the "broken" cup

They talk today of the "happenings" around, the parts of the system that has gone wrong, the changes that are needed, the hostilities that persists. I know of a broken people in a broken time as this. A broken generation that seems to head nowhere. Frustrations and desperation, hurling of charges at each other, justification of oneself, everyone is wrong and everyone is right. Goals without motivations, jobs without satisfactions, life without passion - a broken generation that senses the need for change and its urgency but struggles to rise up against the pressure of the norm. Perhaps we need a generation in these broken times, a generation that will stand strong and united. A generation that is willing to sacrifice their comforts for the next. A generation that will call the "right" as "right" and the "wrong" as "wrong" and stand by it and rise up to heal and restore. Theirs will be the lot to bear the criticisms and intimidation, t...

It was not the first time that we met, but the first time we talked and I "picked" her up. We talked of "Spiderman," "Batman" and "Superman" and "Spiderman" emerged as the favourite hero. We "threw" spiderwebs and caught planes in the sky and climbed buildings. We discussed at length where I could get a "spidy" outfit since her's were too small for me to fit. We counted roses around the place and the people passing by. We picked up a book to read a story and the story we "read" was nowhere near the story that was written. We counted our ones, twos and threes and recited the A, B and C though we never got far in either. We discovered that she had powers in her shoes and had a head-to-head" fight and everytime she won. We made faces, danced around the room and went to lunch nearby and probably the only time we walked together.Then we got back to the carrying round, tiny hands clasped around to give ...

The cherry trees have bloomed, winter is here and the "new" year is almost at its end (strange that though every day was a new day and will be to its end, the year suddenly feels old). This is the festive season - Christmas and everyone is joining in. For the greater part of the people here, we will once again gather by the fireplace, around dinner tables with family and friends; we will once again walk the "old town" with its new look - adorned and with the sound of music in the air and the blazing horns of the traffic, melodious noise fusion at its best.  Yet all is solemn at the manger where the greater part of us will go, to revisit a story that's over two thousand years old and pay our respects (I imagine though, that the first "manger" night might not have been as solemn or dignified). What is the "manger" story all about? A touching scene of a baby with his parents and animals around? Of inquisitive shepherds who come to see what the...

I saw him once by the path running between the row of houses playing with his friends - a seller stones and leaves. The people passing by paid little attention to these little merchant and buyers of stones and leaves and they in turn did not bother the big ones. I guess all they wanted were "little customers" just like them who would know the worth and bargain for their "precious merchandise." They carried on their merry play in that narrow lane and perhaps till dark until they were called home. Then again there he was as I walked home through that lane, all by himself with a piece of wood for a sword battling imaginary foes. Slashing the bushes and the hitting the rocks he carried on his battle and reminded me of my own little battles in the backyard just like him. The lid of a tin-container was a "strong and mighty shield," a broad piece of wood was a "sword," a long piece of bamboo with a pointed end was a "lance." Bushes were cut...

If there should ever come a time when you need to turn away from the crowd and make a stand, for all its worth make that stand. Stand strong and make that stand but remember to turn away not because you do not like them, you know someone who has a bias against them, you are not in their group, you do not want them to succeed, you do not receive recognition, you are not given benefits, you are not consulted, you are neglected and perhaps for a lot more reasons. Some choose to make a stand for causes but sometimes perhaps for the wrong reasons - publicity stunts, hidden interests. Come a better opening some jump right into that chance even if it was something they could have stood against in the past days. So make a stand with all your heart, mind and strength because you know and understand that it is wrong, it is unfair, it is unjust, it is against the weak, it is not the truth. Stand strong, fight the cause,  and be wise and calm enough to be corrected for we may sometimes be...

He was just a boy on the bus, calling out to people to get on board. His eyes counted the empty seats and his voice called out for people to fill them up. I watched as he checked to see all the seats were taken and then he called out to the driver to start the bus. The trip to the town began and he came around collecting the fares - little hands gripping the bills and the coins inspecting the bills carefully and returning changes. He did it with ease, after all he was used to it. I couldn't but help think about this little boy as I watched him from my seat. Perhaps another of his age would have been delighted to go on such a ride. Another would have loved the sights of the "world" passing by but this boy kept his eyes on his little hands with the fares and the change. What might have been a delight to another was to him a routine. He will step down not because he has reached his destination but a stop to let people down and take in others. The youngest on board, he w...

Lunch Break: Dusty workers enjoying meal by a dusty road side. Love: Table for two at an ice-cream parlor. Dreams: Animated discussions around a coffee table. Anxiety: Those moments buckled to a seat on the airplane before the "first" take-off. Solemnity: People sitting around the shade of a tree at a funeral. Identify: Finding someone exclaim "I do too." Innocence: A child holding your hand and inviting you into their home-"come." Casualness: A man walking down to a wedding reception with a gift wrapped in bright coloured paper tucked in his arm. Lost: Staring at the laptop screen comparing the "options," reading the reviews online and not knowing what to buy. Heartbreak: Getting the "wrong" answer when only the right ones have been taught. Courage: Facing the crowd after a painful ordeal that brought out the weak side. Positive Thinking: A student writing at the end of the day, "We got a lot of assignments, ...