Category: Life & Times
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Google Home: Walls have ears!
“I am sorry, can you repeat that?” I looked at my wife. I hadn’t asked her anything. She was watching “Love it or list it” on TV and not paying any attention to me. I wanted to ask her if she was hearing voices but thought better of it. That wouldn’t sit well. It took…
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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…
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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…
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A dozen things I like about apartment living
When it comes to living in an apartment versus a house, most of the people I know lean towards a house. I get their pro-house arguments – larger spaces, more privacy, potential equity growth, and other such benefits. Apartment living is not for everyone. But, if you have considered rightsizing or see yourself living in…
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If it weren’t for the money…
I am beginning to wonder if I am a boring person. It’s the kind of stuff that no one will tell to your face. I read posts about people giving up lucrative jobs to pursue their passion. People seem to quit jobs to pursue trekking, photography, dancing, travel, yoga, and baking – the kind of…
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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…
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Houston Floods – We Have a Problem!
As I watched on TV the devastation caused by Category 4 Hurricane, Harvey, I felt compelled to write this post. I have a personal connection to Houston. My daughter lived there for a few years and I enjoyed visiting the city. It is inconceivable to me that with all the financial, technological, and people resources…
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Memoirs of an Only Child
Recently I caught up with a few of my mates and the conversation turned to siblings. Interestingly, the group had a mix of sibling hierarchies. Some were firstborns, a few in the middle, and others the youngest. True to the law of sibling hierarchy, the firstborns were more assertive – the ‘enforcer’ type, the middle…
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Charlie Gard, an epilogue
I waited a couple of weeks to gather my thoughts before I wrote this post. When Charlie Gard passed away, I felt numb relief. Living with uncertainty, constantly balancing on the precipice of life and death, is exhausting. Charlie’s parents fought so hard for him — living off the fumes of hope. It sickens me…
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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…