There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice…
Poetry is a form that shimmers between fact and fiction, a world of suggestions that does not allow one to settle into certainties…
The judgements of God are seldom so ambiguous as those of the men who say they are speaking on the behalf of God…
If the Age of Globalism could leave us ever more provincial, the Age of Information seemed to leave us knowing less about the rest of the world than ever before – and least of all about the places we heard about most.
Troubled places often look to writers in the hope that imagination can see beyond the divisions that ideologies enforce; the writer’s job, after all, is to dismantle the very notion of an Other by showing how your hurts belong to me, as my hopes do to you.
The above quotes are from “The Half Known Life” by Pico Iyer – not even through 20% of the book and have found so many. I enjoy books where authors go deep into their introspection and observations about the world that is – this is what pulls me into the book and sets the pace.
Will surely review this book in the coming days. As of now, it’s already recommended!
Speaking of recommendations, just had a delicious meal at “Rasam” situated in Discovery Gardens in Dubai.
The rasam was tasty, although I couldn’t have a lot of it due to my sore throat. I thoroughly enjoyed the Pachakari kurma (a veg stew and among the best I’ve ever tasted) and fresh aapams, topped up by the Ambalapuzha Nei Payasam. Delicious!
A point of improvement would be media. The televisions were playing unrelated content (daily news and some Arabic channel) and the music was old 90s fare. I would have switched off the tvs and played Indian classical music to foster conversation and savour the food, with my senses focused on the experience.
Will visit again, and soon!