This is a very special episode as it will be the final episode of the season. Long story short, my goal was only to keep this up until school started and with school starting in the next couple weeks it’s time for this season to come to a close. That said, I think I might start this up again in a few years when most people are on a different story arc in life and see how things have changed.
So with this being the last episode I thought I’d do something a little different. A lot of my guests were curious how I would answer some of the questions I asked them, so this episode we flipped things around and I answered questions from my guests. Each guest got the chance to submit a question and to help me out, I brought two co-hosts: Marco Pacaide and Chris Sutanto. I hadn’t looked at a single question anyone had submitted so my answers aren't perfect, but hopefully you guys still enjoy the episode. Thanks again to all of you listeners and hope to see you guys around in the next season!
Despite being born and raised in Vancouver, my cousin Bryan moved to Asia to teach about three and a half years ago and has been living there ever since. He explains how after travelling to Asia in university, he would constantly think about travelling again and felt like it was something in his life he was missing. He talks about the cultural differences that he's experienced and how his perspectives have changed since moving. He describes some of the challenges he faced along the way, as well as how reality didn't always match his expectations.
Denise was one of the handful of students who were picked to visit and explore the Arctic when she was in high school. She describes the trip as breath-taking and recalls some of the people she got to interact with and the sights she got to see. She explains how seeing the Arctic in person and meeting the people gave her a new found appreciation for nature and the environment. Since then, she's been more active in fighting climate change by researching economic solutions in the Amazon and exploring different legal policies.
To learn more about the Arctic program Denise was apart of, you can check out https://www.adventurecanada.com/partners/students-on-ice
Julia recently got into the super competitive Speech-Language Pathology Masters program at UBC and I just wanted to hear about how her journey up to now has been. She explained why she wanted to go into the program and the interesting things she's been able to learn along the way. She also explains the application process and the anxiety she felt during that time. In addition to that, she's very passionate about powerlifting and lifts way heavier than I do. She told me about how she got into the sport and how it has positively impacted her life. She describes how competitions work, how she trains and how she focuses on what she eats.
To support Julia, check out her Instagram @juliapowerlifting where she posts her powerlifting progress.
Many of you might already know Ryan as the 2018 Gundam Builders World Cup Champion but I was hoping to know what experiences built and shaped him into who he is today. Beyond crafting he's an amazing dentist, husband, father, photographer and plays many other roles. This episode goes through a bunch of different stories throughout Ryan's life including how he kept changing cities growing up and basically became illiterate; how he first got interested in dentistry and the people that inspired him to do so; how he met his wife and the way they complement each other; as well as how he found out he was walking around with a ticking time bomb. You can probably tell for the timestamp that there was just so much we covered but Ryan's extroverted nature and storytelling skills kept it interesting the whole way through so just go listen to the episode!
To support Ryan, check out his Instagram account @gunpla_enthusiast where he displays his award winning Gundam models!
Chanelle is a very skilled and creative person and I've always enjoyed seeing her artwork and hobbies. On this episode she explains to me how she started Chinese traditional paintings and how its something she's always really enjoyed and was self-driven about. We discuss all sorts of things on the topic such as having a mentor, how she still tries to improve and tips for beginners. Her other side hustle is her food blog. She describes how she wanted to put her reviews out there and try and give more honest critiques of restaurants. She has quite an interesting story about one of the worst restaurants she's been to so be sure to check it out.
To support Chanelle, check out her Instagram accounts @chanelle.chow and @channieats for her artwork and food reviews!
With Flora being the only executive member of my dance team that did not physically come to practice, I knew the pandemic must have had quite an impact on her. She shares how she struggled initially to adjust to the quarantine life and how she wasn't used to having so much time by herself. During this time she has a realization that she never really became friends with herself and so her journey of self-reflection began as she tried to determine how her experiences shaped her. We also discussed her parent's strong influence on her wide variety of hobbies and I learned about the love-hate relationship she had with dance. In addition, she explains how her career path is currently a very central part of her life. She describes how she is enjoying her work and her perspectives on burnout and stress.
When I found out Ashley had just released an EP on all streaming platforms I was quite surprised and instantly wanted to ask her about her process and inspirations. Before she released music I didn't even realize she sang and she confirmed that she mostly kept it as a private hobby. She explains to me how she's always enjoyed singing and wanted to create her own music but with almost no musical background she didn't think it would be possible. However, opportunities arose and she was able to come up with melodies and lyrics and eventually complete her EP. Aside from how she made her music, we went a little bit into how she felt while making these songs and what it meant to her. She explains the emotions that she put into each song and the stress she felt some days trying to break through the creative block. Aside from music she also talks about how her volunteering experience has really helped shape her as well. Working at an elderly home and hearing stories and perspectives from those with more experience than us, she was able to gain some of their wisdom and outlooks on life.
To support Ashley, go check out her latest EP "from 4am" as well as her instagram!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/79apgkrv144VXEOCfiIMtx?si=2RK61zZsSd26rpOurNmGTA&dl_branch=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyjli/
Having not dug too deep into Melody's nursing journey, she shared her experience having just graduated from nursing at the University of Alberta. She explains how like many others she felt inadequate and began second doubting whether she was following the right career path. She talks about some clinical experiences she had that really affected her negatively, but luckily she also had a very supportive clinical that gave her a lot more confidence. I got to learn about the things she learned at her neonatal clinical and just how she felt during her time there. Unfortunately, she also tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year and she describes how that affected her work.
Basketball had been a large portion of Sean's life growing up and we talked about the anxiety and void he felt when quitting the team in grade 12. However when he had his first heart attack in late 2019, the anxiety and void he felt was almost overwhelming. Sean recalls the events that happened leading up to his life-changing heart attack and relives the thoughts he had at the time. He talks about the long recovery he has been going through both physically and mentally. Physically, it was unclear how to solve his condition and he had to undergo surgeries. Mentally, the fear of another heart attack as well as the potential that he'll never be able to play sports competitively were constantly on his mind. Despite these obstacles, he talks about how he's been slowly trying to move on with his life, return to some level of normalcy and find new enjoyments in life.
To support Sean, check out his Twitch channel where he plays games with friends: https://www.twitch.tv/choytheboy
For as long as I've known her, Kat and basketball always belonged in the same sentence. As a grade 8 on the senior team and a Team BC member, she was well-recognized for her talents and hard work in basketball. However once she stopped playing, she says it felt like a big part of her was suddenly missing. We talk about how she first got introduced to basketball and what motivated her to train so hard. She reminisced on her training, what it was like at tryouts and practices and her favourite things about the sport. From there though she talks about how she found a sense of belonging within her business club and how her competitive nature has helped her. She talks about how she was able to apply certain mindsets that she learned from basketball to overcome obstacles within business. She also explains the other side of things where she learned how to be more vulnerable and really assess her values. She describes how her views have changed and the way others have had an impact on her.
To support Katrina, check out her Youtube channel where she shares insights on what it is like as a Sauder student at UBC and other interesting things within her life: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatrinaKwong
Blessy has the unique experience of not only growing up in a family of four daughters, but also going to an all-girls school. She explains what her house dynamic was like having three other sisters and their shared similarities. She gives her thoughts on her schooling and also talks about her particular university program that allowed her to study in UK for the first year. She talks about the contrast she faced and some of the challenges about suddenly living abroad on her own. As one of the best singers and dancers that I know, I asked her how she got her start and her passion for music. I also got to learn about her other big passion which was travelling. Having not spoken with Blessy since grade 4, I really enjoyed this episode and learned a lot about how she's grown and her journey over the years.
Ryan has an absolute passion for physics and people. He has been a part of some cutting-edge physics research such as detecting dark matter and I wanted to learn more about his journey. He told me how his interest for physics sprouted from unusual places such as the popular sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." He continues explaining how his passion for it grew and how his hard-working nature helped him achieve the things he wanted. I got to learn more about dark matter, the things he has researched, and how he felt during the process.
To support Ryan, check out his Tik Tok channel @thephysicshouse where he explains physics concepts in short and simple videos.
With an elo of above 2300 and a title of national master, Dezheng is the best chess player that I personally know. He told me about his accidental introduction to chess and how with the support of his teacher, he felt it was something he could pursue seriously. We talk about what has kept him interested in chess for such a long period of time and what tournaments are like. Having primarily played and watched chess online, it was interesting to hear how over-the-board chess games are like. It was also cool to hear about some of his goals, such as how he hopes to become a grandmaster in chess some day.
To support Dezheng, check out his Youtube channel "CasuallyChess" which is dedicated to chess related content: https://www.youtube.com/user/galacticconquers
This episode is part two of Adin Kwok's story, so if you haven't heard part one, check out last week's episode. This episode we talked about the things he has been able to accomplish despite his concussion incident. He talks about why he applied to the business and computer science program he is currently in and continues by explaining how fortunate he is to have gotten some internships. We also talk about his mixtape that he recently dropped and how music has been a new outlet for him. It was also really interesting hearing throughout the episode some specific examples of how he has been able to apply his life lessons throughout his life.
To support Adin, check out some of his different projects including his phone app Doteos and his music under the alias Bonny B.
Doteos: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.adin.doteos2&hl=en_CA&gl=US
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5STtNYOyTyEuAVm0ceLiEQ?si=CnGAmf8_T6KJef9Q3fXFFA
Before this episode I had only spoken to Adin once and it was because he had written a short blog post about an assault he experienced as a kid resulting in a life changing concussion. I wanted to dig deeper into what that traumatic experience was like for him and how he managed to bounce back from an incident like that. He explains the impact the incident had on not just him but the community around him. Besides physically changing him, he started to have a new outlook on life and it was cool to hear how he views the world around him and the relationships that he forms. This was a crazy story for me to hear and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. This episode is just part one of his story and next episode we'll be hearing about how he is doing now and the things he has accomplished since the incident.
To support Adin, check out some of his different projects including his phone app Doteos and his music under the alias Bonny B.
Doteos: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.adin.doteos2&hl=en_CA&gl=US
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5STtNYOyTyEuAVm0ceLiEQ?si=CnGAmf8_T6KJef9Q3fXFFA
Diana's finishing up her time in physiotherapy school at Western University, which is a career path I considered after high school. I wanted to hear about why she went into the program, the process, and how she's enjoying it so far. She talks about how she transfers into the faculty of kinesiology and the different processes each university has for physio school. We also talk about how there's more than what meets the eye with physiotherapy, and that there is also an emotional aspect to it. Since we met through the dragon boat community, it was also fitting to discuss her experiences with the sport and what she enjoyed about it. If you want to learn more about Diana, you can follow her over on Instagram @physiopham where she posts physiotherapy related information like exercises to do when you have lower back pain!
Jacqueline's one of my older cousins and not just any cousin. You know those cousins that your mom will always compare you to? Her and her brother were those cousins for me and rightfully so. They’re making their family proud as her brother is currently in med school to become a doctor while she’s currently in law school at UBC. We got to discuss her path into law school, how she got to where she is today, and different values she's kept along the way. In addition, I learned a lot more about the law school system and how it works. Jacqueline has also grown her high school relationship for almost 10 years now and I got to hear about how they've maintained their relationship for so long.
I met Kevin at a climbing gym almost two years ago when I moved to Edmonton for a coop and had no friends there. Luckily, we got along really well and we ended up climbing and hanging out multiple times a week. Since moving back we haven't really had a chance to catch up so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. We started off with a little more small talk, just seeing what we've been up to, how we've been navigating quarantine and how we miss climbing. Part way through though I got to hear his experience with raves and drugs because both are things that I have never tried, and I learned about how open minded Kevin is and the positive influence his mother had on him. He also shared information about his past relationships, how he has analyzed them and how it has helped him change for the future.
Anna Zhang is by far the most athletic person I know. Having heard of her adventures climbing without rope at high heights and cycling from city to city with nothing but a tent, I wanted to reflect with her on all the cool things she's accomplished and hear about what its been like for her. I got to hear about some life threatening stories and how excited and freeing she finds the great outdoors. Besides the cool things she's done though, she also opens up about her mental health which is something that's always a little tough to open up about but I think should be spoken about more freely. She talks about how her social media presence has led to a strong sense of imposter syndrome and the anxiety she has before her adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this conversation and I hope you all will too! If you want to see glimpses of her adventures you can check her out on Instagram @hashtaganna!
