Welcome Home

Welcome Home

by | Aug 15, 2024 | Analects

When I was born, Dar-es-Salaam (Arabic for Haven of Peace) was an idyllic harbour on the coast of East Africa. After an absence of forty years, only a chance sojourn in Dubai and an advert in the Gulf News offering a three-day excursion enticed me to return home. I...
Made in Heaven

Made in Heaven

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Analects

“Hon, some good news,” Laura exclaimed one day while we were dating. “All my brothers and sisters are returning to the Philippines this Christmas. If I go, what will you do?” “If they’re all coming, why can’t we go and get married there at the same time?” She started...
Chasing Xanadu

Chasing Xanadu

by | Jul 23, 2024 | Analects

I landed at the newly minted Emirates terminal in Dubai after a thirteen-hour flight from Seattle. I expected this billion-dollar edifice to run as efficiently as Hong Kong, which took twenty minutes to exit. Here, I had to take a ten-minute “people mover” underground...
Kid Galahad

Kid Galahad

by | Jul 22, 2024 | Analects

Watching Wimbledon this week, I witnessed the most remarkable sight. A kid was playing a senior player in the tournament. His opponent slipped on the grass, twisting his ankle. The boy immediately ran to his side and knelt beside him until a medico arrived. That kid...