BREWING MEMORIES

Not a day goes by when we don't think of the past at least once. Our thoughts are imprisoned by the sundry choices that still haunt us occasionally. "If only I could go back in time and change things" is a wishful thought we all once had. "Before the coffee gets cold" is as perfect as that piping hot morning coffee blend which offers much-needed mental peace. Every sip gets better as seconds slip away. Stories of 4 strangers connected by their visits to a time-honoured cafe take readers on a caffeine-loaded journey to their past. Nunaced dialogues complement this fascinating experience generously. By accepting the cleverly devised Time Travel protocols, these individuals have sensitively come to terms with the fact that a visit to the past won't alter the course of the present or the future. A glimpse at the familiar before a tragic change took over their lives has brought closure to those who chose to sit on the coveted chair which has transcended obsolescence without defying nature. Toshikazu Kawaguchi finely captures distinctive human traits through his characters. An act as simple as moving the coffee cup, holding hands or even nodding heads decodes the relationship dynamic among them. No words are wasted here. I surfed through the pages traversing the smooth flow of conversations over coffee. Whisked by emotional ingredients with an added dash of mystery, "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" is a book that is waiting to be tasted. As far as the adaptation goes, as usual, the book has triumphed over its movie.

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THE CASTLE OF HOPE AND FAITH!

THE CHARIOT OF OUR ANGELS! After so many phases of colour transformations, finally, our bus has become yellow....Yellow????.sigh........ Anyway, I've seen blue with penguins but not this. Sometimes I hate our buses for chasing us away with our books and lunch boxes during the casual turns...so much remodelling..so many cras.....ssshhhesss... oopsie!!! I didn't mean to say that...Well..now it's a vibrant bucket of bolts...good! THE GRAND GATEWAY! It's hard for me to not keep thinking about our old watchman. Sharp at 8:45 these huge pair of gates would be closed.There would be a little door too...for other people to enter..and the notice board that you see right there always captivated us during monsoons....we'd wait for some holiday notes to be written so we could run back home. Emails or Phones or WhatsApp didn't exist then. Though these gates did scare us a few times...it very well taugh...

MAESTRO'S MARVELS

Da Vinci - The multi-faceted polymath who has been the greatest inspiration for people for aeons. The admirable quality that I found in this Genius is the fearlessness that enabled him to explore and gain expertise in various areas exhaustively. He created the intellectual freedom for everyone to feel empowered to create a society of free thinkers, express without inhibitions and feel confident about choosing the mode of expression in a non-judgmental way. "I am not good at this thing" is a statement I hear every now and then from my students in class. Some of them would say this spontaneously even without trying out that particular engagement. I had to really push them to give it a go, provide them examples of similar work, share my experiences or give them the comfort to practice by practising along with them. Leonardo never seemed to have this midblock and was very open to being experimental with his thoughts. Sometimes I had even taken the maestro's paintings, r...

DARK AND PUNY

This is the story of a girl who had the same kind of life as mine except that she is "big" and I am "small". An inferiority complex is a very dangerous and irrevocable impression that can be created by parents on their children. There are certain inconsiderate opinions and treatments that affect those children and become their lifelong baggage to be carried. Skin colour, facial features, and size are the factors involved. To rub salt in the wound, there are abrasive reminders every single day about the disappointments of the child. There is no about the maternal and paternal love but how deep is it in comparison to the other things that they are fond of or if there is another kid born with all their expectations gratified, then the former one becomes the tester cake or the sidekick. We've all been on that boat when sibling rivalry takes its toll on our emotions. ...

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