May 2019 - You Write

Maisie Clifton - An Eulogy

May 30, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

I have read and I have heard a lot of eulogies in my time and the words of the eulogy of Maisie Clifton (1901 - 1972) strikes me as the best I have come across. This eulogy makes me reflect on just two issues I have with eulogies in general. Issue #1: Why is it that eulogies are expressed mainly (or perhaps only) at the deaths of the concerned persons? Why can’t we turn a eulogy into a lesson to be learned from the mistakes of the deceased? Issue #2: Why can’t a funeral service be turned into a happy […]

LOVE - A Many Splendored Thing

May 25, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

Here is an excerpt from a novel that I would like readers to read as a prologue to my story. ‘Priya and Sebastian: ‘It was raining when Priya left the bank on Friday evening. She put up her umbrella and kept her head down, looking out for puddles as she made her way to the bus stop. Of course, he was waiting for her, as he had been every night that week. ‘ “Good evening, Miss Ghuman,” he said, and handled her a rose. ‘ “Thank you,” she replied before joining the queue. ‘Priya climbed on board the bus and […]

USA and China

May 24, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

The current trade war between the United States of America and The Peoples Republic of China can be described as totally senseless. In any war, there can never be any clear winner or any clear loser. China knows this as she had several thousand years of recorded history to rely on. To China’s credit, there had never been any record of colonialism in China’s history. During the ancient days of dynasty after dynasty, emperors had used force against invaders only when her own territories were threatened. In those days, China had used the power of trade, of gift exchanges to […]

A Lesson on Happiness

May 20, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

This coming September I shall be celebrating a life of 79 years on earth. If anyone were to ask me “Am I happy?” my answer would have been “Yes, generally.” If that someone were to continue to ask me “What is your secret to happiness in life?” I would have answered thus: In life, we do have our up’s and our down’s. On the upside of the equation, I was fortunate that I was taught at a very young age (not by my parents nor my family members but taught by my friends out on the streets, by so-called ‘gangsters’ […]

Unpredictablity - That’s Life

May 19, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

It started on Wednesday 8th May 2019. It ended, thankfully on Sunday 12th May - Mother’s Day - five days later. Yes, the Lord takes His time to remind me of His presence. Yes, this is a testimony of how kind the Lord is and how he has blessed me even at the twilight of my life. And Yes, He wants me to write this testimony to help you, the readers, reflect on how He has been behind all the unpredictability of our lives. No, don’t get me wrong. No, don’t be upset with me because I’m writing this piece […]

Anonymous Christians

May 9, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

I like to start this article by a declaration of self interest or perhaps a declaration of possible conflict of interests. Yes, I am a Christian and I believe in Christian concepts and in the Christian Apostle’s creed. But I do have a bone to pick when Christians try to project themselves as the ONLY WAY to God’s Kingdom. The current advocacy of prayers for people of the Muslim faith during the month of Ramadan (called the 30 days of prayer for the Muslim World) by most churches is one glaring example of how Christians somehow view themselves as those […]

chess dot com

May 6, 2019 FLAI40 Leave a comment

I can recommend chess.com to anyone wanting to maintain one’s mental alertness. I have been a paid diamond member since February 2016 after a three-month period of playing at the ‘free’ status. Even now, after three more years as a paid member, I have yet to explore the many areas of chess know-hows that are available to me. I have not, for instance, touched on the Club Activity button where a group of players plays with another group of players with as much as over a hundred members in any one group. I often use the ‘Play’ icon to play […]