Published inWriters’ Blokke·PinnedMember-onlyI love how I look without any Photoshop.Is that so wrong? — 4 days after telling my mother that I want to marry, buy a house, and have kids, I woke up to three missed calls at 5:54a.m. …Body Image4 min readBody Image4 min read
PinnedMember-onlyI walked the Seawall everyday for 1.5 years.Each time I walked along the Seawall, I would think to myself ‘this is what they must put in the brochures to convince everyone that Vancouver is the most livable city in the world’. After all, this picture would certainly have me convinced. Tomorrow, I leave this city for another…Outdoors4 min readOutdoors4 min read
Published inWriters’ Blokke·Dec 7, 2021Member-onlyI can’t take a vacation because my business might fall apart.My attempt to take my first week off to hike a trail revealed my insecurities as an entrepreneur. Here’s the supposedly-life-changing, bucket-list-of-a-lifetime trip that I’ve been planning. I booked to spend my birthweek on Berg Lake trail of Mt Robson Provincial Park. I booked this July trip back in March…Entrepreneurship5 min readEntrepreneurship5 min read
Published inWeeds & Wildflowers·May 19, 2021Member-onlyHow to feel homesick in your hometownTwice I’ve “returned home”, only to find that my home had been left behind on the adventure I just finished. The first time was after I returned from my first 9 months living abroad, in southern China. Today, I want to speak about my second experience of homesickness. My heart was still trekking in the highlands. I lived…Outdoors4 min readOutdoors4 min read
Published inWorld Traveler’s Blog·May 5, 2021Member-onlyJumping into a Glacial Turquoise LakeWild swimming in Garibaldi Lake, British Columbia, Canada — Oh boy, was it cold. By the time I saw the first glimpse of the turquoise water, sweat was gathering in my every crevice. We had hiked for hours to get to the lake. Our group comprised of novice hikers, led by the one expert who carried the burden of…Outdoors5 min readOutdoors5 min read
Published inSNAPSHOTS·May 2, 2021Member-onlyI did something that scared me sh*tless today.A solo rappel down a rockface. — It was all fun and games until I had to rappel down this. AllTrails told me this was a ‘Moderate’ trail. Moderate, my ass. I am a robust hiker. Short height and slight build never kept me from attempting some tough trails. …Outdoors3 min readOutdoors3 min read
Apr 25, 2021Member-onlyI Danced Among Dinosaurs.Hunting fossils on Kilve Beach, Somerset, England. — Sara parked us at the end of the unpaved road. This was the longest drive we had been on together in our new friendship. Given the state of Sara’s car, we had been only 85% sure it would take us to our destination, but we arrived in one piece. We…Outdoors3 min readOutdoors3 min read
Published inWorld Traveler’s Blog·Apr 24, 2021Member-onlyI Watched Snowflakes Fall on the Mosaic of FarmlandA winter hike up Mt Vedder in Chilliwack, BC, Canada — Winter hikes always take me by surprise. The cold, the short daylight, and the relative isolation increase both the risk and the sense of adventure. I donned my new microspikes, eager to test them on a proper trail for the first time. Jin’s car was not equipped to tackle the…Hiking5 min readHiking5 min read
Published inWeeds & Wildflowers·Apr 19, 2021Member-onlyI floated down a Chinese river on a wooden raft.Idyllic gondola ride through Yangtze River near Lijiang, Yunnan, China. — Water flowed lazily by our wooden raft. Even the hot air seemed gentler and more forgiving down this river. Nothing much was happening. All we did was float, sip our drinks, watch the world glide by at the river’s pace, and make unimportant conversation with each other. I was on…Travel Writing3 min readTravel Writing3 min read
Published inWeeds & Wildflowers·Apr 18, 2021Member-onlyI strolled down a seaside promenade to see the spring bloom.Day 1 of a solo road trip to Sunshine Coast, BC — April turned a sharp corner. My province seemed eager to go through a spring cleaning and a wardrobe change. Temperature skyrocketed within the span of a week. Vancouver blossomed from a dreary 7 degrees Celsius to a breezy 22 degrees with sunshine as far as the eyes could see. Blossoms…Travel Writing3 min readTravel Writing3 min read
