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Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Should writers bare their raw feelings or keep them hidden?
Many writers — myself included — are apostles of hypocrisy, like the most frivolous patient who enters a psychiatry clinic under the guise of getting proper treatment for the ills he or she will never disclose. This is the same patient who fears his beautiful sandcastle, which stands in the front yard of his waterfront home, will crumble under the tsunami of emotions the doctor might generate with a series of tremulous queries. Yet, when it comes to the appointment, he shows up. Do writers really pen the principles they hold close to their heart? Do they really practise what they advocate to the public? Writing a weekly column for nearly six years isn't a joke, especially when your memory needs to be on-point to ensure no repetition. Every column messages a philosophy that the writer assumes his or her ardent readers will not only absorb into their souls but also pass on to the younger generations in their family. Penning a personal column highlighting the musings of life is supposed to be as sincere and anecdotal as possible. It's an intellectual exercise, taking a page from your own life or the experiences of someone you know or is close to you and process it in such a way that it doesn't hurt the protagonist or send out the wrong message to society. While the cleverest method a writer can employ is to narrate the story and leave it to the readers to elicit whatever they want from it, the most ideal way to go about it is to carve out the lessons learned for the goodness of the readers. While being non-committal by telling the readers, 'you take what you want' would be irresponsible writing, there would be times when the writer would find himself at a crossroads. My recent column Cherish your grief is a classic example of a writer's dilemma. Two weeks after the column was published, the question of whether I was politically correct about debating the psychology of falling in love with a person less than half my age still haunts me. While there were letters empathising with the writer and praising his skills, likening the episode to peeling back the layers of an onion bulb, there was one which did a dissection of the work in so many words. 'I get the whole depth of the article, irrespective of your arguments that the column was a bit of exaggeration for the sake of presenting a psychiatric analysis of a possible human dilemma,' argues Malaika Rodrigues, who has been a reader of my column from day one. 'If at all there's a controversy about the topic, it depends on the way the reader perceives it; so, if your fan base is young, there's no controversy at all. But if your fan base is old enough and has an idealistic vision of men and women, then there's a problem. 'It's possible a reader might think the writer is condoning something that's not morally right. We are not actually — because idealistic visions change with the times. 'What you have mentioned in the article is raw feelings with depth. It can happen to anybody, ideal or not. Even the most loyal of partners could feel for someone from the past or even the present. 'Your earlier articles, starting from 2019, had a very cryptic message. It could be this or it could be that. That is the most enjoyable way of reading an article because you don't know who it is about. 'But this particular one showcases you. From all your previous ones, people know what has happened to your wife. 'And that's on record in today's article, too. They do also know that you are a granddad because you have beautifully portrayed the boy so many times. 'So, people already know you as this ideal guy, family man, and wonderful husband. And then today they received a shocker. 'Now, today's big reveal or confession to your psychiatrist that you've fallen in love with someone half your age seems outrageous for the idealistic reader. For some reason, these key points get stuck in his mind, like, 'What's happening to this man? We all thought he was a family guy. 'One could wonder what's happening to this role model husband who, despite the circumstances, is still so loyal, faithful. He cannot falter. He cannot waver in his attention to his ailing wife. 'But nobody really knows what real feelings are. It takes a lot of guts and courage to actually confront those feelings like you did. 'Yes, I understand that you have to avoid controversies, but then what would happen to the liberty of a writer? You had written about raw feelings in your previous articles and still escaped a controversy because it takes a very good reader to understand cryptic language. A real reader will understand and will ponder on the said feelings, reflect on them, introspect on them, and ask questions about them. 'While such readers are very rare, this one was very obvious even to the common man. Yet I enjoyed reading it. It was very deep because you narrated how people, young or old, could have a hard time tackling grief over losing someone, or getting over someone.' So, while the verdict is still out on disclosing raw feelings in a personalised column, it's still being debated whether the story was a figment of imagination or a chapter wrenched from the writer's own dog-eared book of life.
Daily Mail
11-08-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
MCoBeauty founder's ex-husband buys $41m waterfront Sydney home in CASH following bitter divorce
Ex-MCoBeauty director Anthony Sullivan has purchased a waterfront home in Sydney 's Kirribilli for a staggering $41million. Public records confirm the 49-year-old businessman, who was married to company founder Shelley Sullivan, paid for the property in cash. The luxurious mansion sits on a 765sqm and features manicured gardens and an outdoor swimming pool. MCoBeauty was launched in 2020 by Shelley Sullivan and quickly gained fame for producing affordable 'dupes' of popular cosmetic and skincare products. The company's rapid production cycle - bringing products to supermarkets and chemists within eight weeks - helped fuel a meteoric rise in sales. Earlier this year, billionaire pharmaceutical magnate Dennis Bastas acquired MCoBeauty in a deal valuing the company at $1billion, after acquiring an initial 50 per cent stake in 2022. The brand's extraordinary growth, with revenue soaring by 2400 per cent over four years, has been attributed in part to the cost-of-living pressures driving demand for affordable beauty alternatives. The Kirribilli purchase eclipses the previous record set by Next Capital's John White, who paid $19.1million for a nearby waterfront property in 2022. Anthony and Shelley parted ways in May last year after an explosive argument. The heated row prompted Anthony to leave for the United States, while his then-wife moved into the InterContinental in Double Bay. The high-society split, which came just seven years after the couple's opulent wedding at Point Piper, shocked the well-heeled social circle in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Shelley is celebrated as one of Australia's most successful businesswomen. She made her mark in the 1990s with her model and talent agency before launching her thriving 'masstige' beauty brand, ModelCo, in 2016. In June, Shelley was spotted leaving her luxury BMW SUV in a clearly marked no-stopping zone along Market Street in Sydney 's CBD before heading into the upscale Van Cleef & Arpels boutique. Dressed in figure-hugging black leggings and a cropped zip-up jacket, Shelley appeared completely unfazed as she spoke on her mobile phone while returning to her car. Shelley accessorised her off-duty look with gold hoop earrings and minimal makeup, while her platinum blonde bob was slicked back in a casual yet chic style. Despite parking directly underneath a 'no stopping' sign painted in bold red and white, Sullivan left her vehicle and proceeded into the luxury jeweller - known for its five- and six-figure price tags. Her black BMW SUV remained parked in the red-painted zone, metres from the storefront, while passing traffic and pedestrians looked on.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
These were North Jersey's most expensive home sales in July
An original waterfront home built by the Crane Company on Lake Mohawk's private Manitou Island, a $7 million Italian-inspired estate in Bergen County and a recently renovated historic brownstone in uptown Hoboken were among the priciest properties to sell in North Jersey in July. All of July's elaborate properties were sold through the typical real estate process and changed hands for an array of prices, ranging from $1.58 million to $7 million. Here's a look at the priciest homes to sell in each North Jersey county during July. Bergen County — $7 million The new-construction home at 80 Woodland St. in Tenafly officially sold for $7 million on July 24, making it North Jersey's overall priciest single-family home sale for the month and the fifth-priciest single-family home sale in Bergen County in 2025. The property was listed by Afsaneh Kiarash of Howard Hanna Rand Realty, and bought with Alexandra Reier of Douglass Elliman of New Jersey. Situated on a nearly one-acre lot — which backs up to the Churchill Nature Preserve — in the East Hill section of Tenafly, this modern estate has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms across more than 10,000 square feet of living space. It offers design features like an abundance of Italian travertine, ceilings of 12 to 20 feet throughout the first floor, French white oak floors and a full smart home configuration. It is also home to a gourmet Italian-style kitchen, a first-floor en suite bedroom, a spacious primary suite with a walk-out balcony and two spa-like bathrooms, as well as a fully finished lower level with a movie theater, gym, wine cellar and wet bar. The backyard offers an infinity pool, a cabana and a full kitchen. Passaic County — $1.58 million The property at 23 Horizon Drive in Wayne was initialy listed for sale in the beginning of March and changed hands for $1.58 million, or $80,100 over its original asking price, on July 17. It was listed by Carole "Lynn" Brescia of Coldwell Banker Realty and bought with Kathryn Tarta and Elizabeth Boggia, both agents with EXP Realty LLC. This five-bedroom, five-bathroom brick Colonial home was built in 1994 and is situated on a quiet 1.05-acre lot. It features an abundance of wood detailing, a living room with soaring ceilings, a great room with a fireplace, an octagonal library, a chef's kitchen, a first-floor bedroom suite and a primary bedroom with a fireplace and a spa-like bathroom. There's also a lower level with a bar, billiard room and gym, as well as expansive backyard with a pool, koi pond and a gazebo. Morris County — $3.625 million An undisclosed property, recorded as 000 Private Road in Mendham, claimed the title of Morris County's priciest home sale in July when it changed hands for $3.625 million on July 31. The property was listed by Janet Hoven and bought with Bryan Seavey, both agents with Turpin Real Estate. Spanning 82 acres, most of which are farm assessed, this undisclosed property features a 1920 Colonial home with seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It also includes six separate rental residences, a portion of the McVickers Brook, a picturesque pond and an array of specimen trees. Essex County — $4.83 million Kicking off July's real estate market, the newly built home at 80 Old Hollow Road in Short Hills became the second priciest single-family home sale in Essex County in 2025 after selling for $4.83 million on July 1. The property was listed by Tony Verducci of the NJ Luxury Real Estate Group at Serhant, and bought with Judith Daniels of Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty. Constructed in 2024, this luxurious estate has more than 10,000 square feet of living space on a 0.65-acre lot. Its list of features include seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen with high-end finishes, a first-floor bedroom suite, a primary bedroom with a spa-like bathroom and an expansive walk-in closet, as well as a fully finished lower level with a gym and recreation room. Outside, there is a rooftop deck, a side yard patio and a spacious backyard. Sussex County — $2.4 million Originally listed for sale in May, the property at 33 Island Trail in Sparta sold for $2.4 million on July 14. The home — which sits on 0.44 acres of waterfront property on Lake Mohawk's exclusive Manitou Island — was both listed by and bought with Julia "Julie" Killen of Coldwell Banker Realty. The charming four-bedroom, five-bathroom property was built in 1930 as part of Arthur D. Crane's development of Lake Mohawk. It boasts signature Crane design elements like vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and an abundance of woodwork, as well as an array of modern finishes and amenities. Features include a gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances, spacious living areas, several patio and deck spaces and a private dock. Hudson County — $3.315 million The historic brownstone at 912 Willow Ave. in Hoboken — originally built in 1901 — sold for $3.315 million on July 17. The property was listed by Peter Cossio of Brown Harris Stevens New Jersey, and bought with Brian Murphy of Compass New Jersey. The property, which has been recently renovated to combine historic charm with modern conveniences, offers four full floors of living space. It features five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a chef's kitchen with professional-grade appliances, a scullery with a wine fridge, a primary bedroom with a luxurious en suite bathroom and a finished English basement with a guest suite. There are also several outdoor terrace spaces and a large back garden with two sheds. Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@ This article originally appeared on NJ real estate: Most expensive homes sold in July 2025
