"Why can't you just chill out?" said the Buddha, his face calm and steady before me.  It was my day off in Paris today after a long week of work, and I had big…

My book launch of THE SAME SKY last Friday was a big hit!  I remembered how nervous I was in the days and then the hours leading up to my event.  And as I saw…

The story began in 1999 when I was a Canadian expatriate in Beijing. Following a breakup and traumatic event, I packed my bag, camera and journal and went on a…

I wanted to buy everything, even the things I had no imaginable needs for—a metal carrier for a live chicken, a barley sifter, a three-foot prayer wheel, a yak…

“Because they’re part of China,” my dad shrugged and went back to mowing the lawn, the air thick with the smell of grass and new spring.  As I pulled out weeds…

Years ago, on a business trip to New Delhi, I stumbled off the plane after a 16-hour flight in a dazed, dehydrated mess.  It was midnight, the air smelled…

Remembering smells and sounds bring back memories from childhood, from past travels, often remembrances I hadn’t thought about in years.  Sometimes a flood of…

Over the years, I've developed some good tips to beat jet lag and still function well throughout the day.  My method totally works for me and maybe these tips…

The bus slowed to a halt.  Then it lurched forward and coughed black fumes and stopped again. I was finally in Tibet and yet, our bus had officially died only…

My 11-year old niece scribbled down "Be kinder" as her #1 New Year's resolution.  The next day, her father promised her a guinea pig and she was so excited.…