Tell us about your morning routine

Tell us about your morning routine.

Mornings are my most favourite time of the day. I am at my brightest and chirpiest from the time I wake up, which is about 7 am, when I do all my stretches in bed, with heaps of thanksgiving and gratitude whispers to our Creator.

My first activity is to walk into the garden ,breathe in the fresh air, and feel a warm glow of well-being and peace envelope me. I look up at the serene sky- pink hues with grey fogginess , preparing the way for the grand appearance of a beautiful golden sun.

I arm myself with my faithful and trustworthy broom and dustpan, and make my way into my garden space. A baby frog hops away into the bushes. A cooing dove lands a few feet from me with flapping wings. We have a short conversation.

A calico cat swings from the branch of the tree, giving me searching looks while her tail moves musically from side to side. I say hello. She’s assured I’m no threat to her.

I proceed to gather the dry, fallen leaves into small piles at specific intervals. I swear there’s something so fulfilling in sweeping fallen leaves. I cannot explain it. I often joke that I must have been a sweeper in another lifetime.

One of the things that happen as I carry on sweeping is that a yellow leaf drops down exactly where I had swept the grass clean. It’s as if the leaf is playing with me, so much so that I have named that moment as ‘the tease ! ’

This morning activity comes to an end after I have gathered all the leaves into a bag. I gaze at the view before me , and I let out a sigh of contentment. I feel so gooood !

The risen suns rays fall gently on my face. I’m off to prepare breakfast for my spouse and I. Another beautiful morning, another glorious day !

Eternally grateful, forever blessed !

If I could start a new business right now, what would it be?

If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?

Actually, for me, it would not be the starting of a ‘ new business’, but more like the reviving of an existing but dormant one.

I opened my home in 2015 to welcome in guests from all over the world via my Airbnb business and it was one of the most fabulous experiences I have ever had. We ran it successfully for 6 straight years. We made amazing friends, and we were also ‘ Super Hosts’ throughout.

Then Covid arrived, and we temporarily ceased from taking in guests. After Covid, my husband was taken ill. I am toying with the idea of wanting to reopen again. The itch is setting in! I’m waiting for that right moment, that nudge , when I will go into full throttle and relaunch my home to beautiful strangers!

65 going on 70’s

My Favourite Things.

Boiled vege, porridge and soft food for dining,

Warm water, less salt and constantly whining,

Old boyfriends letters all tied up with strings,

These are a few of my favorite things……

Nose drops and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,

Walkers and handrails and slow Tai Chi classes,

Pacemakers, no bra’s and hips that don’t swing,

These are a few of my favorite things……

Chorus:

When the bladder’s weak,

When the bones creak’

When I’m feeling mad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I don’t feel so bad.

Whiskey and Brandy, and Gin Lime and Soda,

Biriyani, Raitha, Paneer and Falooda,

Cupcakes and muffins and hot chocolate pudding,

These are a few of my favorite things….

Back pain and knee pain and hardly remembering,

Scanty hair, wrinkles and lips that are thinning,

Fingers so swollen we can’t wear our rings,

Still we remember our favorite things…

When the joints ache,

When I’m wide awake

And I cannot sleep,

I simply remember the great life I’ve had

And then I don’t feel so bad!!!!!

Sméagol / Gollum

Have you ever liked a villain more than the hero? Who and why?

I liked the duality of Sméagol / Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Sméagol had multiple personalities, one being himself and the other being Gollum. Sméagol appears to be good at heart , but once he acquires the Ring, he develops an evil personality, that of Gollum.

I like the characterisation, not the character. The part was well portrayed and brought out the right emotions that one should rightfully feel when you just hate the character because he played evil at its best!

Who is your favourite cartoon character?

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Hands down, for me , my all-time favourite cartoon character ‘s’ are Timon and Pumbaa ! A most hilarious duo! Had me in stitches every time!

The lovable warthog Pumbaa and his meerkat buddy Timon carry on the “hakuna matata” (no worries) lifestyle, which usually got them into plenty of jungle trouble.

I haven’t watched them for a very long time, and I wonder if I would find them laughable after all these years.

Still, I remember them quite fondly and am thankful for the laughs and giggles they provided.

If I had to get a tattoo right now, what would it be and why?

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.

Let’s see.

If I could rewrite any book’s ending, which one would I choose?

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.

Is a little chaos actually good for us?

Is a little chaos actually good for us?

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?

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 I love now, that I hated when I was younger.

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.