Reflections...

Like the sun is to the flower, Soul-food and nutritious. Like a foot with good music, Excited and musically free. Like water is to the fatigued leaf, Refreshing, reviving, relaxed. Like a little boy with a football, Joyful, entertaining, smiling. Like the sound of evening Jazz, Soothing, calming, truthful. Like the morning view of the countryside, Absolutely beautiful. Like a donkey in a supermarket, Unusual, distracting, gazed upon. Like a purple flower amongst yellow roses, Unique with flavour and idiosyncrasy. A gaze into bliss, Eyes of hope and purity, Heart speaks of truth and wisdom, Comfort-zone, honest, gentleman… Eternal whistling of sincere justice, Alas … he is out of my reach For his heart has bonded with another Wanting something I cannot have Which is within my reach But out of my scope. How do you heal a hurting heart?

(...the highlighted bits are experiences I'm sure many can relate to in their own lives...) Do people meet by chance? Love is something that is not easily explained No one word can express it And no one person feels the same about it It’s waking up in the morning wanting to be with that one person And going to bed feeling the same way It’s knowing that you want to spend the rest of your life with that person And it's a feeling so great that no matter what anyone says will never be taken away It’s crying every night when the one you love doesn’t love you back It’s feeling that pain in your heart when you lose that one person. But to just hear those three little words come from her mouth And actually know they mean it That’s the best feeling in the world To know that someone loves you for you And wants to be with you forever Love is hard to find, and even harder to keep It takes time and effort to keep it going But you don’t mind because you would do anything in the world to ...

Edward de Bono (quite simply) a genius of human behaviour, creative thinking, and thinking as a skill in general. To quote The Times , Edward de Bono is "a cult figure in developing tricks to sharpen the mind." He has stayed true to this description! Here are some of the lessons I learned from his book How to Have A Beautiful Mind : How to AGREE – AGREEMENT: When in a discussion with someone, and that person puts his point of view across, even when your immediate reaction would be to disagree, do the following: Think about special circumstances that may prevail giving rise to the correctness of that opinion e.g. when someone says that arranged marriages are a good idea , you may very well disagree with this, but then think about the troubles of finding a partner in turmoil, or cultural expectations external to your own environment. Also, consider the possibility that you may have read arranged as being akin to forced . Compare that opinion under your...

How do you know if you are in love? Does the world seem like a better place? Do you suddenly feel like you have a reason do be happy? Does it matter what other people think? Do you care what your love thinks? So many questions, not enough answers! It is apt to say that only time will tell because although time is a good listener and observer, it is also a portal through which things happen and this portal can rarely be manipulated. Time, love’s greatest challenge, can pose as an advantage to someone or a disadvantage. It is all subjective but within its subjectivity lies the quintessence of individuality! To quote from a very famous play, Love is a many splendid thing! You wake up at random hours of the morning thinking about what you’ll wear the next time you see this person! What fragrance you shall smother over yourself, hopefully the one redolent of the first time you two shared your first kiss together. You start dreaming of an alfresco parol taking place one exquisite Sunda...

Suppose someone gave you a pen – a sealed, solid-coloured pen. You  couldn't  see how much ink it had. It might run dry after the first tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things. You don’t know before you begin. Under the rules of the game, you really never know. You have to take a chance. Actually no rule of the game states you must do anything. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused. But if you do decide to use it, what would you do with it? How would you play the game? Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word? Would your plans be so extensive that you never even go to the writing? Or would you take the pen in your hand, plunge right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take you? Would you w...

Being away on my beach holiday put me into "reflect-mode" . "Sitting in my room, with the beach right outside, listening to the seagulls has opened my eyes to the realities around me... watching Love Actually actually helped . Listening to the wind dance with the ocean making melodies uneasily repeated sent me back to a time when my mind was more open & receptive to nature in every form. What I learnt was that we need to accept that opportunities come sporadically . Chances are even more rare. We ought to think less, and feel more. Accept the things we cannot change, embrace the beauty, and (most importantly) we need to learn to love with all our heart ! Essentially, it means lowering your guard with people but being holistic in your approach. It means living in the moment - acting on your feelings when your heart so deeply yearns for someone, no matter the consequences because they will work themselves out and lessons will reveal themselves. It means letting go...

During the Christmas/New Years week, I had the pleasure of sharing this time with the west coast of South Africa (the Atlantic) in a magnificent place called Shelley Point. This experience, amongst other things, changed me - I grew up in many ways! I also managed to document my experience with the sea in a very personal & poetic manner.   Day 1: Very welcoming, albeit an initiation to its coldness. Day 2: She introduced her weapon, the scattered dead jellyfish, which created the illusion of caution & confusion - whether to take a chance & beast the water or veer toward safety & remain outside. Day 3: She was a miserable old hag, perhaps because of the failure of her weapon upon the youth. The wind was her ally & the current its protector. With this combination, she was nigh-on unstoppable & ruthless! Her icy touch bit into the bones, leaving nothing but an aching sensation. The strength of her hand was a chastisement from the Gods! A feeling you canno...