Coffee Break Reads

We had exactly two days. Two. Which meant this was not going to be a “let’s conquer all tourist spots” kind of trip. No. This was going to be a “let’s pretend we are royalty” kind of trip. Torn between two iconic properties, Taj Theog Resort & Spa and Wildflower Hall, we did what any emotionally stable, financially questionable couple would do. We booked both.

Winters hold a special place in my heart, especially those slow, unhurried nights spent around a fire, where time forgets to rush. And when the flames finally die down and the cold begins to creep back in, the warmth stays, tucked into our memories, wrapped around our hearts, and waiting patiently for the next winter to bring us back together again.

This New Year, I want to begin gently. No dramatic promises. Just gratitude—for what I have, what I’ve learned, and even what didn’t work out. I wish good health, lighter hearts, and happier days. And on days when sadness arrives uninvited, I hope I remember it passes—and leaves me wiser, stronger, and slightly more tired. Most importantly, I want to stop being okay with things I’m not okay with. There comes a moment when you stop living to please everyone and start choosing

The love that chooses us back, even on the dullest of nights. The love that makes ordinary moments—red roses on a random Tuesday, late-night shows, endless coffee and wine—feel like magic. The love that survives the endless bickering, the fights, the small annoyances, and still, again and again, we would pick them, in every lifetime, without hesitation.

She watched all of it in silence. She remembered the nights of struggle, the shared tears, the dreams they once whispered. And she wondered — how did it come to this? Why do people change when they finally get what they prayed for? Why does the hunger to matter destroy the peace they once longed for?

That’s when I understood. The rule wasn’t about money. It was about boundaries. About the weight some relationships can't carry without crumbling. About how the smallest crack, when ignored, can break something as sacred as trust.

Sometimes, life doesn’t hand us closure.It leaves us with echoes—of laughter, of moments, of yesterday's that never really leave.

All I could think was how much I wanted to sit on that bench with him—to really listen. Not just to the sounds around me, but to the world the way he hears it. To let the night sing its symphony and to hear it—not as noise, but as music.

It had been a long day. I kept checking my phone, not really sure what I was waiting for. A message? A call? Some kind of sign? I just wanted to hear something... anything. But I couldn’t quite figure out what. Working in a creative field can be both exhilarating and exhausting. Today, it leaned heavily toward the latter. I’d poured 48 hours of heart and soul into a new pitch for a brand that had recently landed in our office and just like that, it was all discarded. I kept t

And I realized something in that moment — something small, but deeply felt. I could’ve visited Singapore a hundred times, walked its streets, eaten in its restaurants. But I would never have seen it the way I saw it that night. From that quiet perch on a moving ship, removed from the noise and hurry, I saw it more clearly. Its shape. Its light. Its stillness. All the things we miss when we’re too close, too busy, too distracted.

She had transformed — not into the classic Cinderella fleeing the ball — but into one who ran toward the palace, clutching her shoe like it was a boarding pass to Happily Ever After. Desperate for the Prince, the Ring, the Forever.

Remember when we used to just go places... no maps, no reviews, no "Top 10 Instagrammable Cafes"? Just vibes. And maybe an aggressive pigeon or two.

Sometimes the best adventures start with panic, involve tiny boats, and end with Spanish-style architecture and cupcakes under $2. Next time you want to go to Europe, maybe… check Bataan first. 

Passport in one hand and my bag in the other, I stepped out of Dublin International Airport, blinking into the unfamiliar light like a lost puppy. After fumbling my way to the nearest taxi stand - one of many options including rental cars and buses within the cozy airport, I finally slid into the leather seat of a high-end BMW taxi (yes, quite the norm here). The ride into the city was serene. Lush greenery lined the roads, and my silver-haired driver, polished and articulate

A few years ago, if someone had suggested that the entire world would come to a standstill, I would have laughed it off. Because something like that? It just didn’t seem possible. And then, on 23rd March 2020, the unimaginable happened, Bharat Bandh was declared. Life, as we knew it, changed overnight. The first week was all about denial. How could this happen to us? Why weren’t the airports closed sooner? Why wasn’t there a better plan? Every household suddenly became a mini

For the longest time, I believed peace was just one of the many ingredients for internal happiness. But eventually, the bubble breaks, and we realize that nothing lasts forever. It becomes undeniably clear: peace isn't just a part of happiness, it is the source of it. Many scholars have interpreted the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi in their own ways. But the one that stayed with me is by Richard Powell: “Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.” As a woman,