Finding The Berlin Patient
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Time and again, I ask myself, especially during this time of the year, if I venture out of my comfort zone often enough. Sometimes we think we are adventurous, when we are just …
The Old Man And The Bus
When there is light rain, a rainbow can show up in the sky. On the streets, people walk faster, unless they have an umbrella. Wipers clear the views for some drivers while others allow a coat of raindrops to gather on their windscreens. Last Friday, …
November 15th
When October ended and November began in 2009, especially when the Christmas decorations started to show up, this friend of mine felt a little panic. He was not ready for Christmas. He was not ready for the year to end. Something was amiss. He felt …
Something New From Something Old
Early this year, I decided to move. It was as sudden a decision and it was also rather shocking. After all, I have stayed in the house I bought for almost a decade. This could be the house that would define the way I live. …
Her Bottle Of Chilli
We often hear someone lament, ‘I miss my mother’s cooking’. There is something about our mother’s cooking that stays with us. In all ways positive. In all ways wonderful. I have often wondered if it is the way our taste buds are conditioned. That we …
Paying It Forward…
While I was growing up, somehow I always had this idea that my childhood was difficult, not so happy and that others had it much better, much easier. Over the years, something said, a photograph, a smell, a color, a taste, or a passing image …
A Happy Sad Story
Two Sundays ago, while working on a script, I looked out and saw a domestic help cleaning windows, on one of the top floors in the next building. My mind was still in the scene of the movie script, but my eyes were taking in …
Lessons From A Tuition Teacher
Have you heard this rather odd saying? ‘A child educated in school is an uneducated child.’ I have often thought about the regiments of education and when even our Prime Minister, in his National Day Rally speech, expressed his wish that our school system focuses …
On This One Day
Recently when I wished someone a Happy Birthday, that my wish was for him to enjoy his special day, he thanked me and said something special. He wished me a special day, every day. I parked that thought in my head. We know every day …
A Feeling Of Coming Home
Last week, a visiting friend, one of the most mindful persons I know, related an intriguing story about relocation. A scientist, she had achieved a good standing and a comfortable life in her hometown. She never left the UK until she went on a holiday …