Author Archives: montecyril

I had voices and visions ever since childhood  They can sometimes be bad and mostly be good  I’m blessed with the sacred, wrestle with the profane  With all these musings, life can’t be mundane  History has it that some people have what others lack  A case in point is the story of Joan of Arc  SheContinue reading “My voices and visions: A poem “

What is life without some colour? The average speaker of English may, however, be pleased to admit that there’s more colour in the mouthful, than is apparent in the black and white between lines. And though silence is golden, it takes silvery eloquence, much too often, to brighten one’s day.  Language can often work wonders.Continue reading “The colours of life: Just for laughs “

The US happens to be going all hammer and thongs in its latest bid to counter Chinese influence around the globe. The G7 group of rich democracies, led by the US, on Sunday, 26 June 2022, made a bid to countervail China’s formidable Belt and Roads Initiative (BRI) by announcing some USD 600 billion for globalContinue reading “US seems resolute on containing China’s influence “

He who seeks to manifest the holy magnum opus  Must in these little truths always indelibly trust  That the dignity of justice is not in all-encompassing love  It is embedded with discrimination, which is the calling from above  That the pure work involves loving those who need and deserve it  It is in giving worthContinue reading “The alchemist’s guide to love and forgiveness “

South Asia is in dire straits. From the high mountain peaks of Nepal and Pakistan to the flat sandy beaches of Sri Lanka and Maldives, the economies of South Asia are facing the crises of both inflation and interest rates rising and currencies depreciating, and what is worse, a dearth of foreign exchange reserves toContinue reading “Dark clouds of debt loom over India’s neighbourhood “

When we are in bondage of our own sentiments  Then anger and pride be our hellish predicament  As we seek to vindicate all our false beliefs  And the anguish of hurting others should be no relief  What can we wish for but wilful rabid pursuits  The card of selfishness takes us away from the truths Continue reading “Ego and humility: A poem “

China has warned the US not to turn the South Pacific into a sparring contest between the two superpowers. The South Pacific should not become “a boxing ring” for the US-China rivalry, Xie Feng, vice foreign minister in charge of North American and Oceanian affairs, said on Friday, 10 June 2022.   In fact, China isContinue reading “US-China rivalry sees heightened militarisation of Indo-Pacific “

What at all do we resolutely take pride in  Our achievements and our material possessions?  Is our life only worth the meaningless riches  That we wish to pursue, without disheartening glitches?  Our successes live on forever in our memories  Our time is spent in defeating adversaries  We are consumed by revelry with our wins  EvenContinue reading “Pride: A poem “

The nineteen eighties fondness for acronyms was perhaps a characteristic reflection of the computer lingo of the decade. What with `byte’ taking more than a mouthful of your everyday banter. Needless lengthy one-liners were cut to size and became snappy four-letter words that people exchanged over dining tables or heard over communications systems.  The fondnessContinue reading “Am I Speaking English?: Just for laughs “

China has rejected all accusations of human rights violations in Xinjiang, its northwestern province. Less than half the population of this province is Uyghur Muslim, a people that has been the subject of systematic abuse and incarceration by the Chinese authorities.  But China continues to be obdurate that it is not guilty of crimes charged againstContinue reading “China obdurate on atrocities against Uyghurs “