 1 pm my son, Mark, and his wife, Natasja, together with my grandchildren, Crystal and Dillon arrived. Mark was carrying a gift which, when he handed it to me, almost caused me to drop it. I guessed that it must have been a book and before I opened the gift I said, "This surely is a Bible." Mark smiled and said, "Yes!" It was a special keepsake edition. Immediately I started paging through the Bible and admired the quality. It is something that you record your family generations in and pass on to your descendants. We enjoyed an amazing meal of chicken and vegetables that Maggie had prepared with a lot of love. Afterwards, Maggie asked me to set up my camera on a tripod to take an action sho...

Devastating fires descended on Knysna and surrounding areas recently devouring much of what used to be a place of quintessential beauty with winding roads and lush woodland. Pictures of the havoc caused by the raging fires are enough to drive you to tears. "This was later explained by firefighters: the flames carried by the wind came down like fireballs and could blast a house and leave others around it intact. In other scenarios, the fire would go into the ground, into the roots of trees accumulating with natural gases and blast out the ground like landmines. This has left the town and its people just as mentally and emotionally traumatized as a war zone would have." Quoted from Lowvelder where you can see some pictures of the aftermath. As the news spread all over the Internet and media people all over the country started to respond in many different ways. Up here in Gauteng, the owner of Firearm Trust Services decided to jump into action and rally people in the ar...