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…

Placing the phrases ‘writing for a living’ and ‘not all about money’ in a sentence smack of contradiction. But, really, it isn’t so. — The phone call was not unexpected. It was general election year, and crunch time for the candidates was only five weeks away. The caller, for the second time, wanted me to accept an election project. Her client was a candidate seeking re-election to a national post.

And get away with it (promise, no plagiarism involved) — There will be moments, even days, when a writer’s creative juice would one day take a jaunt to somewhere. This is not unusual. It’s not even something (for writers) to be overly worried about. Our intrinsic creativity sometimes takes a break. Even machines need downtimes, right? But what about when…

Both can cut and either can kill — Time and again, I come across and experience situations in which someone bad-mouths another. Like a freelance writer who called a young editor a b**ch just because the latter had rejected the former’s story submissions, one after another. After calling this editor names, the contributor continued to submit his manuscripts…

The light is easy to see but the light in darkness needs thoughtful discernment — We view good things that come our way with joy and gratitude. And this is right no matter how we look at these blessings, whether small or not-so-small. How could we not be thankful for things — or people — that come into our life bringing all things bright and…

The war on women seems to continue — One issue which, in truth, should not be regarded as an issue at all befuddles most. It concerns sex and gender. For most, their sex and gender is one and the same. Both are science-based. The World Health Organisation (WHO), however, says that gender is different from sex, and that…

A secret so horrid it could make you sick — My first close, very close, encounter with mallards — a mother with its six or seven ducklings, no father mallard in tow — took place eons ago, in a quiet suburb in West Auckland in New Zealand. Ducks, especially mallards, were everywhere. Mallards crossing the road, thereby stopping the flow…

Lessons from the secret sex life of mandarin ducks — Mandarin ducks are viewed as representation of eternal love. No other ancient symbol of enduring marital happiness and faithfulness is as revered, especially in Japan and eastern China. These exotic birds, which originally came from the said countries, are usually given in pairs as gifts to newlyweds as lucky charms. …

Watching them take a drink may change your opinion but who on earth is perfect — No other bird has the grace and elegance of a swan. The way it gracefully moves conveys a posh style to it. In fact, a swanlike neck in a woman is regarded as the essence of poise and youthful beauty. But there is no comparing a woman (or man?) to…