Recently a 97-year-old New York man left his $40 million fortune to....no one. People need to encourage their friends and family to start sharing their wishes and their wants...to make it an acceptable discussion topic.

Was your car stolen? Complain. But if you couldn't find a parking spot, you stubbed your toe, your phone bill was too high last month or the coffee you're drinking is just a little too bitter, swallow the complaint, don't vocalize it and move on.

Being the first-born-generation as a Filipino-Canadian and growing-up in the 80s conjured the kind of awkwardness that kids today will never know. I had to turn to art to escape and find my voice. And even since a very early age, it was one thing, one simple idea, I seemed to always turn to... Art.

The memories of my mother are not of a cancer victim, they are not of a shaved head, or intravenous tubes, or a frail body. They are her wonderful spirit, her brave beautiful smile, and a loving acceptance of life that was contagious with everyone she touched. My mother didn't just talk the talk, she walked the walk.

For as long as I can remember, I have been an obsessive planner. I love to make plans, to organize, to prepare. And I'm quite good at it, too. Long-term goals, schedules. These are things I like. A fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants girl, I am not. With my cancer diagnosis, a lot of things came crashing down around me.

This morning I rode shotgun in a helicopter and flew though the Himalayas. I trekked through the trails in the Solo-Khumbu, encountered yaks, donkeys, suspension bridges, porters, stunning mountains and beautiful children. For me, this is my ultimate dream. It isn't luck, it isn't a gift, it's something called life-design. How did all of that happen you ask?

What relationship comes with a lifetime guarantee? So back in 1990, I was a man on a mission. I answered an ad from someone HIV-positive in Toronto looking for a serious relationship. Even today, people still have a reaction when you tell them you've dated an HIV-positive person. My friends were supportive of this relationship but my mother for years worried about my contacting HIV. Robert passed away a decade ago. Our relationship opened up a space in my heart that wasn't there before. Risking that initial date with fear taught me existence without love is as a lifeless as a corpse.

Thanksgiving a time to pause and be thankful for what we have, whether it's family, friends or the many riches in our lives. Those can include the cou...

His great-grandkids were screeching in the den, one grandkid clamoured to be heard over the next and a small dog yapped shrilly. But when Mohammad Moh...

"I am Canadian!" is a declaration that any good Canuck will proclaim to those who will listen. After all, we're all convinced that Canada is by far t...