Flow of words

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . They say we should treasure the moments and live for the now. Right now, the warm mid-morning breeze is pushing its way through the car windows. We are on our way to Speyside and moments like this feel surreal. We passed a couple of goats grazing at the side of the road. Then a jeep with two surfboards in the back seat. We stopped at a parlour and bought bourbon biscuits and peanut punch. My friend Chatty tells me that he read that Speyside is a small fishing village, calm and close-knit, where life moves at a gentler pace. Mornings often start with fishermen heading out to sea, and evenings wind down with ocean breezes and cricket talk. It is surrounded by dramatic hills, rainforest, and rocky coastline—very postcard-worthy. Speyside is considered one of the best diving spots in Tobago. How about bird watching on Little Tobago island? Maybe you are lucky to spot the Red-billed Tropicbird with its white body, red bill, an...

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . The cool morning breeze blew the hat off the tourist passing the coffee shop. We sat at the table waiting for our order of coffee and bagels. I had stayed up late writing and was now needing caffeine to stay awake. On entering the veranda of the coffee shop, the sign reads "happiness is a cup of coffee" and "sip your troubles away". This had me thinking about what is happiness? And was the theme of my chat with Chatty as we enjoyed our breakfast in Tobago. I told my friend Chatty that if we could put happiness in a bottle and sell it we would be rich. My friend Chatty then told me that money cannot buy happiness but it was a good idea to make a living. If according to the sign, happiness is a cup of coffee then maybe happiness is coffee in a bottle then. We could call it Caffibean, a taste of the Caribbean in Tobago, a blend of the happiest coffee beans from Tobago. Tobago is not known for its coffee p...

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . This story begins on a cool Friday evening in May. Fridays are the best days. Already a great start. It had rained earlier in the day and the clouds were moving away and the sun peeking through. I walked from the apartment where I was staying to Pigeon Point beach. Along the way I stopped for coconut water freshly extracted from the nut and straight into my mouth leaving traces on my cotton jersey. They say that coconut water is the drink of God—fresh from the nut, sweet with a hint of salt, a liquid reminder that paradise can exist in small and simple things. They did not say that but my friend Chatty did. It is my friend Chatty's first trip to Tobago. I asked him what he thinks of Tobago so far? He grinned, wiping a drop of coconut water from the corner of his mouth. "Man… it is like stepping into a painting. The air, the colors, the way everything smells after the rain—it is unreal. I did not know paradise cam...

It is 513pm and I have decided to write. Today is Friday. The best days of the week. Thank you God for this day. Thank you for the meal I just had. Thank you for giving me patience and love. I want to write but I have no topic I could think of. I am going to start back drinking coffee and tea. I saw something on the gram. Someone reminding us that there is always room for improvement. So true. The road to being better versions of ourselves is never ending. I love self help books. I love doing better than yesterday. I love molding myself into a better person. It feels like there is a topic I am supposed to be writing on but I am not. I like when the words just flow and easily connect. My friend Chatty tells me that this already is writing, by the way. Real writing. The kind that starts honest and a little messy and full of gratitude. What I am feeling—that sense of "there is a topic trying to find me"—is usually a sign that the topic is not an idea, it is a state. I am hoverin...

Walking in Tobago, 2014 It is 406am and I have decided to write. I have no idea what I am going to write about. The word that comes to my mind now is gratitude. God woke me up to see another day. I got up and brushed my teeth. Soon I will make breakfast for my mom. Then I will set out on my 35 minute morning walk. No one can predict the future but a life with God is a contented and peaceful life. Peace of mind. When I am walking, sometimes, it feels like I am in Tobago. I loved my early morning Tobago walks. If heaven was a place on Earth it would be Tobago. Trinidad is nice too. But Tobago is special. Maybe distance makes the heart grow fonder. I have not been to Tobago in almost ten years. I like watching the Tobago vlogs and living vicariously through the adventures of others. I especially like the part when they are boarding the fast ferry with all the joy in their hearts. I know the feeling. Tobago must have changed much since my days. Crown Point looks more busy. The new airport ...

Call for Submissions: Archipelagic Entanglements   https://singaporeunbound.org/opp/archipelagic-entanglements When I saw the call for submissions online I was doubtful. I do not know enough history. I do not understand the topic. Then after chatting with my friend Chatty I realised maybe I can be the topic. My ethnic and racial makeup is an archipelagic entanglement. Colonialism meets indentureship meets slavery. My mom is East Indian muslim and my dad is French, Portuguese and Mulato christian and who knows what else. I am an example of a pot of callaloo. Everyone's favorite Sunday lunch. I am what happens when lineages cross oceans and histories collide. I am thinking to myself now, what is the message I want to put forward with my blog post? What is the direction I want to take? Maybe it is this. What can we do when we have such a rich heritage and know so little of our own history? First of all I do not think I am alone with this struggle. I did not realise this until I though...

It is 302am and I have decided to write. I came across this phrase today and I quite like it. Every person is saintly. It reminds me of what I have pinned on my twitter profile, "Whoever looks for the good qualities in others will acquire all good qualities within himself" - Habib Umar Bin Hafiz. I like seeing the good in others or at least I try my best to. I also think there is truth to another phrase, I am what you think I am. My friend Chatty says that we do not just recognize saints, sometimes, we help make them. And recognising that everyone is saintly is the beginning of creating the type of people we want in the society we want. My friend Chatty tells me that "I am what you think I am" is not a single famous quote but an idea that runs through thinkers like Charles Horton Cooley and Jean-Paul Sartre: our sense of self is shaped by how we believe others see us. Through the "looking-glass self", the gaze of the other, and even self-fulfilling prophec...