So this is odd for me. A follow on post! Last time I discussed originality and very unscientifically concluded we still have much to discover and create. Long live originality. However here’s the dilemma. Most of us like to think we can be original and in fact have been in…

I often catch myself having discussions about whether we will run out of novel ideas, stutter on never before heard music, or fail to riff intriguingly on words. Have we reached the limits of originality? I don’t feel so or more truthfully cannot bear the thought we have. One of…

I have heard it termed ‘ the dark side of emotional intelligence’. Why is manipulation part of the human tool kit? Why do we engage in manipulation in much more of our daily lives than we are willing to admit — how malign a term is it? …

I love an exaggerated eye roll, a vicious tongue slashing, a verbal rollicking lightly peppered with inflammatory language…..I know I know….not something I should be proud of though in fairness I’m pretty effective at being contemptuous…. Cost centre 3 has contempt down to a pat. Hand on jutted hip, a…

Blood is a magical constituent of our bodies. A diligent soldier that fulfils our basic needs yet is the most intimate substance that clasps our secrets close. Even as an adult I will always take the moment to watch as it lazily oozes from my skin; it’s luscious and unctuous…

It takes a certain kind of person to appreciate me as my reputation has been much maligned over centuries. I’m seen as an uninvited guest who deadens the tumult of your mind. But deep down you accept I am shades of grey; a paradox and you need me. I am…

I met someone recently who feels let down by his parents. He told me this poem describes his thoughts. Philip Larkin — This Be The Verse - They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they…

I enjoy putting my feet through torture. Callouses, blisters, rubbed heels and broken toe nails flourish as ruthlessly I subject them to stilettos, sandals, boots, flip-flops, courts and of course the ubiquitous trainer. Today the foot world seems dominated by sneakers. Any parent of a sport obsessed teenager will understand…

Water on a hot dusty plain….is a scent Nadhim Zahawi (one of the UK’s top politicians who emigrated from Iraq as a child) says is truly evocative for him. I can empathise. The thought of it nudges deeply sunken memories from my childhood in India, when I used to swim…