A friend visiting me in Toronto took me to my first-ever Michelin Star restaurant a few years back. The menu here was exquisitely sparse and used limited-edition ingredients I wasn’t familiar with. Since the chefs are taught to think about texture and flavor and aroma and a whole host of other things, for a first…

I got to be an official aunt for the last time when my ex-husband’s sister and her family visited us in Toronto in 2019. What I mean by “official” is to be the legally married wife, and thereby, the legal, official aunt. Otherwise, I’m still an unofficial aunt every day to my friends’ kids and…

It was a sunny but cold Sunday in Toronto. As I spotted the perfect bench overlooking the Grenadier Pond at High Park, I quickened my pace so no one would beat me to it. Two adjoining benches at the right elevation, away from the walking path that’s filled with people who have only come to…

“From tiny experiences we build cathedrals.” ~ Orhan Pamuk He always sat to my left, the devil’s side. As we were dining and watching a scary movie on his gray sofa, I realized that our legs were touching, continuing the buzz. I glanced at him and thought maybe, just maybe, he is the one. Needless…

Who has seen the worst of you? The anger, the ugly crying, the unsexy curves, and the extreme triggers? Who has seen the best of you? The smiles, the special glances, the wisecracks, and the seemingly unconditional love? For me, it’s always been the men I’ve been with. I once told my ex-husband that if…

The mother who clawed would sometimes also thaw Black holes of wounds birthing in the monkey bleeding from his ma seeping through all of their remaining days

I’ve always loved homes that help me dream: high ceilings, lots of natural sunlight, the feeling of buttoned-down physical security, nature at its beck and call, and some sort of inspiring view. Maybe this is because I grew up in a strict household with little space to step out of the conventional path. But even…

In The Map of Consciousness Explained, author David R. Hawkins describes the Map of Consciousness (copyrighted by The Institute for Spiritual Research, Inc.) that plots each emotion on a frequency scale. Love, a “higher” emotion on the scale, is attributed to an approximate 500 hertz. Only three emotions are above love: joy, peace, and enligtenment….

My ex-husband and I wore identical white gold wedding bands. I sold my ring a couple of years back when my cash inflow became sparse as a newish business owner. Besides, it was not like I could wear it anymore either; it was just locked up in one of my drawers. But my wedding dress…

Starbucks coffee and a chicken sandwich in hand, I took my seat at the airport facing the bar from a few feet away. My flight to Chicago was delayed by about an hour. I decided to finish up client notes from the day before. A woman singing a vacation song entered the scene. She walked…