Abi:original - If you aren't original, what are you?

Most men love to hate her. Many women worship her and some don't know how they will survive without her 60 minutes of daily wit and wisdom. Bring out the tissue boxes because Ms. Oprah Winfrey is kinda calling it quits. I say 'kinda' in no light manner. The woman comfortably perched on the top of the Forbes fortune list is not leaving the ring without a firm plan in place. She plans to launch her own cable channel and we can all be sure that it will be as much of a success as her book clubs, her angel network, her African school and other many endevours. So perhaps its not yet the end of the line but a chance for a new beginning. But who is this woman and why does she manage to touch our lives? Is it her constant battle with weight and image that somehow keeps people glued to their cable sets, day after day? Is it the fact that she routinely dishes out money and expensive presents on live TV just because she simply loves a surprise? Perhaps it is all of the above. For the p...

The following tribute is for my dear brother in law, who will forever be missed but always encouraged me to read and led so much by example. He can never be replaced but his memory will live on forever. In his wonderful boys who resemble him in more ways than one. In his doting and loving wife, Simona, who never left his side, more than any of us thought was humanly possible, during his challenging illness. In all of us, who have met him and have been touched by his practicality, fondness for family and love for nature and sport. As the Fernandes family comes to terms with the irreplaceable loss of the eldest brother-in-law, Vinod, there is comfort in knowing that he is in a better place. We could not have done half of the many, many, many formalities in Kuwait after Vinod’s passing had it not been for the prayers, calm and clear thinking and most of all blessings of Vinny himself. All of Simona's contacts and friends, most of whom she was too preoccupied to reach over the past few...

Who makes up your network? I’m not asking about the 892 friends who might make up your friend list, few of whom, may barely keep in touch on a regular basis. If you are like me, I’m sure a great part of your day is spent on Facebook and many like minded sites, but I’m not talking about that kind of network. I’m talking about your people. The ones you rely on, when life seems like its hanging by a thread. Who are those chosen few you call in a crisis, on bad hair days, when stuck in a really bad mess? When you just need someone to listen to you crib without prejudice. Chances are most people will readily say that their family, spouse and significant others are the ones that anchor them to shore when a little lost at sea. While that may be the general norm, lately I’m wondering if we are really spending too much time on social networking (SN) when we aren’t really being social at all. What happened to hand-written letters? Are they only for Mommy because she doesn’t have the time to set ...