Optical Illusion

“I’m addicted to these optical illusion pictures. The website claims the key to my personality type lies in what I see first.” “Why do you need someone else to decipher your mindset?” “It gives an objective view.” “You are actually … talking to yourself, to all those hidden layers whose existence you deny. The picture … Continue reading Optical Illusion

Finale

The chamber is dark, but she can sense blood trickling towards the door. Her entire life is being streamed live by some unknown source … and yes, she discovers truths she had missed, or rather chosen to deny. She wants to make accusations, seek explanations or correct certain perspectives, including her own. But the grip … Continue reading Finale

Emotional Intelligence

“Do you remember how crazy he was about her, just a couple of years ago …. I’m taken aback by the venom he spews about her now, as if all the good in her evaporated in a storm?” “There you are, Julie …. We are unaware of the storms that pass through the mind of … Continue reading Emotional Intelligence

Detours

I refuse to switch off notifications, despite all the lessons on building focus and concentration and effective time management that you keep showering on me. I’ll still manage to complete my book, because I find something to inspire and give my thoughts a new angle.  I’d never have been your father, if I hadn’t strayed … Continue reading Detours

Mega-weddings

It’s no mean feat to organize a high-profile wedding which will be talked about for months. 5 pm is a little too early for firecrackers as the sky is still sunny and bright, and arranging air conditioning for the large guest list has taken a toll on the budget . Confetti on the guests at … Continue reading Mega-weddings

Myth of Control

“I’ve reached the end of the tether …. The team will never deliver the results I want, just like my daughter’s magic doll.” “What about the magic doll?” I’m sure there’s a metaphor coming up. “She gives it a silver wash to make it look like an alien, and the paint cracks up  in a … Continue reading Myth of Control

Get another lawyer

“Every frame in this house is created to make you look your best”, says Gail Wynand to Dominique Francon, characters in the novel Fountainhead. “I didn’t know about your interest in literary fiction.” “Nor did I, but I quote this today to reject the agreement draft. I won’t sign this.” “But why?” “Every term in … Continue reading Get another lawyer

In Situ

A television ad shakes us up, “You’ll never find a batch like ours - who never stepped out of the house to study, but did so while watching a father breathe with oxygen support, or a mother slogging invisibly to let the children find a quiet space.” A friend is visiting, but she warns us … Continue reading In Situ

Onboarding

“Each time I extend my hand of friendship, he reinvents himself, leaving me unsure if I want to go ahead. It seems too much to ask for revelation, with masks and gloves taken off. Maybe, he fears the vacuum within as much as I do. I see his all-pervasive desire to control by checking, hacking … Continue reading Onboarding

Right to Be

She’s accused of being unsocial.  They spare no opportunity to blame her for indifference or  breaking rules set by others.  She understands the reason for animosity is a personality difference, but does not understand what stops them from minding their own business. Another accusation flies, another shard cuts her soul, another day brings in a … Continue reading Right to Be