A ritual in the making — It is a Monday morning. While others may be groaning at their alarm clocks reminding them that workweek has, in fact, begun once again, I jolt up at 6:30 am — half an hour before my alarm is scheduled for. I down a bottle of water and feel the cold…

In this case “it” being me —

I have from time to time felt that the dose of irony in my life gets suspiciously high. Sometimes it creeps in unwelcome, preying on what’s good and pushing buttons. Other times, it forces me to open my eyes a little, and give into what feels uncomfortable. …

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, maybe basic hygiene is our ticket to staying sane — I was a junior in college when I downloaded Headspace. I remembered opening some Buzzfeed article or the other and looking at ways to keep stress-induced anxiety in-check. I was double majoring, I was working a few jobs, I was living away from my family, and I was also just…

How fun is writer’s block? So fun. It kind of hits whenever it wants to, doesn’t it? Recently it’s been hitting me at a particularly weird instance. I’m somewhat of an impulsive writer. I’ll find myself in the middle of a routine activity and suddenly a thought will pop into…

When I was ten years old, we moved to India. At that time, around 2006, most of the families that made up the Indian family friend circle in Portland’s Beaverton district had started to relocate, some to other cities, and some to the other side of the world. Parents moved…

A list of things I absolutely cannot eat when trying to make a good first impression — Salad: Don’t get me wrong, a cherry tomato here and there, even small olive slices, don’t do much harm. With salads, my main fear is the hero component: the leaf. Be it spinach or lettuce, arugula or rocket, there is just no elegant, efficient way to really get leaves folded…

A further exploration into the performing arts scene in Chiang Mai — Stephen Turner arrived in Chiang Mai from Chicago 15 years ago after a stint of travelling around the world. An artist at heart, he soon found himself seeking out opportunities to engage in theatre around the city but was disheartened by the lack of a scene. At the time there…

The Budding Dramaturgs of Chiang Mai University — I knew close to nothing about Thai theatre when I landed in Chiang Mai in early March, but I was eager to find what I could while I was here. As an English major in university, I read a lot of early modern and 18th century work, which meant a…