A Cup of Tea & Biscuits

Consider this book for what it is - the transcript of a play, based on one of the most popular fictional storylines to have ever been written. And yet, it does not live up to that expectation. Of a play. I'd like to think of myself as part of the generation that grew up with Harry Potter . Physically, I mean not just in terms of reading. The character itself is actually older than me, but I was only a few years older than Harry when I read the Philosopher's Stone, and 21 when the story ended. Supposedly. When the Cursed Child was announced, it not only took me by surprise but also filled me with a certain apprehension of how much to expect from rehashing a story that ended on a note of closure. I was in England the day the book was released and having pre-ordered and picked it up at Hatchard's (with the nerd in me doing cartwheels), I settled in - with cupcakes and wine - to read this much-awaited sequel to the series that was the means of introducing me to my now best frie...

Finding solace in places like this, I am at peace with myself Also adapted & published on Medium . As a somewhat seasoned (luxury) traveler, there is very little that can bother me in means of making plans and traveling on a day’s notice. Or a few hours as it happened once. I have a small vanity bag packed at all times with essentials, and this can truly be brought down to just my contact lenses. Everything else can be purchased at my destination. From weekend trips to month-long vacations, I am quite at ease. A mental checklist and alarms set for any morning flights are mostly enough. But, I still remember my first trip. The one I took on my own - decided, planned and executed on my own. It is quite an intimidating task and it takes courage to go through with it. With my measly first bonus check, I picked Seattle as the destination of my first jaunt. Why Seattle ? Because very few people choose to go there as their first vacation spot. A month before the trip, I signed u...

If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty. – Japanese Proverb A common tea time ritual, when measuring out tea leaves to be steeped, is always some number of tablespoons to serve and one for the teapot. This is how a tea pot builds its character. Perhaps it’s one that has been handed down a generation, or few, when it will naturally be  too  characterful or a brand new shiny pot that is waiting for its infusion. And so life goes on. With a mix of inherited behavior and newer ones being created. My first ever lesson in life comes from family. I am an only child, though the first millennial born of my (maternal) family. A second generation Bangalorean, this meant I did grow up with quite the finer things in life because it was the firm belief of my parents, and grandparents, that every generation of the family should be better off than the previous. This thought process seems a sensible one to me. A simple example here - Grandpa was ...