These are a few of the thousands of inspirations from my life.
Our world is truly incredible.
Until next time,
Ang
Perseverance and Persevering
When I first started taking pictures (or taking more pictures) I sucked. I’m one of those people who wasn’t born talented. I mean, I see things differently then some, but I’m definitely not one in million when it comes to out-of-the-box thinking.
The framing was off, the lighting was wrong and the photographs didn’t really tell a story. However, as bad as my photos were, I still really enjoyed taking then and sending them back to my mom and grandpa so they could see my adventures abroad. When I got my first DSLR in Korea in 2007 I started seeing more potential in what I could do so I kept going but still didn’t have huge success. I sold cards and postcards in my city, and got a small amount of recognition. I fell down, I got back up again, and kept trying. My mom and grandpa always stood by me and cheered me on since they were photographers as well, the kind that had the natural talent. Eventually It took a huge push from someone in 2008 to get me on the path I’m on now, and in between hundreds of conversations, there was thousands of hours of work. That person still mentors me today and pushes me when I think there’s nothing left.
I learned how to K-E-E-P G-O-I-N-G and to try things in a different way if the first few times didn’t work.
Fast forward to 5 years later and my work has been used in everything…from food advertisements to United Nations reports. I’m still a lot slower then I should be and know I could do much more, but I’m happy at how things progressed. Not for one second do I regret when I look back at my twenties.There is always potential l to do something more , but I also could have just sat there and done nothing as well which would have never changed my life.
Now, I’m taking another path and heading into video. I know now how far I go will be dependent on me and how much effort I’m willing to put in and it’s something that I truly wish others would follow suite. If you want something, anything, you need to put in the work. If you don’t, or you don’t take a chance, then you don’t get anywhere. It’s basic common sense. If you don’t work, you don’t play.
I know my first video was dismal, but I don’t think that’s any reason to hold back and keep trying.
If you’re embarrassed or think others won’t care then you need to get over that. Another way I look at it, you’re only around for a short time. If you make a mistake, people will remember for a very short time and then go back to talking about other things, and no one will remember 50 years from now what you did.
So go. Today you have nothing to lose. So with that, enjoy some of my first attempts at photography and video. 
Until next time,
Angela
Making The China Bucket List
It’s hard not to keep on going back to China. The first time I went was five years ago but it didn’t count because I was in Macao. Last year though I had the chance to return and spent almost two months travelling around and looking at a few ideas for business. It was incredible, which is why I want to keep returning. I know every time I come back everything will be different.
The first (of many) places on my list of places to see is Ordos. If you haven’t heard of it, check out this amazing video.
If you’ve been to China, where have you gone and what can you recommend?
Ang
June? June! We’re Going To The Moon.
And here we are month number six of 2013. Could things go any quicker? I think not. I’m starting to feel slightly blindsided with everything that I have to do in the next six months, but I love pressure and work well under it.
Like every other month there’s a long checklist of things to do. Having things written down help keep me organized and stop me from forgetting any important details. At this point if I forgot something, anything, I might just slide down the snake back to square one.
The list for June includes:
1. Figuring out visas and flights for the next upcoming trips. I need to make sure I can enter without any (foreseen) complications and be prepared for whatever happens in these countries. I never worry about travel though. If I can get in great, if I can’t it’s disappointing but not in the end of the world. I’ve travelled more then most I know so not being able to get to point XYZ won’t be devastating.
2. Start and finish the courses I’ll be teaching this fall. One of my courses will be running again since it sold out last time ,and I’ll be adding one more to the list in November. I’m glad to be only doing a few for the semester because course development is an insane amount of work. It’s fun, but a lot of time is spent on anything I teach. I have about two months to polish one and complete the other so it should be fine.
3. Finish part one of the cost of living project. It’s been interesting to do and see what I’m spending on certain things. The first part should be done about mid-June and I’ll be starting on the food after that. With this info I’ll be developing a small (very small )budgeting and savings course for people who want to plan for their goals.
4. Toastmasters! I’m almost done my competent communicators manual and will be doing speeches number 8 and 9 in June. Unfortunately I won’t be able to finish the last speech until I get back, but hopefully it will be before the end of 2013. I really like Toastmasters and found my speaking has improved 110% already. Now if only I could say the same for my writing…
5. There are currently 2500 photos waiting on my Mac to go through, edit and put up on the web. There’s no way that this will all get done, but it would be nice to get at least 5% done.
6. Continue to lay the ground work down for my other projects and see how I can make them expand.
7. Of course there needs to be some kind of fitness goal in here as well. I’m never worried about weight as I appear to be the same size no matter what the scales say and I need a little extra on me anyways. It’s more about cardio and keeping in shape. I bike about an hour an a half a day currently, and will be adding the burpee challenge for this month just to work on strength. And yoga, so much more yoga!
8. Paint my nails, just once. I really see no benefit to this besides having nice nails but we all need something frivolous once in awhile.
And lastly, I need to have a good talk with my credit union as some of their policies have worried me lately.
So that’s life in a nutshell for June, but I’m sure more will get added on shortly. What’s on your to-do list for this month?
Until next time,
Ang
Economically Speaking
Confession. I love economics like Rob Ford loves dodging the media. I’d say smoking crack as well, but that’s still being debated. (Rob Ford, not me.)
Love makes the world go ’round? Only if you’re that delusional person on my Twitter account that seems to have some serious attention issues. The day hearts appear next to the Dow Jones is the day that I’ll start investing in it, but until then, it’s still an abstract concept that doesn’t bring in any money.
When you adore economics as much as I do, you’re going to turn every step of your life into something that is entitled cost vs. benefit, and everything will be planned. That theory of how something happens when a butterfly flaps its wings is true. One thing affects another. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G is related to economics. Economics. Why our population is obese? Why you’re reading this blog? Economics? The factory collapse in Bangladesh? Economics.
Economics and greed.
Of course travel and economics go together as well. The first few years of my journey was slightly helter-skelter with no economic purpose outside of the fact that I love to travel. Of course seeing the world is priceless and getting to travel around Syria right before the civil war hit is something that I will cherish forever. Eating street food in Malaysia was incredible and running through the casinos of Macau are all priceless to me. Those memories though don’t bring in the dollars at this point. I’m slowly getting the hang of it in how travel can be profitable if you’re willing to work hard at it. Now that I have a better idea of how things work I can plan accordingly. In between China last year and Argentina this year (and everything else in between) the dots connected themselves in a more or less steady pattern. Now it’s time for me to fill in any missing pieces and try and fail, and try again.
Until next time,
Ang
A Look At May Through The Ipod
A few moments from May including a pilgrimage and a look at project “R”. 
The Ones Who Don’t Back Down
Earlier on this year the movie Girl Rising was released to the public. If you haven’t seen it, go and be inspired. It’s stories like these that are important because the news only seems to report the sad and the heartbreaking with no happy ending.
Nothing comes without trial and we need to realize that, but some will have to go through hell and back before they reach their destination. If they don’t reach what they came for, they pave the path for the people that will follow in their footsteps. We also need to remember that as well. Every little step counts when you do something new and different. You may fail or you may not, but everything you do to reach your goal counts no matter how big or small it is.
Until next time,
Ang
The Priorities
It’s hard to believe that May is half way done which means the second half of the year is coming. Since I got back from Argentina, it doesn’t feel like the year has gone quicker. It feels like the year just vanished right before my eyes. I guess it’s true that time speeds up as you get older. With project “R”, project “E” and project “P” underway, it feels like things are under control. The first scheduled update will be in three months to see how things are going, and then a look at what’s going on in six months. Now it comes down to travel and planning what will come after that. Everything that is worth doing will take a lot of work, but I am indeed looking forward to what will happen from now until May 2014.
Knowing how to prioritize is an important thing to learn, but knowing what priorities are important can be life changing. How do you figure out what to do when you have so many things on your plate?
Until next time,
Ang
Why Every Little Bit Counts
The other day someone bought a photograph from me for twenty-two cents. Now, this is the smallest (lowest) sale I’ve ever had and you know what? I was happy, because every little bit counts. In Canada twenty-two cents isn’t going to get me far, I can’t even use a pay phone with it. But in the places I go to, I can do a lot with a few cents less than quarter. In China I can get baozi ( filled steam buns) for fifteen cents, and still have a few pennies left over. I can ride the bus for the same amount as well. Same with Ecuador, I can hitch a ride for just a few dimes. twenty-twp cents will buy me a few crickets to snack on in Mexico, or beetles with chilli peppers in Cambodia. In Korea, it cost me twenty cents to get my favourite snack (a fish shaped cake filled with bean paste) when I would walk to school every morning.
In Canada twenty-two cents is nothing, but the way I look at it, small change adds up very quickly and turns into dollars. When we live in a world where over half is estimated to live on less than two dollars a day, we should be grateful for whatever is in our pockets. It may not buy much in developed countries, but for people on the other side of the world, it can often be matter of eating or not. And in certain cases, life or death when there is a need for medication or clean drinking water. I have seen poverty on a scale that most could only imagine, and it’s hard to imagine that the small change can have such a huge impact.
So before you scoff at the nickels and dimes when you empty out your pockets at the end of the day, think about how much it could buy, and how it could save somebody. Spare change adds up in a big way and when you can see that ALL money has value (even though it’s technically valueless) you will be able to see life through someone else’s eyes.
Until next time,
Ang
Not As Boring As You Think
Last week I read a stat that stated around 95% of blogs are abandoned and had to wonder. That’s a lot of potential information being left behind. Some of course had the potential to be literary masterpieces, while others would be fit for the reader and his or her mother. Many have turned to Twitter over the years, but 140 characters is not the same message as a 1,000 word post.
So why do people leave their blogging in the dust?
1. Lack of time.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Lack of audience.
4. Criticism.
5. Lack of things to say.
All of these are technically valid reasons, BUT not really. Especially number five “lack of things to say”. EVERYBODY has something to say, and to an extent each person’s words should be validated. But if you think you’re boring or lack a voice, how can you fix that?
1. Get a library card and read anything and everything. Read what fascinates you and read what bores you. Not only will you get more ideas to talk about, but reading will help you become a better writer.
2. Start doing things you never did before. Volunteer with a different organization, sit down for coffee with someone you usually don’t talk with, and take a different route home from work. Get out of your regular Twitter clique, (yes there really are Twitter cliques) and follow someone new. The more you break out of your daily routine, the more you’re going to see the world in a different light.
Now there are many more ways to help you become a better blogger, but these ones are an excellent start. Once you start broadening your horizons, you might realize that life is more interesting than originally thought.
Until next time,
Ang
XYZ Your Generation Is Showing
It’s become obvious. Thanks to my generation, mediocrity and mediocre lives will reign, and talking about yourself has become a more than a hobby for many. Raise your hand if you know anyone from generation “X-Y-Z” who won’t shut up about how awesome they are. Or how “conflicted” they feel over their plans for saturday night. Or how…hmmm what’s the word that I want to use but can’t because this is a public blog?
You know someone like that? Me too, and it makes me frustrated. Now I can’t talk about my life without sounding like another yokel. Even if my life is a million times more exciting, I still have a huge issue with the behaviour that I see much too frequently.
This is not everybody however, and the older I get, the more I realize what’s at stake about talking about your life in public. Those that have something really going on know to keep quiet. They have a lot more to lose and be called on. Those that hold information reign supreme, but it needs to be useful to the general population. If you have that knowledge, you need to make sure you can distribute in general terms so the public can understand what it means.
Now, I’m (always I want to say we as if I have a business partner) am in the works of putting my classes online that I taught this year to make them more affordable for everybody. I have given myself one year to get everything up and running which I think is a suitable amount of time. By May 1st, 2014 everything should be interesting. The other projects won’t be in the public eye (yet), but one day eventually will go live.
The biggest thing to do is figure out how to talk about my life without sounding like I think I walk on water, because I really don’t. No one does.
What are your tips to leading that “awesome” life while being humble about everyone else’s choice?
Until next time,
Ang
