I’ve often heard people tell me to “be positive”, and I can see the value of positivity on some level. It’s what allows us to keep going, to build a better world, to live a better life. I’m sure you know all that, though, so let’s be honest: it’s a boring take. If that’s all…

How do you know if someone’s a vegan? Answer: don’t worry, they’ll tell you! Joking aside, I do feel that vegans and even vegetarians get more flack than they should in contemporary society. At least in the West. Unlike other parts of the world, such as India, we don’t exactly have a long tradition of…

I love a laugh. It’s probably my favourite thing in the world—better than sex, even! And so I’ve often wondered, particularly as I’ve spent more and more money on stand-up tickets, what’s so good about it? It definitely feels good to laugh, but I think it goes even deeper than that. For a start, I…

Meditation halls are very, very quiet places. The one I find myself in every week is no exception. Sitting there, I can hear all of the minutest and subtlest sounds a human being will ordinarily make: the rhythmic sound of one’s breathing, the ruffling of clothes as someone adjusts their posture, and the grumbling of…

My favourite place in the United States is undoubtedly New Mexico. It’s difficult to put a finger on it, especially after so long, but it really is the land of enchantment. Perhaps it’s the particular beauty of its desert, or the fusion of Hispanic and American culture. It has a certain aesthetic that’s hard to…

“That’ll be $3.75, please.” — “Wait, sir, here! Here’s three bucks. Just take care of the rest.” — “Oh, very kind,” I reply, as my unexpected benefactor gives me a smile and leaves. — “He’s a bit weird,” the clerk tells me. “He does this a lot.” — “Maybe so,” I said, and I wondered…

It’s a captivating experience to find yourself once again in a place you used to call home. It may look exactly the same, leaving you with the illusion that it’s only you who’ve changed. Or it may look different, and you’ll find something completely different, the ghost of an old friend or companion, contorted into…

Lately, I’ve been trying to be more mindful and present in the moment, and I saw something on the subway the other month that made me smile. It was actually pretty simple: just a mother and her daughter playing a game of “I spy”. The way they engaged each other was just so endearing! The…

There’s something about the way the light hits the buildings as the sun rises in the morning. When in daytime the light surrounds them as they stand proudly, as if immortal, at dawn they capture the light against the dark skyline as it fades away into obscurity. That is, it’s discordant with the nature of…