Flow of words

It is 247am and I have decided to write. I want to write but have no topic. It has been a while since I wrote about tech. Samsung launched their latest flagship phones. Nice if you can afford these phones. What is the purpose of technology? The first thing that comes to my mind is to make our lives easier. To be more productive. Tech does the things we do not want to do. To solve problems. Tech is quite useful if I look through a noble lens. But the tech companies want to make money. They want to get rich (in my mind) no matter how they sell their aspirations. Why does everything have to be about money? What if we had a not for profit mobile phone company? Would that be any better? Tech is nice when everyone can afford it. Technology is supposed to be the servant instead it seems we have become the servants to technology. Marshall McLuhan said, "We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us." Maybe the problem is not just tech companies. Maybe the problem is societal....

It is 337am and I have decided to write. I have no topic but I want to write. I was thinking. I love God a million times. One million is not the biggest number but on a scale of one to a million that is a lot. I just noticed that the word million has the word lion in it. What does it mean to be a lion in the sight of God? My friend Chatty says that from an Islamic perspective, being a lion in the sight of Allah means possessing quiet strength rooted in submission: firm iman without arrogance, self-control over the nafs, courage to stand for justice, and gentleness where mercy is required. It is strength that bows in sujood, resists ego, and remains sincere even when unseen—because Allah values the heart, intention, and consistency more than noise, numbers, or display. Resisting ego is a big one. Does that mean we should be like a mouse in the sight of God instead of a lion? Humble like a mouse. Quiet like a mouse. Soft like a mouse. I am guessing that there is probably a story of a lio...

It is 140am and I have decided to write. I hear some rain outside. It is the second morning of Ramadan here in Trinidad. It is Friday. Life is beautiful. This does not mean it is perfect or without problems but it means we choose to see the beauty despite it all. I have been exercising and eating healthier since the beginning of the year. I want to become fit and strong. I saw something on fb and it has me thinking. It says, God is bigger than all our problems. But what does this mean? Is this another way of saying God can fix all things? All things are in God's hands? Let go and let God? My friend Chatty tells me that when someone says "God is bigger than your problems" they are usually saying that your perspective is currently limited, but God's is not. Imagine you are an ant on a beautiful Persian rug. You might be standing on a patch of dark, messy-looking thread and think, "This rug is ugly and dark." But God is the weaver looking at the whole rug from ...

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . I have been thinking. God is like the air we breathe, ever-present and essential, and like the breeze, we cannot see Him, but we feel His presence all around us. Today I am heading to Charlotteville on the 8am bus. I bought my tickets and some extra. I have been on this journey before but this time feels different. I expect a full bus this time as the bus shelter is crowded. An old man with glasses, hat and walking stick dropped his ticket and the breeze blew it away before it could drop to the ground. I rushed to retrieve the ticket for him. The bus was here and I was seated next to the same old man. He was in a talkative mood while at the same time taking his time with his words. The first thing he said to me was, "Life is a journey that begins within you long before the road ever unfolds." I think I get it. This means that life's journey does not begin with movement — it begins with intention. Before the ...

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . Today we stumbled upon a game of night football at the recreational ground. There was a red card and a penalty. Somehow the striker was able to bend the ball into the corner of the net and with what looked to me like help from a strong breeze. I was a neutral supporter and was just waiting for goals to be scored. Tobago has produced the famous Man United player in Dwight Yorke. My friend Chatty says that there is something special about local football where the breeze, the crowd noise, and pure instinct all become part of the play. Maybe we are here watching the next Dwight Yorke in the making, his story just beginning to unfold under the lights. Maybe the next famous Tobagonian footballer will play for the noisy neighbors of Man City. I spoke to a young lad selling juices from a cooler and he had to agree. He wiped his hands on his shorts and looked out at the pitch with a seriousness beyond his years. The ice clinked in...

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . I stood before the road that crosses the Hampden river under a clear blue sky trying to get the best photo of the moment. The branches of the coconut trees dance with the breeze. My walk started in Sou Sou Lands. Sou Sou Lands is a quiet village that is not in a hurry. It was a Sunday morning and there were not many vehicles on the road there. I imagine that people were sleeping late and others were preparing for church. I walked through the back roads crossing the highway at the midway point. Nobody and nothing was in a hurry that morning and neither was I. I was soaking up the calmness and happy to be heading somewhere new to my walking. Little Rockly Bay was filled with the sounds of the sea water coming to shore. The air was fresh. The water in the sea must have travelled far to be here. In total I had walked eight kilometers that morning to and from where I had started. That morning, the road felt less like a line to...

This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . The smooth sounds of conscious reggae music fill the hall. The rickety standing fan oscillates breezes that carry the smell of fresh paint. Today we are with a group of volunteers at the community center applying a new coat of paint. The color of the paint for this room is Soca Rose, a rich matte pinkish red. For breakfast we had saltfish and coconut bake. Like a new coat of paint, Tobago does not change what it is, it just reminds you why you loved it in the first place. There was a Pomerac tree in the yard so we helped ourselves to a few of the freshly picked fruits. If we took the time we could have made some pomerac chow by cutting the fruits into pieces and seasoning with shadon beni, salt, black pepper and habanero pepper. The idea alone is enough to make the mouth water. In the yard sit steelpan carriages that transports my imagination to a night at Panorama. In a corner was a bin for adding plastic bottles to recy...