A Look Back at 2018 – Top Three

Ok. So I haven’t completely abandoned this blog. I am posting here whenever I feel compelled to and when I have some time. 2018 is coming to a close and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year that was. There were several huge milestones in my life and taking a look back at how God has orchestrated everything is comforting. Below are my top three moments of 2018.

You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.

– Jodi Piccoult

1. Japan: I finally made it to the land of the rising sun! Once upon a time, it was a lifelong dream of mine to go to Japan. I liked Japanese culture so much I even took Japanese lessons from the time I was 10 until I was done high school. After all of that, I grew interest in other things and Japan was stowed away in my mind. There was an opportunity to go travelling with my family to Japan and I took it in the spring of this year. It was an amazing time. And maybe one day I’ll write about it here. The proudest moment I had on this trip was not figuring out the transportation system or navigating the twisting roads of Japan, but instead, after 10 years of not speaking or hearing a word of Japan, I was able to communicate well enough to get my hair cut in Osaka! All to say, this was a pretty incredible trip where I not only learned a lot about my family, but about myself as well.
2. Brisbane, Australia: There is much to be said about hanging on and being patient with work. As the typical millennial working in a start up, it becomes exhausting and sometimes you lose sight of why you are working where you’re at. I am blessed with a good workplace and even better coworkers. This fall, our company was bought up by a global entity which led me to a week long trip to Brisbane to train people there. While it was exhausting travelling between school and to a different hemisphere, the experience was unparalleled. What I loved about going to Brisbane was that I saw a glimpse of a career path I want to explore and walk down for the first time in a long while. 2019 will be filled with opportunities to explore this.
3. University: I finally made it back to University! After years of hitting walls personally and professionally, I was unexpectedly offered a spot for a Masters program ONE WEEK before classes started. After months of follow up I had lost all hope for returning to University. Instead, I resigned myself to applying for college programs to brush up on some transferable and marketable skills. However, out of the blue, I was given the chance at completing a one-year Master’s program. With one semester out of three done, it has been an exhilarating four months filled with new friends, new knowledge, a different perspective, and new life goals.

This is my happy face and I’m hoping for more smiles in 2019!

There are so many things to be grateful for in 2018, but the thing that tops this is the community that God has brought into my life. I accepted Christ nine years ago into my life and while there have been plenty ups and downs, the one constant is how He sustains me at every turn. Praise be to God who is all knowing and all loving. With 2018, I started to put myself out there to be more involved in church. And with that, God has blessed me with a strong family-like community to not only receive from, but to also give to. That is probably the greatest revelation this year.

Postscript: There are other moments I have enjoyed and are grateful for this year. Both of these took time to get to but are important to me personally.

1. I reached 100 rides at Soul Cycle! For those who know me, I am completely proudly part of the Soul Cycle Tribe. There is something about pedalling towards the end of class in a dark studio that is fulfilling and freeing. The instructors truly make the sessions amazing and are so encouraging. I am also super grateful to the front of house staff who make every experience the best it can be.
2. New Friends! While this isn’t an achievement or a goal I set out for myself, being back in school gave me the opportunity to build and nurture new relationships. There are so many new friends I have made these last four months who have just added so much to my life and I hope our relationships continue to grow in the new year.

(un)Stuck

The inability to move. Whether this means in a particular position, place, or way of thinking.

Over the past five years, since graduation, every so often I feel stuck. There is no other word to describe it. Most times I would either feel stuck, physically to my location or stuck in my job.

The feeling of being stuck comes from the inability to see beyond what is immediately in front of me. Often times it tied back to fear. Fear of the unknown; fear of failure; fear of change; fear of success. Yes, the fear of success – now isn’t that an odd thought?

Why would I fear success? That seems like something to strive for, not fear.

Sometimes I still ponder over this. What is there to fear? Every one expects me to succeed at whatever I put my mind to, for the most part I do.

And there-in lies the answer. Responsibility and expectation.

Seems stupid, doesn’t it?

But what can be expected from a girl who was asked where the other 5% was when she showed her test scores?

Perfectionists are often times underachievers – because that means we have 100% guarantee of success without fear of repercussions. Expectations are met. Think about what could be, if we applied ourselves – the possibilities.

However, there is still a part within me who has dreams, goals, ambition. The other half of myself who often thinks of wonderful big projects, but fear of not succeeding 100% has led me to feeling stuck. When polar opposites pull on each other, the result is motionless – not going one way or another. Being stuck.

Over the course of this year (and how scary that half the year has gone by?) I am coming to grips with this part of me that fears success and what that means. And isn’t that the millennial trap? That we were all told how special we were and could do whatever we want? That we get points for doing everything, and that we can never be wrong.

But that’s a lie.

There are times where we will fail and will be wrong. But failure is a necessity in life. Failure shapes us and grows us in ways we could not have imagined. Think about babies, if we were all afraid of not walking correctly, all of human kind would still be wiggling on the ground. But we had to fail to know what true success is – it makes us realize the potential that is already there. We just went for it. Potential is great, but that’s all it is until actioned. How can we think to even move a step forward if that potential is not realized?

Becoming unstuck is an active choice I decide to make every day I decide on what to do. It doesn’t come naturally to me, but stuck is a much worse feeling, much worse alternative that paralyzes me. Every day of not moving forward eats away at time and effort I could spend attempting something, learning and growing.

Busy

That has been my go to word these last seven months.

Too busy to meet with friends.

Too busy to read.

Too busy to do a triathlon.

Too busy to start a project.

Too busy to apply for school.

Too busy to call my parents.

Too busy to write.

Busy. Busy. Busy.

I have lost count of how many times I have used the word busy as an excuse in the past seven months to not attempt or do something. And how many of us are like that in this millennial age?

The term busy bee used to refer to someone who worked hard to get chores done. In this day and age (and as a millennial), it has come to mean being so busy (achieving something) not having time to do anything else.

But what are we busy with?

Or what am I so busy with that I have neglected all my true passions.

I began a deep introspective dive. It started when I left the busyness of Toronto and went back home to Alberta for a month. In true Alberta-ness, blue skies, Rocky Mountains and wide expanse of the prairies shed some (sunny) light to my busyness and dug up all the feelings that came with busy.

Stress.

Anxiety.

Tiredness.

Frustration.

These describe feelings I am familiar with. But what I am not so familiar with, is when I feel them all at once. And why was that?

I had a good job, working with people I enjoyed.

I was back in the city I loved.

I was starting spin classes with SoulCycle.

I was meeting up as much as I could.

I joined a new church with an amazing church family.

But what I didn’t have, was quietness to think about why I was doing what I was doing and when was I going to prioritize things I wanted to achieve in life.

Does that sound selfish? Maybe.

But as part of my introspection, I was feeling busy all the time because I did things on autopilot. I thought I was building and growing myself, but in all honesty, I was only adding things to a to-do list. I didn’t feel like I was achieving anything. I ended up not doing anything I truly wanted to do and set goals for. I ended up not being truly present in anything I did.

Busy eventually manifested itself into exhaustion and anxiety. And for the first time ever, I had to leave my spin class because I almost fainted.

Over the last two weeks I have taken care to get more sleep, to say no to certain things, but most importantly, be more intentional about everything I do. I became busy because everything I did was for the sake of doing. Nothing was about living, building relationships and serving people.  It was a never ending list of tasks that I could never get ahead of nor complete.

2017 is more than half gone and I asked myself what have I done? In some sense, I have done a lot (hence being busy) but in other ways, I haven’t done much of anything. For the next five months, I am focused on being intentional; working towards my bigger goals – not just planning for them. Most importantly, I am working on removing busy from my vocabulary.

Travel Bug: Copenhagen Day 4

Right by the sea, it is unsurprising that Copenhagen is a strategic location for canals used for water access into the city by ships, tradesmen and the naval army base. While less famous than its Dutch counterpart in Amsterdam, it mirrors it in activity, colourfulness and vibrancy. The canal, though not a major port today, still houses the naval army and plays home to many boats and yachts of its residences. As the canal stretches from Nyhavn (just off the coast of Øresund – the strait that separates Malmö, Sweden from Denmark) to Gammel Strand where Christiansborg lies, it shows off some of the best landmarks Copenhagen has to offer.

During his trip to Holland, King Christian V fell in love with the architecture and construct of the Dutch canals. Enamoured by its beauty, he replicated and built Christianhavn from the ground up just south of Copenhagen central. Unfortunately for the king who felt so inspired by the Dutch, his citizens did not feel the same; Christianhavn was too far from the centre of Copenhagen (it really isn’t I can attest to that! We walked from Christiansborg to the edge of Christianhavn and it takes approximately 15-20 minutes but I can understand the disillusionment when city life happened right outside your doorway.) So in his creativity and unprecedented ruling, Christian V decreed that whoever moved to Christianhavn would be tax exempted for 12 years. Needless to say, Christianhavn flourished and to this day is a lively, vibrant neighbourhood of Copenhagen. (Though no one did tell us what they were taxed after…)

The most famous part (or recognizable/most touristy) of the canal is Nyhavn. This colourful portion of the canal housed many affluent citizens, the most famous being Hans Christian Anderson who lived in No. 47 Nyhavn. For the better part of 18 years he lived there creating beautiful fairy-tale stories that we (especially the people of Disney) all know and love today. What makes Nyhavn great (besides the overpriced food…) are the houses with its colourful facade overlooking the canal. Each house has a story and different personality, some of the oldest having bee there since the 17th century. Nyhavn is also clean with blue water (unlike other canals) which makes it a pleasant area to stroll down.

Across Nyhavn is the lesser known Papirøen (or Paper Island) which is home to many art galleries, cheap street eats and a colourful marketplace. It was named as Paper Island as it was previously the storage location for paper for the Danish Press.

The canals of Copenhagen are primarily used now as access ways to homes, the naval base, ferry docks as well as channels for many tour boats to show off Copenhagen. Lyris and I hopped on (quite literally!) a Canal Tour boat and was whisked off to see the different corners of Copenhagen which would otherwise take us hours to get to (we did the tour in 1 hour.) The tour is a great introduction to the city of Copenhagen, the highlighted landmarks of Copenhagen gave us some ideas as to what to explore on our remaining days in the city. The boat tour is extremely relaxing and informative- I was extremely excited to see the Royal Opera House and the Royal Playhouse which lie across the canal from each other and of architectural marvel, super modern for housing some of e most traditional art forms. Simply breathtaking.

Seeing Copenhagen from the water provided a different appreciation for the city and elevated the relaxed atmosphere. It was calm and clean and getting to see all the colourful houses pass by created a beautiful Sunday afternoon. A canal tour of Copenhagen is a must do for everyone new to the city. We even got to see the “most disappointing attraction” in the world up close – The Little Mermaid. Dubbed as such for the fact that it is just a statue. Though I’m not sure what people were expecting….maybe they wanted her to break out in song to “Part of Your World.” I’m not sure. (Sidebar: We do have A Little Mermaid situated nicely in Stanley Park in Vancouver and if you have seen her I definitely forgoing to see her deliberately in Copenhagen.) All-in-all I continued to be enchanted by Copenhagen and could not wait to hit land again and continue our adventures through this charming city.

Travel Bug: Copenhagen Day 3

Saturday was a wonderful day to explore the main palace in Copenhagen – Christiansborg Slot. There were many tours available that day, ones to see the ruins of the original castle, the kitchens, the reception rooms and even the royal stables. We wrapped up the day with our first European football match at Parken Stadium.

Christiansborg Palace is a beautiful palace. While it is grand and opulent, it is done so in an understated tasteful way where its humble decor made it an easy place to appreciate. The most interesting fact about Christiansborg Palace is that it has had over five iterations – of which two were built because of fires to the palace. Christiansborg was originally known Absalon’s Castle. Bishop Absalon lived in this fortress to protect the city of Copenhagen from incoming ships from the sea as it developed and grew in the medieval ages. Unfortunately due to many sieges from pirates, and even Denmark’s own king, Absalon’s Castle was no more.

The next iteration of the palace was Copenhagen Castle. Over the course of 300 years, it had gone through several renovations to accommodate the wants of the king. The new castle included a moat and heavy fortress walls. However, at one point, the castle got too heavy and unstable, that the walls collapsed on itself. Which at that point in 1731, the very first Christiansborg Palace was built. Both the ruins of Copenhagen Castle and Absalon’s Castle remain today and are preserved for the public’s enjoyment. The fortress walls and original stone used to built the castles are still intact today. It was fascinating to see the original walls.

When Christiansborg Palace was completed in 1745, it was the largest palace in all of Europe. Unfortunately before the turn of the 19th century, the palace met its untimely death by fire which started in the kitchen. Christiansborg Palace 2.0 was smaller but was short-lived as after it’s construction in 1828, it too burned down in 1884.

The current Christiansborg Palace is the third of the Christiansborg Palace and has yet to burn down (though though the chapel burned down completely in 1992 and had to be rebuilt…) The Danish palace is unique in that it houses the Parliament and the Queen’s Reception Rooms but is not the place of residence for the royal family (they reside in Amalienborg Palace.) This unique way of the joint government and monarch makes for an interesting dynamic between royalty and the people. One where the monarchy is respected and kept relevant, but knowing that the power lies with elected official. 

The main highlight of the palace is the Queen’s Reception Room. This is where one would go to be knighted or hold audience with Queen Margrethe. She hosts many official functions at the palace well attended by many political dignitaries and celebrities. The main hall is filled with 11 tapestries, commissioned in France by many Danish companies for the Queen’s 50th birthday and woven together by Le Mobilier National et les Manufactures Nationales de Gobelins et de Beauvais in Paris. The famous Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard  designed all the tapestries telling the history of Denmark; woven within the tapestries are the stories of the monarchy, the development and growth of Denmark, the transition of Paganism to Christianity and many world events. 

In the evening we were treated with a football match (how could I resist?!!) of home team København FC against visiting Silkeborg of the Danish Superliga. København FC beat Silkeborg 2-0 in a riveting match (mostly focused on attack in the first half.) Attending our very first European football match was a dream for me, the atmostphere is completely different and totally unique from any other sporting matches in Canada. There is loud chanting and stomping, even singing from all the fans. Everyone knows the chants and songs and the stadium just trembles with the voice of the supporters. My dreams of watching a football match in Europe fulfilled.

Travel Bug: Copenhagen Day 2

Day two was the start of our self-tour of Copenhagen. There wasn’t much I knew about Denmark before planning for this trip and admittedly even after then I don’t have a clear picture of what makes Denmark, Denmark. So thanks to some friends, the blogosphere and Google, I was able to put together some semblance of a well thought out itinerary to get the most out of Copenhagen.

The morning started off at Strøget, a major shopping district in the heart of central Copenhagen. There are so many shops in this area from designer brands, sport stores, souvenir shops, to restaurants and everything in between. What I loved most about Strøget is the design of the district. The paved cobblestone walkway inbetween European style apartments made it fun trying to navigate the area. Do not be mistaken, it is not a closed off pedestrian area, once in a while you might see an oncoming car and there isn’t a shortage of bicyles to watch out for. There are many hidden treasures and fun stores, one of my favourites being Flying Tiger. It has a random selection of home items from cat beds to trivets and stationery. Everything is really affordable and great for souvenir gifting as almost everything in the store is “designed in Denmark with love.” My other favourite store is of course the Lego shop. Lego stores are always fun but this one in Strøget tops all other Lego stores I have ever stepped in. This particular Lego store housed some pretty fun Lego models (like life sized Lego people riding bikes) and a motif of the city of Copenhagen. Needless to say, I could have stayed a lot longer at Lego but there was a lot more we had to go see!

A short ten minute walk from Strøget lies Tivoli Gardens, one of the highlights and MUST SEEs of Copenhagen. This garden-amusement park hybrid definitely lives up to the hype and has much to offer. It is here that shows how seriously Denmark takes themed days. Brimming with pumpkin patches, scarecrows and a multitude of other Halloween-themed displays, Tivoli was in full festive mood! It made walking all over the gardens so much more amusing. At some point we started playing spot the scarecrow (as there are well over 100 displayed in and around the park.) There are also many themed rides throughout Tivoli but we decided to wander around every nook and cranny we could find and ended up finding so many cool little shops. My absolute favourite one is the candy shop Bolchekogeriet Almuegaarden which has the famous Danish pulled- candy. They have a special warm lollipop fresh that comes out of the candy machine in six different flavours on a daily basis. This sweet treat cannot be missed and make great little gifts. The attention to detail makes Tivoli a wonderful place to visit. 

To wrap up the day we took a free green  shuttle from Vestoport to the Carlsberg Brewery. It was an incredible time and here my first blog guest, my lovely travel companion Lyris will regale our adventure at the reknowned Danish Brewery.

The original Carlsberg brewery we visited is the first of its kind which opened its doors in 1847; the roan brick building built in the stately Danish fashion consists of three main buildings surrounded by a high brick wall enclosure, and an iron wrought gate at the entrance. Excited to be at our first Danish brewery, Yvonne and I hopped off the shuttle bus and began conversing, only to be interrupted by two gentlemen walking just alongside us. They asked where we were from and seemed interested in befriending us, but we promptly lost them after we received our passes as they (presumably) sped off to redeem their beer vouchers, while Yvonne and I leisurely conducted our self-guided tour. Carlsberg brewery imparted a look into the original brewing of Carlsberg beer, political developments and business entanglements, how it managed to add to Copenhagen’s international prestige and how Carlsberg helped shape Danish gastronomic culture. 

Shelves lined with 150 years of Carlsberg bottle labels, bottle redesigns and their offshoots greeted us from the stairs in the first room attested to the tenure Carlsberg has maintained since it has been founded. Cavernous ruins bathed in an effervescent blue light, and flickering shadows of workers in the background were reminiscent of days past: When workers would knead the barley in the cool damp concrete basement of the brewery in order to prepare the barley malt. We were invited to operate the antiquated machines used before brewing was an automated process, and to stroll through the stables where the Danish Jutland workhorses were kept—the same breed of work horses that would transport the beer into town from the brewery. Although they don’t serve the same function as they did in days of yore, the horses still pull carriages around the brewery for children and families. Yvonne is a horse lover, whereas they are not as much to my liking, but the workhorses were magnificent, regardless. Yvonne’s face lit up with delight as she went about the stables greeting nearly every horse, some receptive to the attention and while others gazed off into the distance in their pen. We wondered as to why the horses were still kept at the stables, and a stablehand informed us that it was one of the tenets as long as the Carlsberg franchise continued: to always keep horses at the stables and to still have brewing operations at the original building. 

Moving on to our first tasting session at the back of the merchandising shop, a very handsome man (Alex) with a velvety deep voice gave us a brief detail of the beers we could choose. Yvonne chose a deep coffee and whisky flavoured black ale and I opted for the golden ale thinking it was more of an amber. The amber washed clean on my palate with only a hint of bitterness. Yvonne’s port was much more decadent by far with a deep coffee bitterness and a hint of whiskey (or so she says) and notes of berries (or so our bartender says). We walked around the gift shop and snagged a couple of branded merchandise. One cooler-lunch bag for Yvonne and Carlsberg boxers for my gent back home. What could be more hip than Danish beer branded boxers?

Finally, our last stop was the Carlsberg bar above the brewery where we could claim our last beer voucher. We seated ourselves and two familiar faces greeted us from the corner of our eye. The two gents from the shuttle bus asked if they could sit with us, so we all settled together. One is a Norwegia and the other a blonde Fin. They had come together on an annual man-cation and had known one another from their university days. We talked over the course of the night and jokingly named them our Scandinavian boyfriends. 

Overall, the Carlsberg brewery was quite the experience: we made our first Scandanavian friends in Copenhagen, learned more about Carlsberg’ roots, and had the chance to sample domestic Carlsberg drafts (Tuborg!!) that aren’t available in Canada. All in all a fantastic day two in Copenhagen.

Travel Bug: Denmark – The Happiest Country

We finally made it! Even though we had a rough start to this trip, with delayed flights, rushing through customs and being on separate flights we arrived in the area of Østerbro in Copenhagen to our lovely Air BnB. 

Stepping onto the Metro from the airport heading into the city, I was a bit skeptical about Copenhagen. To be honest, the only thing I knew about it was that The Little Mermaid resided there and Danish patries are delicious. Regardless, I am here and am actually in love with the city after wandering around our neighborhood block for 30 minutes.

There is an atmosphere of an easy-going relaxed feel. People are quite reserved but it is never cold or rude. Once you get a Dane involved in conversation though, warmth and friendliness just pours out of them. 

Maybe it lies with the whole mystery of hygge (“HOO-ga”) and Denmark being the happiest country in the world for the third time in five years. This warmth and comfort invites you into the conversation and lifestyle of the Danish people. Stepping into a remodeled 500 year old flat complex already has me in love. I am never truly at a loss for words yet I find it hard to explain why within minutes I am already making plans to move and live here. Maybe it is just the atmosphere, the aesthetics of architecture, the big city vibe without the crazy metropolitan feel. Who knows. All I know is that for the next week there is an adventure to be had and I can’t wait to explore every inch of Copenhagen.

Here’s some lovely bills from the happiest country

Turning 25

It has been a long time since I have written here. I have neglected my blog and have left it to turn to dust…no longer! I am back and there is a fairly decent reason for my silence. 2016 has been a crazy year of change and so much has happened that I don’t even know where to start.

This is year is a major milestone for me, I am finally a quarter-of-a-century years old. I don’t know if this is a major turning point for everyone, but this year has been huge. The biggest decision and change for me turning 25 is moving to Toronto. Yup. I am back in the Big T.O. I quit my job, left my home (again,) and am back.

It’s insane. I’ve only been back for a one and a half months and I have a hard time believing I actually picked up and left Edmonton. To a certain extent it feels like I am on a prolonged vacation, but in other ways, this is very real. I am back in the city, I am in need of a full time job, AND I AM BACK IN TORONTO. There are days this feels like a dream and then days where I am back and have absolutely no idea what I am doing. All I know is that “Yay! I am back,” but I need to set up life here, I need to DO SOMETHING. And so for the last five weeks I have lived in a chronic state of ups and downs.

Yet…I know this is where I need to be right now.

Being back here has been amazing. I have reconnected with so many friends and family; I volunteered at TIFF; I have a part-time job; and I have gotten a taste of Toronto’s start-up scene. There have been so much I have learned about myself in the last five weeks I can only keep pushing forward and enjoy every second of being here, of being present.

Good Eats: Urban Shabu

In Chinese culture (and most cultures)…it’s all about the food. Everything is celebrated with a meal, meal time is family time, there are special foods created for specific festivals, other foods are eaten for longevity – essentially, Chinese people will find every excuse to enjoy delicious food.

The best memories I have with my friends were shared over meals. Nothing is better than sharing good conversation over good comfort food; the ultimate comfort food being Hot Pot. 

Most Asian countries have some form of hot pot. It’s quite difficult to explain and give people who don’t know what it is a good idea…but simply, there is a hot pot on the table filled with hot broth that you use to cook raw food. There is a multitude of broths to choose from, and the variety of food to cook is endless. What it boils down to is a lot of deliciousness cooked in a flavourful broth.

My usual go to hot pot place in Edmonton is Urban Shabu (9700 105 Avenue Nw #168), located at the edge of Chinatown. Owned by the same people as Urban China, this hot pot location has a wonderful atmosphere. It is cozy, super clean, but not overly crowded. Other hot pot places, I find, do not have quite as welcoming of an atmosphere, making it really hard to enjoy friends’ company. What I also love about Urban Shabu is that they don’t rush customers after their two hour time limit. As long as there is no long line-up at the door, my friends and I ALWAYS sit through to dessert.

Some eggy goodness to add texture to soup or the sauce.

Urban Shabu boasts a three page menu of raw foods (all you can eat!) to choose from as well as 17 different broths (you can also choose a hot pot with two different kinds of broth!) It is great for large groups because of the variety. First choose a soup base. The broth is the base for the entire meal and it is important to choose the right one. Generally, I find this the most difficult part of the evening, there are just too many good broths! Keep in mind that as the food cooks and boils in the broth, the taste of the soup will evolve throughout the meal. There, are a variety of mild basic flavours, like Chicken, Cilantro and Preserved Eggs, Satay, to more flavourful and spicy broths like Tom Yum, Szechuan Spicy, Spicy Lamb and a variety of others. Do be careful of the spicy at Urban Shabu. When they say spicy, they mean hot, chili, spicy. My go to broth is the Cilantro Preserved Egg – it is a really basic, clean broth which is great for building flavour. For nights where I want a little something more, I go with Tom Yum, it adds the right bit of tangy flavour to my meal. After deciding on the broth, it is time to choose the food. Try everything on the menu if possible. They come in small portions so food is never wasted, but do make sure there are plenty of friends to share and distribute the food around.

As a veteran diner at Urban Shabu, I have many “must eats” and many “must try’s” for friends new to hot pot.

1. One of my absolute favourites is the deep-fried bean curd. It’s not the most filling thing, but the light airy texture makes it great for holding the flavour of the broth. Something I recommend eating towards the middle of the meal after a lot of meat has been cooked.
2. Pork belly is an absolute must! The fattiness of the meat adds flavour to the broth, and who doesn’t like bacon?!
3. Handmade Paste is a must have and is super fun. It is fresh ground meat and you make your own little meatballs. The paste can make about 3 to 4 meatballs and should be divided as such (or else it will take forever to cook!) It comes in lamb, beef, cuttlefish, shrimp and fish. I highly recommend the beef and cuttlefish.
4. For a little bit of carb for dinner, try the Long Donut. This doughy goodness pairs well when dipped in the broth.
5. And to round off dessert, I always go with the Mango Creme Soup. It is a cool light dessert. Mango with coconut milk at some tapioca, it is the great refreshing way to end off the evening.

A variety of meat paste.

Cilantro and Preserved Egg Soup.

Deep-fried bean curd. Great for holding flavour.

Of course there are many staple foods for hot pot. Always order plenty of meats like beef and lamb slices and keep the rounds going to build flavour in the broth. Never forget to order veggies, lots of leafy greens (my favourite is watercress!) and some squash and zucchini are great. It keeps the tummy from being overly bloated throughout the night. Dumplings are also fun things to have at hot pot. They do take a bit more time to cook, but are so worth it! For those who don’t enjoy seafood or shrimp, only order the Pork and Veggie dumplings. Always order your starch at the very end. The noodles are filled with starch and the soup becomes too starchy if you cook noodles too early on. My recommendation, sweet potato noodle, instant noodle and the louver knots (bean curd sheets tied in knots.)

There are many ways to tackle hot pot and a variety of things to prepare for. Here are my rules for an enjoyable hot pot time with friends.

1. Wear clothes you won’t miss. Because of all the flavours coming out of hot pot, don’t wear clothes that are difficult to clean. On the same note, avoid white shirts! There may be some splashes. Always ask for a cover for jackets, you will appreciate it.
2. Drink cool drinks! Hot pot, as you can imagine, can get quite hot. 
3. Try everything. You never know what you might love!
4. Up your sauce game! There is a variety of sauces to choose from to enhance the food experience. Sauces can be added directly to the soup or set on the side for dipping. Everyone has their own special concoction, play around to find out what works. My personal favourite is the peanut sauce and XO sauce.
5. Go with an open stomach and heart for conversation. Hot pot is a very social activity and being anti-social is an outright no-no.

All in all, hot pot is a meal that can be enjoyed at home or out at restaurants. The whole point of hot pot is to keep warm AND enjoy warm conversations with friends. There can’t be one without the other!

Here is a video tutorial by the Fung Bros on Hot Pot 101 for noobs.

Travel Bug: Day 4,5,6 – Seattle: Emerald City

Driving all the way to Vancouver I would be remiss not to drive down to Seattle for a quick visit. Just a three hour drive away (the distance from Edmonton to Calgary), The Emerald City is worth the cross over the border.

My favourite west coast city (it was my THIRD visit), Seattle is filled with interesting history and amazing sights. There is too much to see in one day, but that was all the time I had. Here are a few must-see highlights:

1. Pike Place: THE market hot spot of the city. This eight story building has everything from shops, food, market vendors to even residential living! The first Starbucks (kind of, it is actually their first storage space, the first actual Starbucks is located at Seatown, at the end of the corner) is located just outside Pike Place. They have a fantastic, enthusiastic staff working hard to fulfill orders, and will maybe sing you “Happy Birthday” if you happen to claim your birthday treat at this location (which I did, of course.)
2. Underground Tour: Modern day Seattle has an underground city. It goes back to the origins of the city and how it was part of the engineering plan to manage sewage and to counter the tides coming into the city after The Great Seattle Fire of 1889. This hilarious hour-long tour is quite the hike up and down the streets of Seattle, but is totally worth it – I definitely gained a greater understanding of the city and somehow fell even more in love with the city amidst the damp and dark tunnels of the underground.
3. Space Needle: As a tall tower, it has no other function than being a tourist hot spot with the best view of all of Seattle. It was built in 1962 especially for the Century 21 Exposition. Once at the top, it is also a very peaceful place to sit and ponder life after marvelling the view.
4. EMP Museum: The Experience Music Project Museum is a must see at Seattle Centre. Just steps away from the Space Needle, this modern-age museum has many exhibitions for gamers to music lovers and even film aficionados. The exhibits are super interactive and fun for the whole family. What I find most incredible is the recording studio on the third floor. Visitors can record their own songs, play around with sound arrangements and even test out some cool music techniques.
5. Walk everywhere: The whole of Seattle downtown is quite dense and very walkable! Given a non-rainy, the city is best enjoyed on foot!