Category: Life & Times
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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…
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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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Of breathalyzers and false positives…
At first, I thought that there had been an accident. As I inched my way up the line to the police officer with the flashlight, I realized that I was caught in a RIDE spot check – an Ontario sobriety testing program designed to catch drivers driving under the influence of alcohol. There were flashing…
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Why Charlie Gard’s life matters
Charlie Gard passed away on July 28, 2017. Click here to read Charlie Gard, an epilogue. My original post is shown below. By the time you read this post, Charlie Gard may have been taken off life-support. Pope Francis and Donald Trump actually agree on something – Charlie Gard’s right to live. Strange are the…
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Canada 150 – Things I love about Canada.
From the perspective of a Torontonian… I am not sure when it happened. I first realized it while I was sitting in a restaurant in Kerala, India. “I am ready to go home,” I told my wife as we were waiting for our dessert. We had been vacationing for nearly a month. “You mean…” her…
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Work-life balance – No longer one or the other, it’s both
My mobile phone buzzes, cajoling me to pick it up. I look up at the clock on the cable set-top box, the time is 11:32 PM. I ignore the phone and go back to the TV. It’s Friday night, I am binge-watching the new version of Lincoln Lawyer with my wife. The phone vibrates again.…
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My Foray Into Minimalism and a Simpler Lifestyle
Last update: September 28, 2024 I want to make sure that I don’t come through as a fake as I write this post. Minimalism, as a lifestyle, is not something that I have ever consciously aspired to. If anything, I would be closer to a Maximalist who believes in the “Life is too short, so, 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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When Most of Your Friends Are Millionaires
I sit sipping coffee at my cousin’s 54th-floor condo that overlooks the Chicago Navy Pier. For a second, I consider making myself a Mimosa from the well-stocked bar but quickly reject the idea. It’s not noon yet. Need to stay disciplined, even though I am on vacation. As the tour boats go by, the sun bounces…
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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…