Hubris Miasma

To all absentee parents out there.. How do you do it? How do you manage to swan off and live your selfish dreams without compunction? How do you live in material and emotional comfort knowing you have abandoned a past life? How does your conscience rest easy knowing you took care of yourself without lookingContinue reading “Hubris Miasma”

My Sister’s Cat

It has been a tumultuous week. Shifu, the Master, my sister’s pet cat, who was a beautiful presence in our lives, has left this world forever. He had brought so much happiness in the lives of all those who’d met or known him. For that reason, he will never leave our hearts. He epitomised theContinue reading “My Sister’s Cat”

Backward and Forward

I’m at that stage of life where I find my emotions oscillating between a curious mixture of hopeful excitement for my own sons vis-a-vis quiet acceptance of my own uneventful future. Of course, I know that hope and excitement isn’t the exclusive rights of the younger generation. Those in my age group have every rightContinue reading “Backward and Forward”

Like a Water-Lily

In trying to capture how I view life right now and my place in it, it occurred to me that the celebrated water-lily serves as a very good comparison. Just Googling the meaning of ‘water-lily’ and I immediately can see the analogy to my life. It is a flower that rises out of the muddyContinue reading “Like a Water-Lily”

My Mother’s Footsteps

Looking at my elderly, octagenarian mother whose health has seemingly taken a downward turn in recent months, I reflect on many things and many years gone by. Firstly, I think of the sacrifices she made to come to this country as a fresh-faced, naive yet optimistic young married woman, looking to start out a lifeContinue reading “My Mother’s Footsteps”

A Work in Progress

As I settle into my daytime job, I realise that one of the things I relish most in life is meeting and existing alongside people. Of course, not just random or irrelevant people but in a context where I am building relationships with others who are, more often than not, so different from me. IContinue reading “A Work in Progress”

Just Below the Surface

In Ramadan, we are well-acquainted with the advice to keep negative thoughts and actions well at bay. Given the heightened spiritual ambience that this month brings into our homes and hearts, for the most part, it is a much easier thing to do than in times outside of Ramadan. However….. I cannot feign perfection. ThereContinue reading “Just Below the Surface”

Learn. Love. Laugh.

It all boils down to that. My summary of a life fulfilled. Each day has to contain all three of those composite elements to make that day worth living. So what about the cynics who would argue that it’s impossible to laugh through difficult times? Or those who feel bitter about unrequited love or oneContinue reading “Learn. Love. Laugh.”

To Give is To Receive

A message which can never be overstated. Despite the financial struggles many of us are facing, the principle of giving should always continue….and before anyone secretly, or openly, thinks I must have lost my mind at a time when we are all thinking of protecting the self, I would like to qualify my statement. YouContinue reading “To Give is To Receive”