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Thursday, May 31, 2018

Illusion

I was gazing at the lake through the glass of a bus shelter. The light was such that the building behind me was reflected on the glass, resulting in this optical illusion I captured … and the poem below…



it was an illusion
a mysterious fusion
filled with wonder, elation
misleading, yet real
until my view shifted
and the magic was gone


Monday, May 14, 2018

Authors' Afternoon with Ann Walmsley

Inviting you to a meet-up at Stella's CafĂ© with award-winning journalist, Ann Walmsley to discuss her book, The Prison Book Club. I hope you will join us to hear about her brave journey into the men's prisons despite a violent mugging she experienced in UK a few years earlier. 

I had the privilege of being in the same writing group as Ann for over 10 years. Her mastery of non-fiction writing, precise and evocative, has always impressed me. It was amazing to see the creative process of The Prison Book Club as it grew from a few chapters to an award-winning book. I'm so proud of her achievements, and thrilled that she is participating in our Authors' Afternoon.



Thursday, May 10, 2018

Celebrating friendships and emotional maturity ...

Spring, with its fresh blossoms, is an enchanting time of new beginnings. As we shed our winter clothes and bounce lightly towards summer, I feel renewed, blessed to have caring friends who share similar values, and are open to honest and insightful discussions.

This desire to understand each other, and communicate clearly can only help relationships grow deeper. Every failure or setback offers opportunities to learn about others and ourselves. When we're willing to listen, empathize, and resolve conflicts in a constructive manner, without letting our egos get in the way, we are taking positive steps in bettering ourselves and others, and becoming emotionally mature.

It may not be easy to do so with those who won't talk things out, but react with anger and insults when faced with challenging situations. Here's an article that sheds some light on the importance of emotional intelligence in such cases.

And this one analyzes the reasons people tend to regress to childish behaviour, and offers advice on healing past unresolved wounds that made anger become a habit.

For those who have such issues, and are willing to work on them, it's a big stride towards healing and finding peace within. Caring friends and relatives encourage and support such growth.

Celebrating friendship with this haiku poem I wrote, and magnolia flowers I photographed at High Park. Wishing you a beautiful spring ...