Category: Anecdotes
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A Story About My Expensive Watch
A few months ago, my wife decided to get me an expensive watch. Until then, I had not owned a watch of any significant value. I had been considering buying a new watch since the two I had were looking tired. Minimalism was far from my mind at that time. As for watches, I have…
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Bike Lanes: A Close Encounter of the Bike Kind
The shrill sound of the bicycle bells made me slam on the brake. I was in my car, turning right from Yonge Street onto King Street, in downtown Toronto. The light had just turned green. The two cyclists appeared to come out of nowhere. Not slowing down, they zipped straight through the intersection. Bells still…
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The Fifty Fifty Club
The Fifty Fifty Club was formed during the winter of 2006, in Edmonton, Alberta. I am the founder of the club. It’s an elite club, though not elitist. It has only four members in it. Two of the members are Japanese, one of them my sensei aka, guru-dev. And, the fourth is an Indian. The club’s…
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A Lot to See in Peru Beyond Machu Picchu
The fashion show broke out as I was working on my blog post. I was on a Vistadome train heading back to Cusco from Machu Picchu, Peru. One minute the cabin crew was serving us food and drinks, the next, they were striding down the aisle wearing SOL Alpaca garments and accessories, striking poses akin…
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I Wanted to See What Was Beyond the Horizon
A few weeks ago I met Myrtle Simpson. The lady is well over 80. In the 1960s she became the first woman to ski across Greenland with four others on an unsupported expedition. As this wonderfully feisty lady recounts her adventures to a small enthralled group of mostly women, she says so many things that…
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A 90-Minute Flight to Philadelphia That Cost Me Over $3K
My concerns about flying have little to do with the security screening. I am afraid of United Airlines. For that matter, I am afraid of most airlines. I feel that they always have the upper hand. It may have a “flying while brown” element to it. However, I must admit that these days I am…
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Globalization, Through a Wedding
Technically, there is no such thing as a simple Indian wedding. You take the complexity to another level when you do an Indian wedding in Canada, and the groom is American. Throw in remote management by my daughter who was living and working in New York City, the picture is complete. Globalization, through a wedding!…
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The failure of a small business
I feel kind of sad as I write this post. If you ever ran a small business that failed, you would know the feeling. It was not my business. But, you still feel for the people who tried really hard and still failed. The neighbourhood restaurant and bar had opened about a year and a half…
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When Your Child’s Student Loan Is Bigger Than Your Mortgage
We did the math. After we picked up half the tab, my daughter’s student loan was going to be larger than the mortgage on our house. It was not a comforting thought — letting your child rack up a debt of that size even before she starts working. My daughter’s first career choice was to…
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Second Career: Be Careful What You Wish For
When I missed it the second time around, I started to worry. It was my third week at the job; my second career – truck driving. I tried to remember the instructions from the truck driving school. Don’t let your ego come in the way. When in doubt, GOAL – Get Out And Look. Acting normal,…