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Thoughts on Calgary

Thoughts on Calgary

I have to say, Calgary is a pretty strange city. To be fair, I went during the week that Calgary Stampede had started but man, it was weird. I arrived to see people walking around town, decked out in cowboy boots and cowboy hats, everywhere. Among the the first people I saw was a Chinese guy and there’s something very funny about a Chinese cowboy. It’d be more accurate to say wanna-be cowboy because the majority of people who dress up are not cow wranglers or farmers. Calgarians tell me that people don’t dress up all year round. I mean, you have the one-off guy who does but it’s mostly just a two-week long St. Patty’s day for the whole town. And just like how everyone’s Irish on St. Patties, I guess everyone’s a cowboy or a cowgirl. That, and common between both holidays is that everyone’s very fucking drunk. And everyone’s in on it. Apparently workplaces are prepared for their employees to be drunk and not be productive at all during this time of year. When I say everyone’s in on it, I really mean everyone. There are paintings of horses and cowboys wrangling horses on windows all over the city. Restaurants and stores put bales of hay outside their establishments. I passed by a cosmetic surgery clinic that had bales of hay too. I wonder about the people who are capitalizing from all this. Is there one guy painting horses for everyone? Or a hay wholesaler? Bales-R-Us? Speaking of which, people were selling cowboy boots everywhere. And boy, they weren’t cheap. I think the average price was around $30CAD for a hat. That was just the price for a standard hat. There were much more expensive hats, some costing over $100 that were adorned with stones, gems, jewels or trimmed with leather, etc.

Even the government is in on it. You know that human figure in signs like in a pedestrian crossing sign? In Calgary, they have cowboy hats on them. Even the the bike lane sign had a little human figure, holding his bike with a cowboy hat on. (Wouldn’t a hat fly off cursing on a bike?)

Here’s an example of one of those signs. In Calgary, these +15 Walkway signs are everywhere. They basically mean that any building with this sign is connected to a public pedestrian walkway system. These walkways are weather protected and provide alternative routes to get around the downtown area.

The Calgary Stampede itself was a typical carnival-type event (very much like CNE for my home friends), complete with food vendors selling bizarre things and carnival games that make you lose money. The Stampede though, definitely has more of a country vibe and had more events that had to do with farmers or Western culture like the Heavy Horse Show. Besides everyone dressing up, the Stampede was a lot less cowboy-y than I thought it would be but it was definitely a lot of fun to check out. I spent my day watching tractor pulling, a talent search, winning money at the horse betting wheel and ended the night eating ribs in the women’s washroom, hiding from the storm.  .w.v

That’s all I really have to say about Calgary. There are some really amazing food spots in town to check out. Here are some of my recommendations:

sweets @ Ollia, Mari Bakeshop

breakfast @ OEB Breakfast Co., Blue Star Diner

dinner @ Calcutta Cricket Club, 10 Foot Henry

cocktails @ Proof, Milk Tiger Lounge, Model Milk

Also found out that Nickelback is from Calgary. I can’t help but to think that it makes so much sense now.

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RE: How to Travel Well

I’ve been a little bit of a travel fiend lately and it has caught the attention of a few friends who often ask me, “How do you do it?” I don’t think there is an easy way to answer this. People have many different methods for travelling and I think they just need to figure out which one works for them and their own lifestyle. Start by asking yourself: How often do you want to travel? Where do you want to travel? Do you have any other travel goals? I think once you answer those questions, you will have an easier time working to achieve your travel dreams. Sometimes it’s just a matter of starting up a rainy day fund and other times it’s about revamping your entire lifestyle. While I can’t give you a step-by-step guide to achieve your travel dreams, what I can do is talk about what I do to maximize my own travel time. To give you an idea on my current travel situation, I’ve been travelling, on average, to two-three cities every month. Most of it is for work but I’m able to pepper in a lot of leisure time. I have struck a balance with work and play that I am pretty comfortable with. To have an idea of my own travel goals, here are my answers to the questions above: I want to travel all the time, as much as possible. If I had a choice to travel full-time, I would. Ideally, I would like a little less work and more free time for myself. My current minor goal is to visit every state in the United States. My major goal, my ultimate travel dream, is to visit all 195 countries of the world before I hit the ground. It’s a little eager but I’m working up to it as much as I can. I think it’s just a matter of making minor tweaks to upgrade my current lifestyle. While I’m working on that, these are the things that currently help me achieve my travels and how to best enjoy them too:

Having a job that allows me to travel.

I think the most important thing is having a job that allows you to travel. The two most important factors of your job here are money and time. In terms of money, it’s not so much about earning a lot; it’s more about using what you earn to travel in a way that suits your financial situation. If you would like to live a little more lavishly, you might just have to push a little bit harder to get that. My friends always ask me, “How do you afford to travel all the time?” My answer is always the same: “I work a lot”. I am fortunate enough to own a couple of small businesses which allow me to fly out and give me that scheduling flexibility but I am also always doing extra things to help me gain finances for travel. I sell things on Carousell and Ebay. I work a couple of part-time jobs including working at an antique shop. I try to save money on the things that matter less to me. Just how hard are you willing to compromise and work to travel?

In terms of time, your job has to complement travelling, either because it gives you the time to travel or because your job requires you to travel. Depending on how often you want to travel, the number of vacation days available and your earnings may be a roadblock to your plans. While some people are okay with the vacation days they are given, I understand many want to travel way more and there are only a few jobs that allow you to do that. Having your own biz definitely gives you that flexibility but there are other jobs that are out there that you just have to try applying for. I’m not going to teach you how to get that job. There are too many factors at play including your credentials, your capabilities, your limits and maybe a little bit of luck. My own suggestion is to look for shift work and jobs that allow you to work remotely.

If you really want to travel so much that you’re reconsidering your job, it might be time for your to evaluate what your priorities are. The strongest advice I can give is to strike a balance that you are comfortable and happy with. Finding the dream job for your dream travel is not easy but once you land it, the rest is a breeze.

Travelling with a friend.

While I very much like to travel solo, it doesn’t have many of the benefits of having a travel buddy (or buddies). Having a travel buddy means splitting costs on accommodations, sharing food to save stomach room to try more things, keeping each other on track, etc. Most of the time it simply means saving a lot of time and money.

You need to be a little choosey about your partner and make sure their priorities line up with yours. There are a lot of things you should figure out before a trip: What is their budget? Do they want to sleep in? Are they they have dietary restrictions? Can they do athletic activities? Can they swim? Do they want to do more touristy things or the more unpopular things? etc. The smallest factors make the biggest effect on the vibe of a trip.

I think it’s very important to choose a partner according to the place you’re going. Some things I’ve learned on the way, in the hard way. It’s a little tough eating out in Spain and Japan with a vegetarian. Hawaii’s a lot less fun if you’re going with someone who isn’t athletic and can’t swim. Smaller cities will be a drag if you’re with someone who doesn’t have an open mind.

I say take some time and figure out what you’d like to do in a city before going and then decide whether or not if would be better with a travel buddy. If so, discuss each other’s expectations, do some compromising and then go on and have a blast!

Discovering my travel style.

Once I really understood my travelling preferences, I had more direction and an easier time organizing my schedule on a trip. It takes a few times to get into a comfort zone but after some exposure, most people start to have a hang of how they’d like to travel. Due to my schedule and spur-of-the-moment-type personality, I’m not an avid planner and I like to do much of my planning while I’m actually on the trip. I really enjoying doing things as I develop a mood for them and don’t enjoy being pinned down for time. I know this doesn’t work for most people and that’s fair because everyone has their own travel style. Besides, I think it’s better not to follow my example and do a little bit of planning ahead of time. There are plenty of times that I lose out on a few things because it’s been fully booked, sold out, etc.

Each person just needs to find what’s comfortable for them. After figuring it out, it just makes travelling the more enjoyable. I encourage people to do things at their own pace and for people to stay true to themselves. It’s only when you travel with others that you might have to make some compromises. I’ll leave a little outline about how I organize my own trips at the end of this post for anyone who might need a general outline.

Getting good at packing. 

Learning how to pack is a valuable asset. Most of the time, lacking this skill won’t be the end-all to the trip but becoming a master packer will help save a lot of time, stress and money, especially in the cases that something was forgotten behind.

Here is my typical travel packing list:

for the flight

dress warm for the flight

passport

wallet

earphones/headphones

snacks

book/ipad/other form of entertainment

pen for customs for international flights

for the trip

phone + charger

external battery

currency of where you are travelling

extra cash for for conversions (ideally USD)

sunscreen

sunglasses

glasses/contacts

thin rain jacket

clothes including extra underwear + socks

PJs/lazy clothes

running shoes + sports gear + sports wear

at least one formal wear outfit + shoes

swimwear + flip flops

comfortable walking shoes

convenient bag to travel with

universal charger [international]

tissues/napkins [Asian countries]

extras

camera

computer + charger

painkillers + meds

jewelry

toiletries

toothbrush + toothpaste

shampoo

conditioner

soap

hairdryer

towel

razor

contact case + solution

skincare

nail clippers + tweezers if long trip

make-up

Of course, avoid overpacking. I’m quite a heavy packer myself so I suggest those like me to invest in a large sturdy luggage. The luggage I live by is the Dakine 110L Split Roller. I love them so much, I think I have a total of six of these babies. It’s at the maximum dimensions for check-in allowance but it’s super lightweight and it and can be collapsed flat when its storage space is not in use. Also, they have a limited lifetime warranty. I have made a warranty claim with them before and I can vouch that Dakine’s customer service is great.

Booking the best flights.

If I’m not using my flight points, I find that the cheapest flights are when flying in on Tuesday or Wednesday and then flying out on Tuesday or Wednesday. The best time to book, from my experience, is Tuesday during work hours. I always find it worthwhile to wait past the weekend until the weekday rolls around but only when booking weeks ahead of time. If you’re booking within a week or two, good luck. During high season (summer, holidays and long weekends), it’s inevitable that flight prices will be higher so I try to set my vacations during the low season months of September, October, February, and March.

Using a flight points card.

If you travel a lot, it’s foolish not to take advantage of a flight rewards program. The credit card that I am currently using is Aeroplan Infinite but I’ve recently been thinking of upgrading it to the Infinite Privilege. I can’t tell you which program you should get; each person needs to determine whether there is enough value to offset the initial costs. These programs are usually only worth it if you spend a lot and fly out a lot. All I can say is that you have to be smart about both acquiring and spending your points. For example, I’ve learned to use my credit card any opportunity I can. Depending on the program, some free flights are worth booking more than others. Just take some time to do some research and see what works best for you.

Adopting a travel attitude.

I respect that everyone has different personalities but it’s helpful to develop some characteristics that would be helpful for travel. If I had to pick three traits for solo travel, they’d be independence, caution and having an open mind. For groups, it would be flexibility, being considerate and again, having an open mind.

Also, travel smart and safe. When travelling it might be easy to get too comfortable when instead we should be prepared and be on guard. There are many dangers that we are simply not aware of when we’re out of home base. Scammers, thieves, the environment in general, etc. There are a lot more scummy people out there than you think so try to conform as best as you can and don’t make yourself a target.

Picking the perfect place to stay.

Obviously you’d like to book your accommodations well ahead of time. I personally like to stay in the city and somewhere near a river or a trail for my runs. I don’t have much else to say except that there are other options other than hotels such as airbnb or staying with a friend. And of course, if you’re paying for stay, you have to balance being closer to the city and quality of the place against spending more.

How I organize my trips

As I mentioned, everyone has their own travel style and maybe you haven’t discovered yours yet but here’s a little idea about how I organize my trips to help you figure that out.

planning// before the trip

Unless there is a major reason for going to the city I’m going to, I usually just star a bunch of the things I want to see on Google Maps and kind of create an efficient route to see everything in each area and then divide them over several days. If I’m having trouble finding things to check out or don’t get the chance to plan, I’m perfectly fine just strolling through the city. As I mentioned, I’m not an avid planner but I like to have an idea of what I’ll be doing before the day comes so I keep in mind the main things that I usually revolve my trip around:

>Try as many local foods and flavours. Maybe one luxurious meal, mostly high to mid-range dining and some casual dining and snacks.

>Cocktail bars!

>Go on a casual run or some other athletic activity.

>Do something nature-y, maybe a hike or go searching for animals.

>See some of the major touristy things.

>Walk in the different major neighbourhoods.

(Get nails done.)

(Meet up with friends in the area.)

I don’t religiously follow any sort of travel blog, magazine, etc. but I will occasionally jot down things that I would like to see in a city even if I have no current plan to visit there. For example, food is certainly very central to my travels so on my phone, under the “Notes” app, I have a different tab for every city where there is a specific kind of dish I want to try or a restaurant I want to check out. It might be a little excessive for some people but it’s nice to have a readily available list of places to check out if I’ve ever on a last-minute trip. I’m often flying Air Canada so when I’m in the plane, I love to jot down restaurants and must-see things from the Enroute magazines.

during the trip

I’m not too great at having a mental map of things before I see them so I usually have a phone in hand as I’m navigating through a city. Other than that, I don’t spend too much time on my phone because I like to take everything in, all the time. I don’t feel comfortable being without data so I usually will have a phone plan or have purchased a SIM card with a lot of GB.

I really love asking locals for suggestions. I end up discovering a lot of cool spots that I wouldn’t have been able to find on my own. I don’t go around asking strangers; I usually ask people working in the places that really impress me. For example, I will usually ask for suggestions for cocktail bars from the bartender if I’m at a cocktail bar I’m really enjoying, etc.

When I find places to eat, I depend heavily on Yelp, Google and suggestions from friends I trust. If it’s a larger city, I usually go about looking for local specialties or a specific cuisine if I feel like it. i.e. When I use Yelp in the States, I’ll type in “breakfast” or “American” instead of searching restaurants in the area in general.

I love shooting pictures on my trips and a professional camera has been too clunky for me so what I’ve been using is gear from Moment, who sell lenses that can be attached onto the camera of a mobile phone. It’s very easy and quick to set up and very lightweight too. I’ll be writing about some nifty things I like to carry with me on my travels within the next few blogs.

When I’m in an unfamiliar city, I usually like to follow crowds when I see them. When a lot of people are walking all towards the same direction, it usually means there is more to see in the area or they might be heading towards a specific event. I’ve discovered the flag raising ceremony in Beijing this way, discovered some pretty surprising restaurants in Tokyo and it generally leads me to the areas that I want to be in when I’m just aimlessly walking through a city.

I find that most of my friends don’t like doing this but what I really enjoy doing is eating on the go. It ends up saving a lot of time and it’s kind of like a meal with some live entertainment, haha. Keep in mind that this isn’t appropriate in all cities; in certain places like Japan and Singapore, walking while eating is frowned upon.

after the trip

I don’t usually have a lot of trouble with jet lag but on the off occasion that I do, I like to treat myself to some melatonin just as I’m going to bed to get my sleep cycle regulated.

I suggest leaving plenty of time, maybe a day of rest, before heading back to work.

That’s just about everything I can think at the top of my head in terms of prepping for travel. If there’s anything you’d like me to touch-up on or add, let me know, here. I love to help push my friends out of their nests and see them fly! In the meantime, be well and travel well!

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$30 Classpass referral link!

For anyone who enjoys a little variety in their workout regimen, I urge you to try out Classpass. I’ve been using it for over a year so far and it never fails me. I love my studio classes and it really pairs well with my travels. I can use it whether I’m home, in Vancouver, Tampa and many other cities!

The app can be downloaded on your phone. Here’s a referral link that lets you get $30 (and $30 for me too!):

http://class.ps/el7WT

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Wonder.

Went to Wonderland yesterday and holy hell, I must be getting old or something because those rides took a toll on my body. Every time I was on a rollercoaster, I was in so much pain getting knocked around in my seat. At least I didn’t feel nauseous. I took a couple of Dramamine just before going on any rides. It didn’t stop me from getting dizzy on rides that spun in fast circles so I had to keep my eyes closed for SkyHawk… actually, most of the rides left me feeling dizzy and I’m sure with fewer brain cells. @__@ I used to really like wooden coasters but now I think they’re just too rickety and bumpy for me. Sledgehammer’s still my fav.

Pretty happy the Chippery was still around. They had a new option to get chips smothered in nacho cheese but I opted for the healthier option of a simple bag of good ol’ salt and vinegar. Also shared a couple of BeaverTails to keep me going when my energy was down.

I’m kind of an unemotional robot sometimes and when I’m on a rollercoaster I’m okay with just sitting there and taking it all in. I don’t really understand the thrill of screaming or waving my arms around while on a ride. I guess it’s sort of an escape for some people.

I need an escape… flying out the day after tomorrow but have been slacking and I’m not prepared…

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Alien Birthing Tank

Float tanks! I had to write this up as soon as I got home considering the number of requests on this one. I had a friend treat me to a little Friday R&R today and part of it was going to Float Toronto, a float centre. He first proposed the idea of trying out float tanks earlier in the week. I’ve seen them in passing and since I’ve always been super curious about them, I decided to give it a try.

What Float Toronto and other similar float centres offer are flotation therapy and sensory deprivation. They put you in a tank filled water with a crap-ton of epsom salts. I mean 850 pounds crap-ton. The sheer amount of salt makes it denser than regular water, making your body float to the surface without having to fight against gravity. The tank is insulated from sound and constructed for you to be in complete darkness. The idea behind it is to create dark but ethereal environment, something you can’t find in the outside world. People claim that there are a lot of emotional, mental and even physical benefits. According to Float Toronto’s website: “People are drawn to floating to find relief from physical discomfort and stress, encourage personal development, or simply for some peace and tranquility. Inevitably, most people end up harnessing some combination of the many reported benefits. The most common testimonials are profound peace and relaxation, deep concentration and heightened creativity.” Forthright, no frills.

So we get in the shop and do the typical thing — sign a waiver and patiently wait for our time to come. The environment was like a spa; you take off your shoes, the lighting was dimmed with gentle relaxation music, infinite hot peppermint tea, and there’s a big sign right when you walk in asking you to turn off your ringer and to speak at a low volume. Kind of what you’d expect going in for a massage but with a much more hippie vibe. There were a couple of books on the table and coloured markers, each encouraging to let your creativity flow. If you ever find a rabbit and a giraffe in there, those guys are mine.

So our turn is up and the orientation is about a minute long. It’s pretty straight forward — You have ten minutes to shower before and after; don’t get the water in your eyes because it will burn them; don’t drink the water because it will be bitter; any scratches and scars will burn too so you can use vaseline provided, etc. There were also a few orientation tricks and operational instructions.

So we got sent off to our own individual rooms. I was a little nervous when I first saw it. Something about it just seems all to unnatural and little too eerie. You get into a small washroom-sized room and there’s a giant tank filled with a few feet of water and a dim purple glow. The first thing that came to my mind was “alien birthing tank”, kind of like one that you would expect to see in a sci-fi film.

Anyways, I did as I was instructed; I showered and towel-dried before going in. They provide pre- and post two-in-one float shampoo/soap and conditioner too. Stepping into the tank, the water was like a neutral body-temperature and it felt a little more viscous that regular water. It was subtle but nice and definitely a different feeling than soaking in a bath at home. I float in regular water so orienting myself in this crap-ton salt water didn’t come with any difficultly. It took me a few seconds to relax my body, let my ears go under and let my entire body float. There was a switch to turn off the purple lighting off for the full sensory deprivation experience and there was also a switch for soft music. I tried all the combination of the two and I was most comfortable with the light off and the music to be on.

While I was in there, I tried tuning out, I tried thinking about the next steps of my day or I just spent time trying to concentrate on the music. The music plays through the water and it’s really hard to hear unless you focus on it. To be honest, I didn’t really know what I was supposed to think about once I was in there but I let my mind drift. I didn’t come up with any revelations or sparks of creativity but it was a nice peaceful moment to stop and reflect on my day and my life in general, I guess.

Did it help me destress? I want to say yes but there were a few things that stressed me out while I was in there. I must have been doing something wrong because my body kept floating all over and bumping from edge to edge. First my head, and then my foot and then my arm… I never really stayed in one spot very well. Also, when I decided to sit up for a bit, some water came down on my face and into my eye. GG. I know the idea was to destress but with my body bumping into walls and my burning right eye, it was pretty hard for me to shut my mind off. Also, it was really difficult for me to tell when the session was coming to an end. Apparently they play music to cue you but I was already listening to the tank music so I was kind of worried about missing the cue. In fact, I ended up accidentally leaving the tank too early because the ventilation system came on and I thought I had outstayed my welcome so I’m there soaping myself as fast as I can with my post-float two-in-one soap. Stress! Also I have dry skin and the salt water dries it out even more. Stress! Crap, my makeup came off. Stress! I’m writing this blog post while shaking my head around because there’s still water in my ear. STRESS!!! If you’ve been considering to give this a try, take my words with a grain of salt… as if there isn’t enough already… (hah!); I get stressed much easier than the average person and maybe I’m still salty (HAH!) about the small issues I had.

So the most common question I got is “What does it feel like?” To me, it was simply floating in water in giant tub, in the dark. I definitely felt floatier, especially when I moved my arms and legs around. While I thought it was nice, it wasn’t spectacular. It isn’t something I’d do again. I’m sure many other people gain a lot from this experience but for me, it was just a nice to experience because it was something I haven’t done before. But to be frank, I’d rather have a nice spa day or a night with a Lush bath bomb. I think I rather feel pain from a deep tissue massage than have my senses deprived and feel less.

I want to make clear that anything I had to say is simply a reflection of my very narrow view. And to fully understand my view of things, you have to have a good understanding of the type of person I am. I’m not a type of person to slow down. I am constantly thinking about the next steps I have to take while I’m preoccupied with something already. I thrive on direction and when I’m forced to sit still, I have a pretty awful time. I had a pretty boring time in Bali because I didn’t know how to lay around and just do nothing. My idea of relaxation is going for an hour long run by the riverside. I am clumsy, haphazard and not a graceful person. I hate yoga. That’s a big one. I think there is a very close likeness between doing yoga and being in a float tank. Both are meant to be meditative, a moment to stop and reflect on your life and intend for you relax. For my experience with yoga, there’s just something about someone telling me to do things slowly, how to breathe and to relax that just stresses me out. When a yoga instructor says “relax” for the twentieth time in a class I have “I am fucking relaxed!!$%^&*” running through my head. But because this float therapy session let me have a room to have some time to myself, I actually preferred it much more than yoga. Yes, it was relaxing. Yes, it allowed me to take a few moment to tune out but as soon as I stepped out the door, it was back to reality for me. The sun’s glaring in my face and I’m back to returning a missed phone call, responding to e-mails and on my way to barre class.

Got a beautiful view of Queen W. during barre!

Also got to try an ube charcoal cone today from iHalo Krunch. Ube flavour tasted great but not worth having black teeth, black lips and an awful-looking smile.

Hope that was insightful enough! Have a good night, everyone. I’ll be spending a while trying to get this water out of my ear.

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A little bag of tea

I’ve been a little too busy these last couple of weeks and been lacking too much sleep. I got pressured to having a few sips of green tea at work today which is currently keeping me up. I’m hypersensitive to caffeine so I can’t even have a sip of coffee or a bite of tiramisu (yes, even in the morning) without spending the night wide-eyed and sour. People don’t seem to understand that it’s not a joke or how serious it is and because I’m such a pushover, I deal with this quite often. It doesn’t help that I fucking love tea. Fuck, London Fog, Tit Kwun Yum, Yerba-fucking-Mate — I love all that shit. On a very rare occasion I’ll treat myself to a cup, knowing very well that I’ll deal with the consequence of a shitty sleepless night.

I’ve had other reactions. You know those itty bottles of 5-hour energy drinks? Yeah, I had one once and I peed five times within an hour. It sucked.

It kind of sucks that buying a coffee for someone is such a regular custom. The same goes for bubble tea with the Asians. You have no idea how many beverages I have let go to waste and how many disappointed oh’s I have dealt with when I tell people I don’t drink caffeine. Sometimes if it’s a tea, I just take the hit, especially when someone is waiting for me to try it, just so I don’t have to deal with the disappointment. I love tea but not enough to always deal with the insomnia that comes afterwards. Please be a dear buy me some gin instead.

Bah. I wish I could be like the fiends that caffeine have little to no effect on. I guess tea’s greener on the other side.

2:12AM