Basil's Brain

Rain or shine they are there plying their wares Smiles and giggles in between bargaining and buying cash exchanging hands Fruits, vegetables and fish poultry, pastries and meat Take your pick fresh and feast for the eyes My favourite are the many breakfast stalls choose from noodles, porridge and cakes Stay longer and you will find even puppies for sale! A shout of hello from the egg seller Where have you been i'm asked with such familiarity i pick and pay for a pair of slippers and move on to buy cotton pyjamas i must not forget the popcorn nor the crisp paper thin pancakes Fishmonger Lee hollers that my fish is ready to go and i hope he hasn't forgotten the prawns Clutching more bags than i can carry i choose baby potatoes and bombay onions It is noisy, It is wet dirty and dank Chaotic yet charming quirky with character Hate the smell detest the wet floors But love the fresh produce and the myriad of other stuff Most of all th...

Last night, i watched a recorded live concert by music maestro A.R.Rahman. He was joined on stage by selected singers who notched up the show's status to delightful heights. The stage set up was high tech inspirational and the sound system electrifying. The Chennai crowd cheered,sang along,danced and provided incredible support to the music genius and his team. Songs from movies came to life with Rahman's brand of magic. It got me tapping my feet and i was completely absorbed in the show. Bliss drenched my soul and connected me with the vibrations of the universe...so powerful were the melodies. The haunting voices of singers Harini and Abhay in a duet song pierced my spirit and gave me goosebumps. i was so moved by their vocals and i did not fully understand the lyrics!. No wonder, it is said that music cuts across all barriers and feeds the soul. A.R.Rahman succeeded in keeping his audience on their toes and mesmerised all with powerful vocals,captivating sounds and a...

War is "Wastage And Ruin". Waste of precious human lives Waste of time and energy Waste of resources and infrastructure And Ruin of compassion and duty of care towards fellow humans Ruin of humanity Ruin of rationale and reason War is a mere tool to suppress the defenceless an excuse to flaunt strength and superiority War is simply an advancement of selfish pursuits Should innocents be the pawns in this insane endeavour? Why must people suffer for the whims of their leaders? Don't human beings have the right to freedom? The fundamental right to carry on life in peace instead of being in a 'tug-of war' between feuding fiends? War is not about who ultimately wins but mostly; it is the devastating destruction of mankind which stay forever.... Why must people look at wars as A battle of races or religions? A fight between the strong and the weak? War warrants time for reflection... of how precious our lives are That a human being shou...

The jazz singer serenaded me today and my spirits soared.i closed my eyes and let the joyful sound relax me.i have not yet seen this elusive bird but the singing's enchanting!.That is why i call it the jazz singer.It doesn't need a mike and the garden is its stage.To complement the singing, there is also cheerful chirping from another bird.Nature certainly provides free music and one only needs to listen. Have you ever seen a leaf floating from a tree top till it reaches the ground?.It is sheer artistry and a wonder to behold.One may even think the eyes are playing tricks but wait and watch on a windy day.It is a performance worth witnessing. The sweet scents from flowers in bloom are incredible, especially the intoxicating jasmine which is so potent;weaving its magic on those who inhale it.Naturally perfuming the air and providing adornment for home and hair!. The garden is such a treasure trove of sound,sight and scent.It calms the mind and feeds the soul with such bles...

Today, i met an old neighbour she smiled and beckoned me close. 'How are you child?', she asked with genuine concern. Yesterday, i saw a new friend she grinned and enquired loudly. 'What are you up to?' ...in a mocking tone The bad taste yesterday is gone. The flutter of good feelings today lingers long. Friendships from long ago hold fast and strong. Tight knots of shared secrets, cemented the bond. Today's friends come and go. Easy to find everywhere, maybe deleted anytime. Friends before catch up with ease, swapping tales, wiping tears without fanfare or frills. Now, friends want fame and an audience. Texting tantrums and emailing abuses, neither caring nor minding. Blessed are those with true pals. Hold tight to real friendships, in these times of fake and phonies. Real gems are rare, stay with them full of care.

My love affair with collecting recipes began in my teens.i bought a hardcover notebook and wrote down recipes, all neatly sectioned into poultry,fish & seafood,cookies & cakes and drinks & desserts. In my twenties, the recipe collection grew to include healthy food like soups,salads & sandwiches. My thirties saw me adventurously buying cookbooks featuring cajun marinades,mediterranean dressing and exotic ingredients like tahini,escargot and gooseberries. i'm no gourmet chef but i love to cook and collecting recipes is a compulsive,impulsive nature of mine which i am trying real hard to curb.i have amassed two probably three truckloads of recipes over the years.i have tried only about two dozen of the recipes from my collection. i was sifting through my recipes two days ago and discarded almost three quarter of them. It was hard but something long overdue. Why? Well, my tastebuds have changed and my zeal for cutting out recipes from magazines and newspapers ha...

i have been searching for the perfect red lipstick and what better time than the approaching Lunar New Year to shop for that perfect shade of RED! Have you ever wondered about the names given to lipsticks?.Oh and now there are lipgloss and lipstains,lip balms that also have very convincing names.i read religiously on which pigment shade that best suit my complexion yet even in my second decade of buying and using lipsticks,i always get the wrong colour...sigh.My sister is the benefactor of many tubes,sticks and pots of reds,plums,browns and pinks because of this. i get swayed by the multitude of pretty colours and the equally persuasive names.How can you resist Tantalising Toffee or Lucious Pink?.Daring Red and Fun Tangerine?.Then you need to make up your mind if it is going to be matte,shine or glossy.There are like twenty or more shades of red and other favoured colours and most times i just walk away because i just cannot make up my mind and also fear buying an unsuitable sh...

Everyone wants a happy song, Nobody likes a sad tale. Must i then lock my sorrows and put my pen away? Do i need to only talk of blue skies and picture perfect tales? Happiness & Sadness Two sides of the same coin? or as different and not related as chalk and cheese? Sadness consumes me sometimes...for no reason. Some say it is age related When i am happy, i just want to bottle it as future balm. Things can and do go wrong, Find a friend...you are not alone. Happiness does 'bubble'... enjoy the multi coloured bursts!.

Senseless deaths distress me and when it is to uphold a religion, it affects me so profoundly that i need to find a quiet corner to exhaust the rage i feel inside... i rarely discuss religion with anyone because it is a subject matter so sensitive that you risk losing a good friend...which i did at the tender age of fifteen.Believe me when i say it left me completely raw emotionally and scarred me for life.i avoid the topic like the plague. Apparently,the topic of religion is used by many to gain political mileage. Religion is used to wage wars and it is the vulnerable people who are caught in the midst of the madness. Religion, is used to provoke anger and cause strife in schools and instituitions of higher learning, in offices and just about everywhere else these days. Why?. Who gave the right to speaking about something so sacred with neither care nor caution to the sensitivities of fellow humans?. It is a free for all scenario these days to comment and criticise without kno...