So I actually took the plunge and went to Yuk Yuk’s tonight to scope out the joint, so to speak. From 7:30 till about 11:30 pm, my ears were assaulted with a barrage of, ahem, very colourful language. There were some genuinely funny jokes in there. Three to be exact. Three jokes in the whole […]

was an event I presented at today. Sometimes I wonder if it was wise agreeing to presentations so soon after a long trip, but I think there’s always something in the back of my mind that’s afraid I’ll never get another paid gig–that perhaps all this is too good to be true, or something, so […]

Last night we had the final keynote address from Leonard Marcus, a noted expert in children’s literature, and its history and a biographer of some of the greatest names in child lit! Started writing this post at the Hong Kong airport, and now that I’m back home, safe and sound, I can finish it. Ooh, […]

One of the biggest challenges I face is going into a venue and trying to explain the Muslim perspective to people who think completely differently. It’s never easy, and I’m not complaining, it’s just a challenge that has landed on my plate for whatever reason. I do the best I can, but it can get […]

Caught a bus this morning to Singapore, and am writing this comfortably ensconced in my hotel room at the Peninsula Excelsior hotel. Where did the time go? Feels like yesterday I just got to KL, and this morning I had to say goodbye to it. Goodbye to the pungent aromas of the street vendors steaming who knows […]

When I returned from London at the end of November, I had dreams, nightmares really of me sitting on the London tube, worried that I’d miss my stop! And that was in a situation where I could speak and understand the language! I had absolutely no intention of taking the public transit here in Kuala […]

My third day in Kuala Lumpur and where do I begin? Went to visit a publisher this morning. Kuala Lumpur has quite the train system. Apparently most people rely on the trains to get across the city. Problem is the signs are in Malay, and I don’t read Malay. I’m informed that there are signs […]

Left home on Thursday night at around 10:30 pm, arrived in KL at my hotel room about 2:30 pm on Saturday. It’s a twelve hour time difference. Basically you can’t go any further around the globe before you start coming back. The  fifteen hour flight from Toronto to Hong Kong is difficult. I was dreading […]

So being a south Asian it’s not surprising that I get a lot of presentations during this month. But really, what do you say to a teacher who tells you that they prepared for your visit by watching Disney’s Alladin??? Alladin!!! Whose opening song, Arabian Nights, originally contained the verse: Oh I come from a […]

Got an email a few days ago from MASC, the administrative body that arranged my mini tour of Ottawa schools. Apparently the kids at one of the schools had been so intrigued by my Roses in My Carpets  presentation that they’d entirely skipped recess to gather around me! They SKIPPED their RECESS!!!! The fifteen minutes […]