The pandemic has brought about big challenges for businesses--small businesses in particular. So I am so pleased to help Indigenous Tourism Ontario to highlight Indigenous entrepreneurs and artists. Take a look at the amazing work happening there. 

Raven Rising

Sweet Water

Undeniably Good Paint

Paint it Bright

Intergenerational trauma

ILLUSTRATION BY TSISTA KENNEDY

It's rare for me to experience emotional labour when writing a story that isn't a personal one. For this piece about intergenerational trauma, specifically regarding Indigenous peoples, I felt spent on more than one occasion throughout the process. I had to first learn about the concept for myself; there was so much to learn and understand to do the piece right--even asking about someone's trauma can trigger pain and further trauma. And I didn't want to use anyone's pain to tell a story they didn't want to tell. So it took a while to even find someone who was willing to share. What I experienced was but a fraction of what Indigenous peoples may experience their whole lives. I did find someone to share their experiences (thank you, Christy Morgan) and I hope her story helps explain what intergenerational trauma is so that the burden on Indigenous peoples to continually have to educate on top of their pain, can ease even a little. I felt honoured to listen and share Christy's story.

Pandemic parenting and mom rage

As we pass the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's safe to say that life will never be quite the same as before. In some ways, that's a good thing such as with improved hygiene regimens and an appreciation for doing less, but in others, we may have lost the joy and innocence of large social gatherings forever.

For parents especially, the pandemic has brought about challenges that we never anticipated. I didn't expect to spend months on end with my children by my side, 24/7. Overall, it wound up being quite a beautiful and sacred time that we wouldn't have had otherwise. But there were days when I felt overwhelmed and ragey. Yes, the ol' mom rage would bubble up like nobody's business. Here's a story I wrote about how to deal with mom rage for Today's Parent. 

Celebrating Calgary's Top 40 under 40

Especially in pandemic times, we need to hear about good people doing great things. Thank goodness for Avenue magazine's annual Top 40 under 40 issue. I got to chat with a few of this year's good peeps. Check them out:

Plastic-Free YYC founders, Isabelle Couture and Briana Loughlin 

Real estate investment guru, Jason Jogia 

Neil Gruninger, developer of one of the safest video-streaming platforms in the world for kids

Racism Matters

One thing I didn't expect to have happen with COVID-19 was the eruption of protests after the death of George Floyd. Though, in hindsight, it was not surprising with the tensions bubbling for decades and near boiling for the past four years. The amount of pain and trauma bursting forward was gut wrenching, to say the least.

The pandemic spurred a lot of reflection as people were forced to sit tight, often alone, with their thoughts. As a BIPOC, racism has never been far from my mind. But the protests suddenly brought it to the forefront of many minds, and the conversations about it were often far from pleasant as even people very close to me revealed just how deep systemic racism runs. 

It's so complex, and we have much work ahead, but I hope this piece I wrote for The Sprawl helps move the conversation forward. 

We need to talk about racism

Racism is a topic that unfortunately I've thought a lot about. It's affected my life as a Chinese-Canadian, and it's something I struggle to make sense of and talk with even the closest of friends. To be honest, it's exhausting trying to continually explain what it is and why it matters. But I know that it is only by having uncomfortable and complicated conversations that we ever make any progress. So here's my piece in Avenue magazine. I hope it generates some complicated conversations for you.

Staycation in Calgary

This summer, we've decided to staycation. We're going to stay close to home and enjoy the brief, but beautiful blue-sky Alberta summer. We've taken in some history at Heritage Park, visited the adorable pandas at the Calgary Zoo, gotten soaked on the log ride at Calaway Park and eaten our way through the Calgary Stampede with its many fun carnival food offerings. And we're only getting started! So much to see and do in Calgary! Check out my insider's guide that I wrote for Hostelling Internation Canada. 

Indigenous students encouraged to pursue engineering

June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day. It's an important day to celebrate and acknowledge our Indigenous neighbours and community members, and a small step on the path of truth and reconciliation. The road is long, but the more we engage and continue to listen and learn about one another, the closer we will get to a place where true equality is possible.

As part of that process is hearing and sharing stories about Indigenous peoples, including this one that I wrote for Innovation.ca about efforts at Queen's University to get more Indigenous students to pursue engineering--a field where they require far greater representation, especially given that Indigenous communities are increasingly involved in the proper management of Canada's natural resources.

Radon Gas...It's Literally Killing You Softly

Illustration by Taryn Gee via Avenue magazine

A few years ago, my hub and I found out our house had high radon gas readings. We knew it wasn't a good thing, but we also didn't have the time or resources to really deal with the situation. We shelved it for a while, but we knew we had to tackle it, given that radon is the leading cause of non-smoking-related lung cancer. Especially since we have kiddos, we had to do something. Our radon-mitigation journey was a crazy one--documented here for Avenue magazine--but one we don't regret. (Thanks to Avenue for nominating this story for an Alberta Magazines award; didn't win, but was a finalist! Yay!) Please please please have your home tested for radon!

Back-to-School Blues

Istockphoto via TodaysParent.com

It's currently -20, but it's a big improvement on the -30 we experienced over the last couple of days! Winter is in full effect! It's hard to believe we are already into February. Seems we just celebrated the holidays and the kids just went back to school. That back-to-school transition can be tough after a break, especially after a long summer. (Although right now, I'd definitely trade for summer!) I wrote about this restraint collapse phenomenon for Today's Parent.

Maui Continues to Wowie!

This past February/March, I got to head back to one of my favourite places in the world, Maui. Honestly, there are few places  like it that simply complete me. I share some of things I love most about this tropical paradise in the April issue of WestJet magazine. Check out one of my fans (that is, my dad) reading my piece. Aloha!

Got History? Nat Geo does.

In celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary, National Geographic Books in partnership with Parks Canada, put together this latest guide book on the nation's historic sites. I was happy to be asked to contribute a couple of chapters--the Prairie Provinces and the Rockies. It's a helpful companion if you're planning on exploring the country's national historic sites, or even just for learning about Canada's history. Happy reading!

Potty Training: Boys vs. Girls

Photo: istockphoto courtesy Today's Parent

My little man just turned three, and thankfully, we are finally diaper-free! Wahoo! It was interesting, actually, to see the differences between training my son vs. my daughter. Here's my latest piece for Today's Parent, detailing the oh-so-lovely experience. 

Sibling squabbles...or is it more than that?

Photo by Getty images, courtesy Today's Parent

Recently, I took my six-year-old daughter to a friendship course, aimed at helping kids her age proactively identify and deal with "friendship fires" instead of just shrugging off or ignoring issues that arise with friends. She hasn't had much trouble with her buddies, but when she mentioned that one of her older friends was bossing a group of them around on the playground at recess, I thought, well, maybe we do need some guidance. I figured it wouldn't hurt to equip both her and me with skills to address such situations before we have to tackle any "mean-girl" scenarios that are bound to arise as she gets older.

What's interesting to note is how we're so quick to respond when we feel like other kids might be making our kids feel bad, but when it's our own kids making each other feel bad, we're a little slower to respond. Some parents barely respond at all, letting siblings just sort it out among themselves. While this can work to certain degree, often, it ends badly. And for some, it can end really badly when one sibling gets bullied by another. Imagine having to live with your bully! I address the topic of sibling bullying for Today's Parent magazine.

Tofino Good Times

The weather in Alberta is gorgeous right now! High 20s in early May! Amazing. It's got me thinking about summer fun like camping and road trips. We'll probably take our usual trek into BC. Ah, BC. Such a lovely place.
In particular, Tofino on Vancouver Island is one of my favourite spots. I had the good fortune of visiting last year at this time, and it was literally, a breath of fresh air. Fresh ocean air, that is. Staying right on the beach at Pacific Sands Beach Resort was an incredibly lovely treat; just quiet and relaxing. (Did I mention I was sans kids?! lol) Here's a rundown of what's worth checking out in Tofino from my story for Avenue Calgary.

Maui, A Place You Can't Visit Too Many Times

View from Humuhumunukunukuapua'a restaurant at the Grand Wailea resort

Last fall, I embarked on a trip to Maui--one of my favourite places on earth. Sure, we had been there a number of times already, but honestly, I couldn't wait to get back. Besides, every time we go, we always discover something new and fun to do. This time, we found Leoda's, an absolutely delicious resto along the side of the highway that you probably blow by several times. Well, it's definitely worth making the stop.

It was also the first flight for my then nearly-two-year-old son. My husband was having total anxiety about it leading up, but my son did amazing on the flights. My husband, not so much. So who's really the weakest link? lol

Anyhow, have a boo at my Maui story in last month's Avenue magazine; aimed at those who have frequented the island before.

Aloha!

Reinventing a Magazine

I've recently joined forces with an awesome writer/editor friend who has cleverly launched The Writing Department; a crack team of writers for every possible need. We've been helping ACAD reinvent its magazine, Catalyst, which has reminded me just how interwoven and organic the magazine publishing process can be. Words and pictures working together to create meaningful stories. It was great getting back to the nitty gritty of putting together a magazine. Here's a look at the issue we put together.

Grief, A Tricky Beast

Photo by George Webber

Last Sunday would have been my mom's 63rd birthday. It's still hard for me to believe she's not here anymore. Losing her was the hardest thing that's ever happened to me. The grief was and continues to be overwhelming sometimes. But the grief also makes me more empathetic and compassionate towards others who have lost. That's why I was so intrigued by a roadside memorial that I frequently passed on the highway. Not so much by the memorial itself, but by the woman that was often present there. And so I connected with Kim Thomas, who lost her son Brandon on that spot three years ago. I hope that one day she can find some solace. Here's my piece about Kim for Swerve magazine. Thank you also to George Webber for always being so tender to his subjects and taking beautiful photos.

Ready for kids AND a pet?

For me, a pet came well before kids, but I know for many families, kids are the impetus for getting a pet. I'm glad that our fur baby Bingley had us to himself for a few years before kids arrived on the scene (and ruined everything I'm sure, in his mind!). But I'm also glad our kids are used to being around a dog, and learn the importance of respecting and caring for another living being. I explore the topic of pet ownership and kids for Today's Parent.

Throwing an Architectural Curveball

Photo by Gary Campbell

Recently I went and checked out a cool house in the community of Wildwood in Calgary. The ultra-friendly owner, John, and helpful architect, Stephen, took me for a tour of this funky curved-wall home. John was chatty, which I love because it helps me get the low-down on why he and his wife opted for curved walls. It was one of those homes that had definite "ooh" factor, yet was still totally lived-in. Check out my story in The Globe and Mail.