We revisit an episode I recorded earlier in 2023 where I visited Toronto. I was able to connect with my friends my from my 9-5 job in person for the first time after working remotely for 3 years. We catchup on working together as friends and share some good Korean food on side. Join us as we gather around the table chatting away over a memorable conversation over food. Let’s end 2023 on a playful note that will continue in 2024 that is, spending quality time with good people eating good food will bring up more memorable conversations that we can cherish for a lifetime!

On this exciting episode we are featuring our queens of the rating scheme bonanza! We have Ms. S and Moballa back at The Ketchup Café where we will tour 6 locations around the Metro Vancouver area and rate which french fry is the best! You will find out which fry, friesssss ~ (p.s intro jingle is sung and written by one of our guest, Moballa)

It is the third anniversary of The Ketchup Café and even though it is the first episode of 2023, I go over why I had to put the podcast on pause this year, where I am currently at mentally and I share some of the things that are getting me excited to enter the fall season.

Welcome to the last episode of 2022! On this holiday edition here at The Ketchup Cafe I enjoy a nice catch-up session with myself. I take you on a food hop tour in my hometown, Steveston, eating some good west coast specials (a salmon/scallop sashimi bowl from SAKAI Sashimi and Aburi shop and A juicy bulgogi banh mi from the new Cocoru). While grubbin on these scrumptious eats I also reflect on some of the mental highlights/downfalls of the year and manifest about being in the present to stay grateful and less anxious about life. We close off the episode with some exciting themes I want to dive deeper in future seasons so stay tuned for more food adventures and life learns in the new year! Happy Holidays!

On this very special episode, we have our first double guest appearance! Ms.S (from season 1 ep.4) and Moballa (who composed and sang the opening jingle) and I go around town in our home city, Vancouver. We taste test some of the talked about chicken sandwiches on the market and see if they are worth your time and if they are a bang for your buck. The reason why I invited my chicken sandwich queens is they have devised their on-going chicken sandwich rating scheme and they put it in action on this episode. This is a special episode to me as well because it captures our unfiltered dynamic as friends since high school and reminds me about how special friendship and food is to me ~ so enjoy all the sass and chicken sandwich bonanza on this episode with us!

Welcome to Season 3 and also the second anniversary of The Ketchup Café! This is the first episode of the series called “Friends Hangout” where I share good food and soulful conversations with old friends or new friends. On this episode I tour Vancouver with a new friend of mine, Christina LeFort and we share our love for food together. First stop we land at The Acorn and then we make our way to Chickpea on Main Street. Come join us and experience some scrumptious plant based food and listen in on our cozy conversations. It is just in time for fall, grab your warm drink while you tune in, you won’t regret it!

On the Season 2 Finale we celebrate with the Strawberry Popping Brewcinno! I catchup about the things I reflected on as an artist on a hiatus and the things I am manifesting for the next season of The Ketchup Café. It was through conversation with a good friend where I realized that I let go of chasing my dreams and during the summer season I dug deep to find back my purpose and passion for chasing my dreams. This has given me so much ambition to visualize what could be next! Stay tuned for Season 3 where I will be exploring more good food and drinks with old friends, new friends or myself!

To celebrate the summer season I invited my friend Celina to lounge in the park and share some summer drinks with me. We talked about how it’s the uncertainties in life that bring unexpected outcomes. She shared about her worldly experiences backpacking Europe after grad that opened her eyes about what she could offer to the world through her career. We bond over having a desire to serve the greater good but also balancing the expectations of coming from our Asian backgrounds. Our passion for spontaneous adventures, good talks and delicious local food is just the beginning to our good vibrations during this summer season!

On the fourth episode of season I catchup with my creative friend Jermaine who also goes by Anthony Jones in his writing career. It was a pleasure to bounce perspectives as a creative with a full time job and freelance passion projects. As someone who was lost in life and not knowing where I can take my career, I learned from Jermaine that having hard goals and soft plans keeps things tangible along the way. The biggest takeaway from this episode was also the importance of surrounding yourself with good creative community if you want the natural flow and motivation to start creating consistently without feeling overwhelmed. It’s the mutual understanding and support that is something that cannot be achieved alone so come join the conversation at The Ketchup Café!

We all struggle being stuck as an inbetweener in different parts of our life! Come join the conversation where my friend Jess and I talk about being inbetween where we are now and where we want to be on our career paths. We also learned about each other’s experiences growing up Chinese Canadian but realizing that even though we have a similar heritage our paths brought us to see things in different perspectives.

On our second episode on season two we have our first guest, Dima, also known as the Dime. Dime has played a big part in Nasya’s life during her years in university while studying architecture. After graduation they found themselves catching up over a picnic at the Evergreen Brickworks during the summer of 2021. Their similar sentiments to not having labels to their multidisciplinary career paths has led them to bond and support each other on their journey during their mid 20s. Their realization to the sweet spot of life is embracing the little things and moments. It is the time spent being present with different people-ships in their life, as simple as shopping for vegetables at the local farmer’s market or even curating their own dining experience by pairing selected dish ware to their home cooked meal all bring a sense of satisfaction and joy. Even though the journey is uncertain from here on out, but knowing that there are lots to be grateful for and taking the initiative to create a sustainable lifestyle starts with being open-minded to growth and staying curious to try new things that lead them to discover a life full of healing and fulfilment. Join their conversation while you go for a walk in nature or discover somewhere new!

Here on the first episode of Season 2 our host, Nasya catches up on three major events in 2021. This includes her taking on a job in the tech industry, deciding to move back home to Vancouver and having to make an unexpected journey during the pandemic back to Hong Kong for her grandma’s funeral. All seem like an impossible mission but here she shares the chaos but rewarding lessons from her journey.

First episode of 2021 and The Ketchup Café is featuring same host, same space (digital), but new thoughts. Manifesting good vibes to everyone, Nasya talks about her continuous goal which is to learn and improve into a better version of herself over time. She also talks about taking some time off of Instagram to regain perspective of what the platform means to her and how she can be more present minded in her reality. In this episode she brings up the topic about figuring out what contentment looks like in a sustainable lifestyle. She invites you to join her journey of self discovery and healing. Let’s work on ourselves so we can support each other to make this world a better place!

On the last episode of 2020, Nasya wishes you all a very happy holiday and a happy new year! She talks about the three G's that stood out to her this year and opens up about letting go of her pride and the struggles to accept being vulnerable sometimes in her everyday life. Being able to learn sustainable methods to enjoy work, staying motivated to grow everyday and being grateful for every human that has made her journey possible, 2020 didn't seem so bad after all. During the constant unpredictable reality she finds peace in the blissful moments of alone time and is excited to improve herself for a better tomorrow. Wishing everyone a hopeful and joyful filled 2021, thank you all for being a part of this ride. cheers~

We are taking the Ketchup Café across the province during the holiday season and in this episode we are in quarantine. I catchup with an old friend who we will call Ms.S for her privacy sake and we talk about the challenges and the process of decision making especially during an unpredictable season. I personally had to make some bigger decisions that could dictate the path I take in life and this friend has definitely been on this journey with me. This led us to talk about how seeking discomfort can lead to growth which we both find essential in life. Ms.S also shared about how her perspective of making the most of everyday by seizing the moment. This change in mindset has taught her a lot to embrace the present and not wait for the future. She also shared about her wind down process and finding peace and joy as an individual. Finding independence to take responsibility to keep ourselves accountable to keep growing is something we find in common and being able to support each other is the beauty of friendship. We ended off this reunion with agreeing that there are no bad decisions in life, everything happens for a reason and there is always something to be learnt.

In this after hours edition at The Ketchup Café Nasya winds down with some home made zucchini and kale chips. She talks about two main ideas: Burning Out and Bouncing Back. This led to a self reflection about her recent micro burn-out and how she had to develop a better self care plan to face her everyday stresses of life. With her recent readings about the Japanese term Ikigai she shares about this lifestyle she wants to achieve. She closes this episode by dedicating this to her role model and grandma who turns 95 years old today. Her Grandma’s hustle has motivated her to push and fight for a more sustainable yet meaningful tomorrow.

This week we have our first guest, Mehdi at The Ketchup Café. While we enjoyed cups of Genmaicha tea paired with some Korean styled macarons we talked about his background in software engineering and the contrast to my background as a creative. This led us to discuss our difference in perspective about AI technology but our similar love for Asian cuisine brought it full circle. Ending our conversation we talked about how we are keeping ourselves happy during quarantine.

In the first episode Nasya talks about why she is creating this intangible version of a cafe where she can catch up with her old friends, new friends or herself. She also opens up about her freelance journey as a multi-disciplinary designer and her passion in culinary/mixology experiences. Through this platform she wants to experiment more with this medium and have some fun while sharing it with you.