Inspired by the Greek God Apollo's artistic exploits, Theo Gossen sculpted a lyre and hoisted it onto the Koninklijk Concertgebouw roof just before its grand opening on April 11, 1888. A little over a century later, another sculptor replaced the original with a new lyre. And I got a chance to shake his hand - the very hand behind one of Amsterdam's most prominent landmarks today.

Social media feeds provide an infinite stream of algorithm-favouring individuals extolling the modern-day mantra of "Living My Best Life." Positive, upbeat, and even inspiring on the surface, yet one study after another on the effects of social media is pointing to a similar finding - looking at posts of popular Instagrammers leading perfectly Instagrammable lives is making most of us 'normies' feel really, really bad on a subconscious level. With the irresistible power of channels like Instagram, is there anything we can do to avoid getting sucked into social media's vortex of unhappiness?

It's January 2023, and Cryptocurrency and the economy are hot topics in the news! So here’s something I discovered that connects the two, yet took place AGES ago! Curious?

And they're living, breathing examples of the many, many levels up each of us can live our lives.

On the 26th of November, 2022, my podcast 'Tony John iN Conversation' went live. In the series debut, I sat with Bo Lingam, a Malaysia-born and educated corporate leader who is the Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Ltd., Asia's largest low-cost carrier by fleet size, destination and passenger load. The genesis of my friendship with Bo goes back to 1992, the year we met while working in the music industry at a time when the Walkman was still a cool thing!

While I planned to tell a story of today's Royal Asscher, my pen apparently had its own plans on how the story should unfold. As the ink formed letters, words, and sentences, an homage emerged to one family's surrender and fidelity to the craft of cutting diamonds.

The city that may not be a city. The safe-haven that's home to more than any.