5 Practical Tips on Learning How to Cook

5 Practical Tips on Learning to Cook

[This is a guest post I wrote for Hello Vancity]

I still remember setting the table with my heart pounding and palms sweaty, silently praying that my parents and their friends would genuinely like the food. I was in Grade 8. Making a meal from scratch and serving it to guests was my final project. My grade for Home Economics was dependent on their review. What exactly I served, I can’t recall anymore. I think there was a stew and some vegetables. Of course, my mom, being very proficient in the kitchen and known among her friends as a great cook, helped me put most of the dinner together. But she still bragged to all her friends that her 13-year-old cooked for her. She would half-jokingly remark that I could now do all the cooking for our family. The prospect of which was truly frightening.
Read More

Miss to Mrs

Why I Changed My Last Name

“So, are you going to change your last name?” I was asked this question again and again in the days leading up to my wedding. It was right up there with, “Have you found your dress?” People would find out I was engaged and for some reason, they would be interested to know if I was going to adopt the surname of my future husband. My answer was always, “Yes.”Read More

Long-Distance Dating

The Ups and Downs of Long-Distance Dating

Long-distance dating is hard. And given a choice, most people would probably avoid it.  But it’s also quite common. In this jet-setting age where people frequently travel for school or work, there’s a pretty good chance that at some point of the relationship, a couple will find themselves in separate cities. For some couples, the physical distance affects their relationship negatively and they eventually break up. For these people, their relationship can be described as, “out of sight, out of mind.” But for others, “distance makes the heart grow fonder,” and their relationship is strengthened during the time they are apart.Read More

Mother knows best

Dear Brand New Mom

Dear Brand New Mom,

I remember feeling like I was semi-equipped for the first three months of my baby’s life. Beyond that, it was a big, blank mystery. Maybe I wouldn’t have been ready to hear about what came after those first weeks, but in retrospect, I think I would have appreciated if someone had given me a heads up or some pointers. Anyway, as one who’s only had ten months of motherhood experience, I’m not that far ahead. But hopefully what I have to say will be helpful to you. Here are some things I wish someone had told me:Read More

house story

When Grace Shows Up In the Impossible: The Story of Our House

About a year ago, Tim, his sister, her husband, and I hatched a plan to purchase a house together and share the space.  It seemed crazy and a bit far-fetched at the time – and it still does when we tell people we share a house.  But there were also so many reasons why we thought it was a good idea. So we launched into the great unknown armed with a hard-working realtor, some childlike prayers of faith and a “we’ll see how it goes” kind of attitude.  This is the story of how we got our house.

Read More