If you had to get a tattoo right now, what would it be and why?
I already have a tattoo on my left ankle, courtesy of a talented tattoo artist in Phuket, Thailand, many moons ago.
It features a Seahorse in the middle ,circled by two Fish chasing each others tail.
The Seahorse represents me, as in the word Sea represents the Water sign ( Pisces) which I am according to the Zodiac, and I am a Horse sign according to Chinese astrology.
The two fish represents the Pisces sign which is my Zodiac sign.
I’m toying with the idea of adding on another two , one is the biblical sign of the fish and the other is the sign of Pisces according to astrology.
If you could rewrite any book’s ending, which one would you choose?
When I was in my early teens, a certain book left a huge impression in my heart. I never forgot it. That book was ‘Uncle Toms Cabin ‘ by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
This book gave birth to my love for Africa , her people, her wildlife, her beautiful mountains and sweeping landscapes. My heart went out those who were brought into America via the slave trade. Broke my heart in many ways while I followed the movie which explicitly portrayed the kindheartedness of some of the American slave owners and the raw and horrendous cruelty of other American owners.
Uncle Tom was a very loyal, honest, and spiritual human. He was exemplary in his behaviour and loved God with all his heart. His owner promised to release him from slavery, but unfortunately he was killed by some miscreants.
Following this, Tom was sold to a cruel man called Simon Legree. Legree demanded to know the whereabouts of some runaway slaves, which Tom refused to divulge. He was flogged mercilessly until he died.
I remember crying uncontrollably for days. My love for Africa, her people, her animals and plant life grew from here.
I wish the ending could have been different. Uncle Tom should have lived, granted his freedom and reunited with his family. I would have loved the ending to be this way. He was too good a man to have died so young, and so cruelly.
If I could, I would rewrite the ending in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Chaos. Hmmm, the word has an ominous ring to it. Mostly to describe an extreme situation, out of control, confusion, disorder, lawlessness, and pandemonium.
If the situation begs for such a scenario, it becomes almost impossible for one to maintain a calm composure, unless the chaos is within limits.
And yes, when the chaos is within limits, it can actually be good for us.
A perfect example is when Covid descended upon us. Life became a bit chaotic. We were confined to our homes, we were prohibited from socializing, we had to wear masks, we were not permitted to travel, we worked and learned from home.
On the flipside, we became more creative. YouTube was bursting at the seams with a myriad ideas to become a creative genius, a better cook, and DIY ideas, People opened online bakeries, schools became online classrooms, doctors opened virtual clinics, and shopping online became a cult.
Groceries were delivered to our doorstep, and families and friends connected via video calls like never before. As for me, I became a small-time expert at vegetable farming! I grew Bok Choy, Mint, Curry leaves, tomatoes, onions, ginger, chillies, Potato leaves, Coriander leaves, and various other greens.
The question here is, is it manageable chaos or chronic chaos?
Yes, a little chaos is often good for us- but only when it’s balanced by enough stability to recover.
What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts?
For me, negative thoughts can be channeled from two different sources.
One is when I permit my mind to unnecessarily invite unwelcome thoughts , especially when my antenna perks up sending me signals that something is not right or appears to be suspicious. This is when my mind goes full throttle into ‘mode overthink overdrive’.
The other is when someone dear to me has deliberately hurt or upset me. This is more painful and a little more difficult to deal with. In this case, I switch to silent mode, so as not to hurt that person, but to gather my thoughts and process the situation.
With both of the above cases, I convince myself that the best way to handle this emotional turmoil is to let it go. With this mindset, the initial feeling of anger and disappointment dissipate, and I’m back to moving on with my life with a more cheerful attitude.
I wait for a favorable time , when I would confront the person in a civil manner and engage in calm conversation until we reach a state of mutual understanding and peace.
What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?
When I was just 10 years of age, I was sent to a boarding school miles away from my home. I hated it so much, in the beginning. I missed my parents, my home, and my dogs. Homesickness consumed me . I felt so alone. In a strange place, with new faces.
Irish nuns ran the school. They were strict. We had to wake up at 6am, make our beds, polish our shoes, make do with just one jug of water for both brushing our teeth and washing our face.
Then I began to make friends. Days flew into months, and I started to love life at the school. Today after 56 years , we friends still keep in touch .
I confess the feelings of hatred I first had when I was sent to the school. But much later in life, I began to appreciate why my parents chose to send me to a boarding school. I learnt discipline, independence, value for time, character building, good manners, and most of all , I made a bunch of amazing friends!
I thank my parents for having chosen this course of action. It has helped me mould my character and to appreciate life itself. What I hated then, began to unfold years later into gratitude and appreciation and made me the person I am today.
I am most inspired by the teachings of Gautama Buddha . Simple, sweet, and to the point. Bursting with pure wisdom, practical, doable, livable, and not pertaining to a religion.
I have grown to be less annoyed and more forgiving. When something upsets me, I go into my silent zone, mulch over it, come to terms with it and emerge from my cocoon with a solution at hand, and deal with it in a non-confrontational manner.
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
There are a few things I do that bring me great joy while doing them, but since I have been asked to describe just one, that would definitely be taking care of my plants.
My plants have conveniently found their way into my home, into almost every corner, like uninvited guests at a dinner party, only in this case, I am the host, who openly invited them into my space !
You are right, my home is a mini jungle, bringing freshness with fifty shades of green ruling supreme. I can’t imagine my life without plants and flowers, and the joy derived from caring for them brings me the utmost joy.
Plants play a pivotal role in my souls journey on this planet. Just as air is vital in our breath work, so too are plants, being the main suppliers of fresh oxygen for sustenance and cell growth. Need I say more.
I live in a tropical country, and the weather is rarely cold, except on heavy rainy days, when the air is thick with dew, yet blanketed with warmth.
I have travelled to countries where the weather was like 3 to 4 degrees, and I just couldn’t take it! I would be blanketed with cardigans, socks, mittens,and a woolly cap, and I would volunteer to wash dishes under the hot water tap, just so I could enjoy the liquid warmth.
Cold weather is not my preferred cup of tea, but warm weather and a cool air conditioner works wonders for me!
My World In Words - 