Life was never meant to be quick, or easy. It was meant to teach and challenge us, to help us grow. Instead of surrendering to circumstances, we can learn from them. So through small and simple choices in the direction of hope, we can eventually create the outcome we desire. After all, the best teacher was our last mistake. If we look for evidence of love and kindness, we will find it. If we seek beauty and grace, we will find it. That's all well and good, but what can we individually do to make life a little more enjoyable and special for those around us? We can start with a smile. Maybe a joke and make them smile back. Pay them some compliments and give them credit when they've achieved something. It's important to encourage others to set small achievable goals. Especially if it's through their creativeness, which could be music or even cooking. I personally believe that art and creativity are an expression of the soul on its spiritual journey of enlightenment and knowledge.
So here at FIVE STAR PORTUGAL, with this in mind, we do our very utmost to champion truly amazing artisans, showcasing their incredible work in CGI, technology and innovation, product design, architecture, landscaping, sculpture, art and interior design. Then making it available to you through this interactive portal. Bringing you journalistic content and designer products, via our store.
It was the spectacular Portuguese minimal architecture in the ancient wooded dune settings around Melides that first caught my attention back in 2005, hastening an eventual move from London to Europes sunniest and some say friendliest country, with a guaranteed 226 sunny days every year.
Moving on swiftly to the present days dilemma., In these Orwellian times where World governments draconian overreach in lockstep with one another is normalised out of genuine concern for your health and mental wellbeing. As they capitulated with Big Pharma oligarch Dr Anthony Fauci. The instigator with Dr Robert Gallow of that last US lab grown Gay and African continent Genocide that was HIV/AIDS. Also utilising vaccines as their payload delivery system, whilst blaming the homosexual community for their bathhouse sex orgies and promiscuous lifestyle. Sound familiar? MONKEYPOX springs to mind.
And the man with equally as many truly glittering medical qualifications and accolades as myself, Bill Gates, an expert at extorting money out of us for the removal of computer viruses from his Microsoft software platforms. They promised you order, they promised you peace, and all they demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent and acquiescence.
Whilst they muzzled your face with slave masks, stopping you breathing sufficiently for normal brain function, then financially bankrupted you with their multinational big box-store chain exempt mom and pop store crushing lockdowns. Next exterminating you with their bought and paid off Big Pharma experimental gene therapies. Which, we are now told irreversibly alter your DNA, then wipe out your immune system with each and every deadly shot. But in the process they somehow managed to demonise coughs and sniffles and having no symptoms at all. But normalised strokes, blood clots, neurological disorders and "Died Suddenly"! These untested injected solutions apparently skipped further animal testing on the lab rats, due to the mass rodent fatalities and cancerous growths. But they claimed were perfectly "safe and effective" for the entire planet's human population to get jabbed with multiple times. But instead we now find out, damage your DNA irreparably, turning you into a genetically modified organism (GMO) species with no human rights at all. "Humans are now hackable animals" Yuval Noah Harari).
SIR CHARLIE CHAPLIN - THE GREAT DICTATOR
I wonder if my latent cabinetmaking skills are still adequate enough to enable me to start churning out great big wooden guillotines. It worked for the French people (Build Back Better).
Oh, and when having a opinion can be deemed dangerous, or where standing up for something morally correct can be thought of as far right extremism, we need to put a brake on it and make a stand. Because "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything" - Malcolm X.
Sadly, so many folk have become weaponised towards each other in so many ways by our not so hidden controllers. They divide us by colour, religion, gender, country, ethnicity, medical status. Family member against family member, friend again friend. It's like living in a tinderbox. It’s so easy to trigger those that have their beliefs set in stone from the mainstream media (Tavistock Institute) programming. The ex Beatle, sadly taken from us by Mark Chapman in New York on the 8th of December 1980, knew the answer. After all 'All we need is Love, Love is the answer' - John Lennon. Maybe this single nugget of knowledge led to his untimely demise by Chapman, who some say was an MK Ultra mind controlled assassin.
My solution for this dilemma is highlighted in the movie clip by my hero and inspiration Sir Charlie Chaplin in his self funded historic movie comedy produced in 1939 and released in 1940, called The Great Dictator. Sir Charlie had writers block as producer & director and stopped filming for three months, risking personal bankruptcy whilst he penned the ending, The Greatest Speech Ever. Naturally it got banned in Germany. If he had known the horrors that were about to unfold in WW2, he would've never have made the movie.
Following on from his beautifully crafted historic movie speech (as relevant today as it was all those years ago), are my life-hacks to share with you;
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ALL LIVES MATTER
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TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU'D WISH TO BE TREATED
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ANTI ANY COLOUR PREJUDICE OR RACISM
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BODILY AUTONOMY IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST
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PROTECT FREE SPEECH BEFORE IT'S GONE
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SUPPORT ALL ANTI-WAR MOVEMENTS
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PROTECT OUR CHILDREN'S INNOCENCE
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SHIELD HUMANITY FROM THE ARCHON
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CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND RECYCLE
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LOVE - CARE - HELP - HEAL - FORGIVE
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TRY EACH TIME TO GO NATURAL ORGANIC
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AVOID SYNTHETIC TOXINS IN CONSUMABLES
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AVOID CARCINOGENIC FLUORIDE IN TOOTHPASTE
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TREASURE THE GIFT OF LIFE
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CHERISH EACH MOMENT IN OUR 3D REALM
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DON'T FALL FOR 'DIVIDE AND CONQUER'
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RAISE YOUR VIBRATION FOR 5D ASCENSION
There you are. I hope no one is too badly triggered.
"Never apologise for being correct, or for being ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it, speak your mind even if you are in a minority of one. The truth is still the truth" Mahatma Gandhi.
"If you don't stand for something,
you will fall for anything"
Malcolm X
"The way of life can be beautiful. But we have lost the way"."
Sir Charlie Chaplin
Moving on swiftly, we have an exciting project launching shortly for season 2025. As I've now turned 62, I've decided to dedicate my future endeavours to addressing the imbalance between affluent tourists, luxury resorts and a disaffected & underprivileged homegrown youth. My solution to this dilemma, Motorsports and innovative career training by experts in their fields. Both these activities will be absorbed into our resort development endeavours, giving youngsters the opportunity to experience many of the amazing things I did, chaperoned by family, friends, youth workers and professionals.
Though I must come clean, I was definitely the works mascot in my 1st job as an Apprentice Cabinetmaker in Bishop's Stortford, Herts from 1978 to 1982. I was pretty useless and aggressive too (angry young man). But I was very good at getting everyone else to do everything for me. I still am really. A skillset that I have honed to near perfection over the years. Academia escaped me, but I was awarded the top school tie colours at Waterside prep school for being the quickest at the 100 metres sprint. Then a single CSE upgraded to an O Level for Art at the last school Hadham Hall. Some of us are more practical, physical and verbally articulate.
John Rice - CEO of ORBSEO
Connect with John on LinkedIn
“I am the conscience of all those who knew something - but did nothing.”
Oskar Schindler.
“I am the conscience of all those who knew something - but did nothing.”
You must be the change
you want to see in the world"
Mahatma Gandhi
Oskar Schindler
DARE TO DREAM
MINI LE MANS RACERS
Areas covered for the youth project will be videography, logistics, horticulture, marketing, performing arts. Marine & track race motor mechanics. Which will coincide with our youth power boat and track race car series for Portugal initially. Using my great and immense powers of manipulation and determination, we will make this happen utilising contracted advertising sales and marketing teams, helping secure race sponsorship for the power boats and race cars as we run our own series. Integrating our in-house concierge for the events and advertisers VIP areas. Also an International recording House Music and Dub-Step artist will oversee the music festival at each race, with the backing of their own management company. These events will also help raise the profile of our resort development sites. Prior to full construction. If you wish to get involved with the motorsports or youth training, we'd love to hear from you.
FAST AND FURIOUS
PURE EXHILARATION
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Our
founder
aged 16
SEPTEMBER 1978 I STARTED OUT IN THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY THEN IN BUSINESS FOUR YEARS LATER IN THE SUMMER OF 1982 AGED JUST 20 YEARS OLD
I'm now celebrating 46 years in the furniture and home improvement industry. I had wanted to be anything other than what I got cleverly manoeuvred into. A fireman would've been preferable, but my adoptive father insisted that I get an apprenticeship under my belt in metalwork or woodwork. Then I could do whatever I wanted to do. A Zoo Keeper would've been amazing. He bribed me with a brand new copper coloured Yamaha FS1E 50cc moped (pictured above). Naturally, I took the bait.
Weighing up the options, although I was also offered an engineering apprenticeship at an aero company at Stansted Airport, I opted for woodwork, worried about getting my hands greasy. Who would blame me for that! Looking back on it, it was more my adoptive father interviewing Peter Dovaston of H and E Dovaston Bishop's Stortford, rather than the latter. He did the engineering interview for me too, as I guess he was worried that I might say something. Or more likely, he wanted to let both parties see the suited man micro managing my life, my fixer.
One thing that really impressed me over those four brief years of training to be a Cabinetmaker & studying one day a week at the London College of Furniture East London was Peter Dovaston and his families incredible hard work ethic. One that I have adopted. Also their forethought in sending both myself and my soon to be business partner Gary Hayes, for the additional training years to study 'Advance Crafts' in furniture finishing and antique restoration.
One of the London College of Furniture lecturers once said to me and Gary, "What are you two doing here. These other kids are just factory fodder"! I'd never thought of it like that.
OUTSIDE THE LONDON COLLEGE OF FURNITURE AGED 17 - 1979
AT BROOKLANDS BROCKHAM GREEN SURREY AGED 17 - 1979
This picture shows me outside the London College of Furniture in Commercial Road, East London in 1979. Having been an Apprentice Cabinetmaker for only a few months.
Looking back on it, it was enjoyable, though sadly when the firm became a casualty of the 1982 recession, it gave me and my best friend at the time, Gary Hayes, who had also been working with me, the opportunity to go it alone and set up G and J Restoration, our very own business in furniture restoration. This soon morphed into contract polishing plus antique sales from the Antique Studio, our warehouse in Allens Green Hertfordshire.
Working 6 days a week plus weekday evenings it soon took it's tole on our health sadly. But I had got the business bug and really enjoyed the marketing. I had a bash at promoting business products, including mobile phones in the late 1980s with my then 2nd business Amberquest.
I then found myself going more into high end in-period interiors & period property renovation. History & architecture has always fascinated me, having grown up in large Victorian homes in Hertfordshire and Surrey.
Though my start in life was Streatham London single women's shelter. Then an orphanage for the 1st year, before being fostered then adopted. My earliest recollection was being in a small room on my own in my adoptive parents home. I was given coloured crayons, so to please them I did a huge circular coloured mural on the wall. Maybe this was a sign of the greatness to come!
I briefly worked for other firms after I'd made the move to London in 1998 as I wanted to be commercially aware and learn all the techniques of how to close a deal face to face plus over the phone.
Armed with these new tools I went back into interiors in early 2002 and focused on high end period refurbishments in London, installing stunning high-tech interiors, utilising Poliform, Deltalight & Lutron products each and every time. Plus always utilising West One Bathroom's amazing expertise and guidance.
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LEAVING FOR A WEEKEND PARTY IN BERKSHIRE AGED 29 - 1991
WITH MUSIC HISTORIAN AND BROADCASTER
PAUL GAMBACCINI - 1991
In 2003 I teamed up with my 2nd business partner, Dr Pierre Wilter, who owned a RIBA London architect practice in Ealing. He wanted to get more work in Central London, so my solution was a roof garden company which we set up and called Urban Roof Gardens. With this vehicle, I became part of Channel 4's coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show in 2004, then I was featured on Sky. Then finally, in 2008, I was guest designer on Channel 5's Hotel Inspector with host Alex Polizzi, doing a couple makeovers. Including a Suffolk hotel restaurant interior, utilising a German WW2 incendiary bomb into the scheme. I'd winged it off a local air museum with artefacts from the war. Apparently it was decommissioned, whatever that means.
In 2009 I decided to take a break from being a designer, builder main contractor and have focused on Global marketing with my store concept. Though now that I'm in a new territory, I am now going back into building as a resort developer.
Linkedin doesn't show us dyslexics in a good light, but I prefer to make my own breaks and for folk to judge me by my talent in what I do (intuitive empath). I'm a creative, I have to create and I have to innovate.
John Rice CEO of ORBSEO
Connect with John on LinkedIn
JOHN RICE WITH TEAM AGED 27 RESTORING PARTS OF ALAN BOND'S UPP HALL, BRAUGHING, WARE, HERTS UK IN 1989
JOHN RICE AT GLOBE WHARF WAREHOUSE APARTMENT ROTHERHITHE LONDON AGED 37 - 1999