Pleasures in Life

A bit of butter on warm, almost hot, toast
Writing with a smooth fountain pen on quality paper
Crisp cool cotton sheets as you awake
The comfort of a morning hug
Standing still, as the world turns crazy with activity
Being alone, at peace, slowly remembering who you are

Read Full Post »

The Practice of Pioneering

I have often said to my close friends, that I don’t like doing things that fall short of excellence. Thus I check, double check, reconsider, redraft, rewrite before doing or releasing anything. I think and think again, of what to say, how to say it, and how to do things to a high level of [...]

Read Full Post »

Of Heroes and Heroism

There has been a lot of talk of late about ‘heroes’. It has been a like a whirlwind occurring around me, and changes in weather always make you reconsider if what you are wearing is sufficient and suitable for what will follow.
For the longest time, I have held three truths to be true.
Firstly, [...]

Read Full Post »

Diary of a Sociology Student: Why does everything seem so hard?

Returning to postgraduate studies has been difficult. I have been on leave from my thesis for about a year and a half. As I try to think and write with academic rigour, I feel like I am trying to wade through molasses. Why am I not running lithe and smooth, like an athlete? Why do [...]

Read Full Post »

Being Ordinary

We live in a world that exalts performance. We reward the best, the fastest, the smartest, the most talented. We give prizes for the first, second and third places. Any competitor knows that anything below these is meaningless, worthy only of a token of ‘consolation’. We admire those who make it to the top. So, [...]

Read Full Post »

Editing Ourselves

We present edited versions of ourselves to the world.
We edit ourselves in many ways – when we choose our clothes; arrange the expressions on our faces; pick the words we use. We edit ourselves based on what we think is acceptable. We consider our imaginary audience and say what fits. We present ourselves in [...]

Read Full Post »

In Defense of Dreaming

When I was child, I was often rebuked for dreaming.
People would chastise me frequently, sighing at my absent-mindedness. They called me Alice in Wonderland and seemed to feel it was their moral duty to bring me back to reality. Dreaming was a waste a time, they said. It was unproductive. I should be studying [...]

Read Full Post »

Integrity

Job 25-29:25 is part of today’s reading for Holy Trinity Brompton’s One Year Bible Initiative.
I am struck by Job’s response to Bildad, when he says, “I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my [...]

Read Full Post »

Our Secret Lives

I have been following the One Year Bible readings along with Holy Trinity Brompton Church. The readings for each day are accessible online, and as a church, they go through these passages together. Every day, some of them post their thoughts on the readings and they continue in daily dialogue. The pastors of HTB do [...]

Read Full Post »

Speeding Up, Slowing Down

Do you ever feel like the world is moving too quickly? Like you are on a train, and everything is whizzing by faster and faster. People, faces, meetings, words, journeys, cities, dinners, emails. They blur towards you and away from you. You keep moving – walking faster, sometimes running, to keep up – although your [...]

Read Full Post »