#foreign language

يَصيفُ root: ص-ي-ف / form I present tense, hollow verb / definition: to be summery It’s mid-July. Summer’s peak. And while most have their faces stubbornly positioned in a fan’s airpath, my own spectacled one has been nestled warmly into the dictionary’s pages. It seems that, come rain or shine, my mind will always be drawn back to one place. And—oh!—there’s an Arabic phrase for that. Come…

قُرّ root: ق-ر-ر / noun / definition: cold, coolness I’ve been napping a lot lately. Sometimes two or three times a day. My body feels heavy with a fatigue that pulls down my eyelids and drags my centre of gravity to the nearest flat surface to search for rest in the land of nod. But no matter how much I sleep, or how I spend the day, no nodding-off awakens me. Doctors have even studied my…

This list was compiled last year for the SERENDIPITY website. I might replace a few if I was to do it again, but you can not go wrong with any of these. My Top 20 Favorite Asian mini-series, by Rich Paschall The popularity of the BL (Boys’ Love) series has exploded worldwide. While Southeast Asian countries, especially Thailand, are leaders in producing such series, other countries are making…

هَنْهونة root: ه-ن-ه-ن / noun / definition: lullaby Tuesday’s early-hours London sky boomed and ignited in thunderstorm, and I—with my passionate affection for summer storms—heard the rumbles and roars as cradlesong and slipped effortlessly back into sleep after dawn prayer. I was, however, mildly fearful that the “triangle of death” would fly into my room; that is, the giant and blurry moth I…

Red, White, and Royal Wait, by Rich Paschall It’s Pride Month, and some of you may be looking for some BL (boys in love) movies or series. While you are waiting for the sequel to the movie Red, White, and Royal Blue (Prime) coming up at the end of the year, or early next year, or season 2 of Heated Rivalry (HBO Max), slated for April 2027, we have a few new series to recommend. YouTube and…