ignite 'n inspire

I have always thought that when people pass away, their family spend months after their death grieving over their lost family member and will continue to live with that "hollow space" in your heart. However, this first night in Hong Kong has surprisingly given me a chance to grieve about something that seemed to have passed so long ago. I am talking about the death of my grandfather, a hardworking and committed man, who raised up my mom and her six siblings. Because I have only seen him for several weeks every now and then, many would say that our relationship wouldn't be extremely close. In fact, we rarely had to the chance to sit down or have a serious conversation. However, coming back to HK in 2016, a few years after his passing, I have suddenly noticed the hollow space that he once occupied in my life. Last night, amidst my jet lag, I remembered that morning 7 years ago, when all the Ho siblings were jetlagged at 4:30am. He came out of his bedroom sincerely asking i

                I think as a Canadian girl, I feel perfectly normal in admitting the great influence of media in my life. I often stare at Glamour and Vogue Magazine, questioning why I do not look like the supermodels that are plastered over the pages. They all have flawless makeup, body types and skin. For the longest time, I felt like a flawed being who fell short from what people considered as beautiful. Ever since my grade 11 days, I have been struggling with oily and acne skin issues. At first, my family and I thought it was just a short phase of red bumps that I would quickly outgrow. However, after months of adjusting my diet and trying new skin products, nothing seemed to work. Seeing the doctor was the next option and I began taking medication. This first around, I lost self-esteem and confidence…I covered myself in foundation and avoided eye contact during conversations. I feared that people would not like talking to me because they would have to face such a disgusting beast