Category: Anecdotes
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A Close Call on the Tennis Court
It was a tennis match that became a matter of life and death. Had I known what I know now, I might not have been nonchalant during the ordeal. As for this post, I had my doubts. Sharing information about personal health events can have negative consequences — future employers, insurance companies, and the like…
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Remembering Ashutosh Ojha…
The message from my friend Pillai was cryptic. The subject line read: Ashutosh Ojha 8.2.1956 – 20.4.2024 ? ?. Attached was an unflattering picture of our mutual friend, Ashutosh Ojha. There was no message body. I checked the time, it was nearly midnight. I was sure it was spam. Pillai and I had not been…
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When You Are Trapped in an Elevator for Two Hours…
When the lights flickered and the elevator went pitch dark, I didn’t give it a second thought. The nearby Hurontario Light Rail Construction had been causing a few planned and unplanned power outages in our building. I was on my way down to the parking garage when the elevator ground to a halt. “It should…
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When Friends Get Old, But Friendships Don’t
The shrill calls of the door-to-door vegetable vendor interrupted my thoughts. I had been skimming the newspaper headlines as I sipped tea sitting on the porch of my friend’s house in Chandigarh, India. The greenery around the house and the incessant chirping of the birds provided the perfect backdrop for a lazy morning. As the…
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San Francisco Chinatown – Rich in History, Culture, and Intrigue
San Francisco Chinatown is one of the largest outside of Asia and the biggest in North America. It is believed to attract more tourists than the Golden Gate Bridge! The best thing about San Francisco Chinatown is that it is very accessible. You can catch a Muni bus or a cable car from popular tourist…
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Floyd Cardoz – It’s Like I Knew the Man
“Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz dies after coronavirus diagnosis,” read the headline. It came as a shock. It’s like I knew the man. The 59-year-old Mumbai-born chef was diagnosed with Coronavirus on March 18th after admitting himself to a New Jersey Hospital. His tweets, embedded in some of the news reports, give the impression that he…
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New Orleans: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
The small group of thirty-something-looking women standing behind us was loud and chatty, but friendly. One of them wore a sash that read “Birthday Girl.” It was around 11:00 AM. My wife and I were in a lineup, waiting for the Hop-on-Hop-Off bus on Canal Street in New Orleans. The girls were clearly in high…
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Take Me to Tokyo!
As we settled into our seats in the Friendly Airport Limousine, I realized that I had stressed for no reason. Before boarding my flight to Tokyo, I had made a mental list of the things that I would have to do upon clearing customs at the airport — withdraw yen from an ATM, buy an…
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Los Angeles – An Unusual SoCal Experience
I had expected it to be big. It was. The villa had seven bedrooms and seven baths spread over 11,000 square feet. I have been to a few big homes in my time; but, this one took the cake. I reminded myself; I am in Bel-Air, Los Angeles. Exclusivity and excess go hand in hand…
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A Look Back at a Stopover in Colombo
It’s no mean feat: Sri Lanka topped the list of Lonely Planet’s countries to visit in 2019. To appreciate the scope of this achievement, you have to put it in perspective. Countries big and small around the world are vying to catch tourists’ fancy through impressive marketing campaigns, and unique value propositions. In Asia alone,…