Leaving the emergency room in a cab, everyone starts speaking. “Who was there when you got cut?” “What did they do?” I describe the event for the sixth time. After washing away the blood on my shoes, I texted those friends that I cut my foot on glass, as a courtesy. Because good friends have the right to know about my personal wellbeing, or lack…read more
Now that I’ve seen Malaysia and my weeks in Asia are dwindling, I’ve become more conscious of how I spend my time — I’m brutal now. No swiping through my phone during breakfast; in Kota Kinabalu, Em lay in bed for hours on Facebook until I turned the lights on or off. We are more productive travellers without the internet, believe me. But I look…read more
Math’s music recordings have great sound quality despite zero post-processing. In comparison, I’ve been recording music on an iPhone mic and processing with Adobe Audition. The results aren’t out of this world, but it gets the point across, as the iPhone + Adobe Suite workflow tends to do (Have I told you about my photography in Asia? iPhone photos + Photoshop). Back home in Montreal,…read more
Holiday means celebrating the best parts of love and joy. Home takes on a different meaning as I’m in Asia away from my usual friends and family but it will be just as special. In Hong Kong, everything is so close that I can wake up and text a friend, then in the next hour we are scouring the streets for baked bean goods and fruits while dodging air conditioning…read more
Jackie Chan in a fight? America’s Next Top Models visit Asia? Gangsters running the blackjack table? Classic Macau. Or at least, so it would seem. We arrive to Macau without a plan, but palm trees swaying against the blue sky was exactly what I wanted to see. Paradise, no? Meandering about the hotel for a while, we finally approach the concierge since otherwise we’d clearly…read more
I discover a small pizza shop by the waterfront with my new friends, and it’s the first time that I feel like everything might be okay. There’s one pool table beside the dart board and our cues are shorter and lighter than the standard, yet each time we turn around, the cue is poking up someone’s butt. This corner of the city is my favourite…read more
Summer is more of a feeling than a time of year. No matter where you are, these 5 beautiful contemporary pieces will remind you of summer. My definition of summer heat is now ten degrees hotter and more bustled than I’ve ever known–I’ve gotten the most humid welcome to Asia. I encourage you to pick one up on the piano and share with a friend to catch…read more
I’ve become intrigued about leaving the place called home. At what point does the homesickness kick in? My piano student, Kayla, has been with me for years. I’ve never been a big-party kind of girl but I wanted to see my friends and everyone that mattered before I left. “I’ll plan your going away party,” my sister said. “Really?” I said. “I want it by…read more
I was about to become homeless in Hong Kong, during my first visit to Asia. My housing agreement didn’t pan out. But then I lost my passport returning from Seattle (where I saw dead people), and turned my backpack inside out for the next few days. If I put the passport by the food in my bag, I might’ve noticed it slipping out– but I…read more