Category: Anecdotes

  • Varanasi – You gotta have faith, faith, faith…
    Varanasi – You gotta have faith, faith, faith…

    You could say that I am not a believer. No true faith.  When it comes to religion and faith, I have always flown under the radar as someone who is “not particularly religious.” Occasionally, God and prayer cross my mind. It’s more of a reflex action —  something I picked up growing up in a…

  • Bangkok – When you‘d rather see the temples
    Bangkok – When you‘d rather see the temples

    “So, what is Bangkok most famous for?”  I asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the driver who had picked me up at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The pre-arranged airport-to-hotel transfer was in a sleek Mercedes. It was going to cost me twice as much as a regular taxi. But hey, on this trip…

  • Couldn’t we all just get along?
    Couldn’t we all just get along?

    The past thirty days took me to four places of worship in four different cities. Each one belonged to a different religion – Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu.  The church, the mosque, and the temples felt peaceful and serene. I was there during non-worship hours. I did not pray in any of them. And yet,…

  • Of Emergency Rooms and Stressful Work Environments
    Of Emergency Rooms and Stressful Work Environments

    Going into a Hospital ER is a bit like a meeting with your boss and an HR person. You are never quite sure how it is going to go. I had just driven someone, who unexpectedly needed some medical attention, to the ER at the Credit Valley Hospital. It was early afternoon. Hospitals intimidate me.…

  • Musings From a Massage Parlour
    Musings From a Massage Parlour

    It started with a Matt Damon film that was being screened at the Toronto International Films Festival (TIFF). The movie was scheduled for noon at Roy Thompson Hall. My wife and I had joined our daughter and son-in-law who were in town to binge-watch movies at the TIFF. The movie, about miniaturizing human beings to…

  • An Expensive Date Night in New York City
    An Expensive Date Night in New York City

    “Excellent choice,” the server, who introduced himself as Victor, appeared impressed with my choice of wine. As someone who is not opposed to picking a wine from the right side of the menu – based on price – I was quite pleased with myself. My wife and I were at an upscale Thai restaurant in…

  • A scary encounter with allergies
    A scary encounter with allergies

    For a few minutes there I wondered if I was going to make it. Funny, the kind of thoughts that cross your mind when you see your own mortality staring you in the face. A couple of TV police dramas I had recently watched flashed through my mind. They always started with people meeting untimely…

  • No touch. No talk. No eye contact!
    No touch. No talk. No eye contact!

    I wouldn’t have noticed the dog if my wife hadn’t stepped into Sephora. I chose to wait outside. I figured people-watching on Union Square would be more interesting than helping her pick out lipstick and nail polish shades. Plus, the last time I tried to guess the ones that worked best with her skin, I…

  • Won’t You Be My Neighbour?
    Won’t You Be My Neighbour?

    The first evening it happened I dismissed it as a one-off.  My neighbours with whom I shared an adjacent wall in our townhome complex obviously had some company over and were enjoying what sounded like a Wii-type interactive physical game that made a lot of noise. Live and let live, I initially thought. I knew…

  • Old habits die hard
    Old habits die hard

    “Do you eat it raw?” The question came from the portly gentleman who was sitting across from me at the table. It was directed at Olson, the attendee from Minnesota. There were eight of us gathered in a hotel bar in Atlanta, GA. Each of us represented a different company and had flown in from…