As years go by, I spend more and more time making memories in my grandma’s kitchen. It took me a long time to realize that food is how she shows her love. I’ve come to understand that the food we make together isn’t just something to eat; it’s also my grandma’s way of connecting with me and sharing her life story.
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A Premature Death on New Year’s Eve
I was at Primrose Hill, in Camden, London at the time of 16-year-old Harry Pittman’s murder on New Year’s Eve last week.
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The Voice Of Our Ancestors
He hears them. They speak to him constantly. No, not in his head. The voices speak to him in the breeze, the creeks, the leaves, the rocks, the soil, and everything all around him. Sometimes, they speak to him through the eyes of the elders of the community. These are voices that never stop for him.
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I Told my Mother About Gurdjieff
I told her about an experience I had, of mystical ideas. She said to me in Yiddish “Ken nisht herren” (Can’t hear it.) She didn’t want to hear about it, and I thought, “Wait a minute, I can’t talk to her about this.” She was not ready to listen.
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I Feel Closer to My Great Grandma Since She Forgot Who I Am
“Are you sure you want to go visit Grandma T? It might be difficult for you to see her this way,” my grandma, whom I call “Oma,” asked me. “Why?” I asked in return. I knew my great grandma had recently moved from her home to a memory care facility, but I wasn’t aware to what extent her mind had been affected. I hadn’t seen her in a few months. “She gets really upset sometimes,” she replied. “And she probably won’t remember who you are.”
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Is There a Rainbow of Possibilities in Malaysia?
The Mid-May 2023 seizure of rainbow-colored Swatch watches from the brand’s Pride Collection at most major shopping malls in Malaysia, including the regionally renowned Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Queensbay Mall, and Mid Valley Megamall, struck many a Malaysian local as absurd. Following this crackdown, Malaysians flocked to comment sections on most major social media platforms with sarcastic, lighthearted memes and comments.
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Adventure Hostess: Making My Home a Global Community
Several people passed by my house this year. Many of them just passed by temporarily, but other people stopped by and stayed as long-term friends. For me, being an adventure hostess meant that everyone who needed a place to stay for some days, weeks, or months could come to my house. Welcoming people at home for over a year was my “specialty.”
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I’m Becoming My Mother, But That’s Not a Bad Thing!
When I was a child, my mother told me I’d grow up to be just like her. She said it to me in a tone that let me know I’d dread what I experienced once the change happened. Now, I’m “grown up,” and, as she predicted, I am exhibiting more and more characteristics that initially belonged to my mom alone. As I get older, not only do I look more and more like her, but I act like her, too.
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Hey Mum and Dad, We Need You There
There are so many parenting guides out there, and it is challenging raising wonderful little humans. Here's something about the parent-child bond. It's pivotal as a child grows, and building a lasting bond is something that takes tons of effort. What makes the family so important is that it stands as the child's first experience in building a relationship.
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Remove Your Veil
(-based on the old Indian customs related to widows; they were forcefully stripped of all jewellery upon their husband’s death, the vermillion rubbed off their foreheads, hardly given anything to eat, made to sleep on the floor, forbidden to wear anything colourful, not allowed to look at any male relatives, the veil always drawn low)
