And it may surprise us one day with what it heard from us — WHEN we express admiration for something, it does not mean that we covet what we admire. Maybe we marvelled — just by looking at photographs — at the beauty of Taj Mahal, or Eiffel Tower, or even the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands. It does not follow, however, that…

A bicolour cat welcoming me in a new neighbourhood and a Medium article prompted my flashback to a heartbreaking feline story — IT is mystifying when two or more things converge to nudge a memory so deeply buried. These two things occurred 10 hours apart, which prompted this recollection from long ago: First was this friendly welcome from a stranger’s cat last night. My husband and I were saying goodbye to family…

Whether you write poetry or fiction in any genre, you need this one attribute to attract readers’ engagement — Passion for writing, especially creative writing, is not what is being referred to in this article. Neither is the craving for gold (in terms of fees or royalties) and celebrity when one’s work, a book maybe, becomes a bestseller. Being passionate is, of course, a must. But the necessity of…

No rice recipes in this piece, just a rice-eater’s lament on quibbles over how to cook rice — More than 3.5 billion people in the world eat rice. I am one of them. My rice consumption, however, is not on a regular basis. It would not make a dent in the 504.3 million metric tons of rice which was consumed worldwide in the 2020–2021 crop year. With this…

How I mistook the 8 stalks of opium poppy for cosmos flowers in our new garden — A first-morning welcome in a new home is the view from the garden awash with lovely blooms. Standing tall, like a queen, was this pretty purple flower. I gasped, pleasantly surprised. I’ve always loved cosmos flowers. Eons ago, my next-door neighbour in New Zealand gave me seeds from her flowers…

My long-ago encounters with babies for sale — THIS big issue, the repeal by the US Supreme Court of the Roe vs Wade decision, is currently fuelling protests by pro-choice and women’s rights advocates. I am not strictly anti-abortion myself. I lean more on the rights of women to choose (but not towards unrestricted abortion and the alleged…

Like the scarlet lily beetle whose beauty initially beguiled me, then it bugged me red — FROM being a news junkie most of my corporate and writer’s life, I am becoming a nature junkie — which is not a bad thing. Every day, I discover how nature is a natural booster of health, a giver of life lessons, and a remarkable source of creative ideas. But…

Honouring a promise even if delayed is the right thing to do — MOVING house, especially when you’re downsizing, is not a cakewalk. You have to decide which sentiment-laden house stuff would go with the move, or if the same would even fit in the downsized residence. But of all the nitty-gritty of moving, emptying closets, drawers and cupboards was tough for me…