Does it feel like fall again? It’s starting to look that way. I’ve been thinking about these #patiopics that I take and post onto X (formally known as Twitter). I started posting a daily #patiopic during the pandemic when I was trapped, in isolation, in my one bedroom apartment in Prince George. Admittedly, that time was somewhat grim and lonely, but it was also a good time for reflection, self-care, and humour. Posting a daily #patiopic entertained me during that time and it has not stopped since. I’ve tried to terminate the daily post, but then I would bump into somebody and they would either give me a suggestion for the post (i.e., during travel), introduce themselves to me because they know me from my patio pics, or pay a compliment to me and my patio pics. As a result, I would re-start again. No complaints. It’s been 6 years and it’s still fun.
Posting a #patiopic is like connecting with a friend. Whether if we’d connect in the morning, evening, or afternoon, I enjoy making my daily post on X and now on BlueSky. It brings me a bit of happiness. As much as Twitter has transformed into something else, I still like to contribute something that give me (and maybe others) a bit of joy. Right now, my #patiopic collides with my weekly blog post. I love taking a moment in my day, once a week, to pause and reflect. We just finished the UNBC Teaching and Learning Conference. Day 1, I was more of the participant, and I got to go outside for a land-based learning workshop in the afternoon. I really needed to be at that workshop, personally and professionally. On Day 2, I presented twice in the afternoon. Although I had wished the attendance was better, I was really happy and proud about both presentations and how they went. I felt really good about the effort and prep that went into both presentations. and the collaboration I had in both teams to make each presentation possible. I also loved the keynotes and other presentations. I am filled with gratitude.
Now that I am blogging and listening to the rain pour outside my office window, I am left to wonder about next steps, the new term, and the work I want to accomplish. I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that my kid has moved out… not far away… and I’m starting a new school year with new hopes and dreams. The rain is just pouring right now. The metaphor has not escaped me. The renewal… the cleansing… a new beginning. That’s where I feel where I am today… finding my flow, again… but this time, on my own terms. I have been going to physio, regular massages, and trying to create habits to support longevity and health. It’s an interesting time in this chapter of life. Being AUTHENTIC and true to myself is a practice. And, I’m understanding that I make decisions each day that will impact the future… as my friend would say, KARMA. So, who is this authentic self? Who am I? One of my presentations (within a presentation) quoted Parker Palmer about the value of self-knowledge and good teaching. I do have a list of things to do, but there is a part of me that would like these things to be aligned to who I am and my purpose. I heard a local Indigenous word used during the land-based workshop that meant “aligned.” Trust me… it struck a chord and caught my attention. In 2017, I gave a TEDx talk on ALIGNMENT. At that time, I was in search of my place and my purpose. So much has changed since then. At that time, I just defended my dissertation, I was a school trustee, I was married, and I lived in the Lower Mainland.
Huh? I am somewhere else.
Admittedly, I am in a good place. I am an Assistant Professor at the university, I’ve returned to teaching, I’m single, and I live in the Central Interior of BC. I have found my people, and keep finding them. I am doing work that I love and care about. And, I am living on my own… and proud of my kid for finding her independence as an adult who just completed her degree and bought her how place. I feel that I have done my mom job… and successfully. Like my mom, I think the mom-role is ongoing, of course, but the context is now different. My kid is well on her way into adulthood and making her own decisions without mom’s firm suggestions or guilt. LOL. I am thrilled about that and I am also excited for the work that’s ahead of me. This clarity of self, or self-knowledge, not only contributes to my practice as a teacher educator which complements my subject knowledge and knowledge of the learner, but also to my personal life. What’s important to me and why does it matter? I held that question for many years provoked by the pandemic. The more I know myself, the better I can make decisions, make choices that are good for me, and enjoy the work I get to do in life and work. Nothing is permanent.
I feel this moment of renewal because it’s been 8 years at the university. It seems that I doing things in cycles of 8 years, at least in adulthood. Sixteen years in teaching (my kid was born in the middle of that 16-year stretch), a two-term school trustee, and now 8 years at UNBC. I’m not looking for radical change, per se, even though it has been quite a pedagogical journey to get where I am today. I am thinking more about what brings me joy, what makes learning fun, and how can I hone the skills required to live my life to the fullest at home and at work. I think I am a pretty good place now. Not much phases me like it did before. I’m not quite sure if that’s a good or bad thing… but it’s a thing. Let’s see how the next 8 years go. I am excited that I am even taking this pause while listing and tackling the things I need to get done before the school year begins. All is good. 🙂
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, August 28th, 2026 | No Comments »
Well… I may have mentioned in previous blog posts that my kid has moved out of my place… and into her own place. I feel so honoured and privileged to have spent the last 5 years with my kid post-high school graduation. I remember moving out of my parents place and on to university residence at 17-years old. Admittedly, going to the big-smoke as a young kid was somewhat traumatic. I did not transition well… LOL… but managed to stay in university. Thank goodness. For me and the kid, I felt that we got to grow up together… I got to see her transition in to adulthood… we got a chance to transition into adulthood together. I loved that we had the last 5-years together. Our relationship remains good and we see each other almost every day. It’s nice.
What’s also nice is that my twin bro and big sister are coming up to Prince George to visit… to see the kid’s new place (and mine too), and to do the “Prince George” together for a couple of days. It’s a short visit. That’s all we need… and it’s a jammed packed couple of days. I am really looking forward to seeing them and hosting them, but also, it’s a refreshing change from me going to Vancouver to visit them (and my dad)… of which I’ll be doing in September and maybe October. I feel so lucky that we are so connected as family. We talk sometimes thinking that we would not be friends had we not been related. LOL. We are very different people, but we get along very well. Lots of giggles and an appreciation of food. I attribute our close bond to my MOM.
Mon was such a character. I do have some “scary” memories of her as a child… aka. cutting chicken for dinner with a cleaver… but also some appreciative moments… aka. mediating between me and my dad. I love the photos I am sharing in this blog post. These images do remind me of her… how she looked… and her unassuming playfulness. She would have been totally pissed off to know that I was writing about her on a digital platform if she were still alive. I did a gratitude post of her once on Facebook when she gave me toilet paper, a frying pan, oysters sauce, canned salmon, and Spam. I guess she got a lot of “feedback” from some of my auntie, and I got the riot act. Oof. I did not post anything about her since until she had passed away. My mom was a strong woman. She did a lot for us and after she passed away, I realized kept us all together too. 🙂
So when my sister texts me today to say… “You are very Viving”… it’s a compliment. My mom’s (Canadian) name was Vivien. I love that we name things after her… like “Vi-Guy” (soy sauce chicken stir fry) or “doing the Viv” (furniture re-arranging). It reminds me how my mom made great efforts to ensure that everyone was ok and taken care of. I helped my kid move out (and move into her place), and I got my place (aka. moving into my own place) organized and took stuff out of storage to create my own office. I love my office. I bought golf clubs so that we can do a Par 3 together, and a foam mattress so that my sister can stay over in my new office during her stay (my twin bro prefers the Marriott). I love that I’m Viving… and there is no doubt that I am. I planned the two days that they are here, and taking every step to ensure everything is ready before their arrival.
I’m stoked.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, August 20th, 2026 | Comments Off on Feeling the VIV
What can I say? I’m a little stubborn. I am 100% aware that AI is all around us. You can’t avoid AI. There is autofill on my phone, Google provides an AI overview for your search, and I LOVE AI cat videos on Reels. The only way I could avoid AI is if I was off my phone and laptop. No wait… I have colleagues who use AI. OK. Maybe, I will isolate myself from the people and my devices. Oh boy… not possible. So, how much AI is enough AI? I don’t think that’s the right question. Life is full of choices and not only do I have colleagues who are “pro-AI”… I am also connected to colleagues who are against AI. I think I would lean on the latter. What brought me to this blog post is having to renew some of the products for this WordPress site. I had one notification… then another notification. I just didn’t have the brain space to deal with the notifications and warnings that time is running out. RENEW NOW. Ok… I got it… but how? What’s the problem? I only renew every few years and honestly, I don’t even know if I have the right products to sustain my website. I hired someone more than 10 years ago to design a website for me. It looked a lot better then, and I had the gall to edit and revamp the design and I even lost access to my site when I changed my phone (and regret having to have a 2-step authenticator and not saving anything… LOL). I am so techno-savv. NOT. It’s not two or so weeks later and now I have the “brain space” to even address the notifications to figure out what the hell I need to do to renew my products. Slowly but surely, I think I figured it out… maybe.
I have changed what I needed to change to renew my products and to make my website “safe.” And, by sheer luck, I think that all is good… maybe not luck, but rather an automatic set up that makes everything OK. I am having to do that with some webpage development that I am doing for work too. I’m not a “tech-person,” but rather, I love using tech to do “human-oriented” activities, like writing, reflecting, and creating. Anyway, what I appreciated about this experience was recognizing my level of readiness to deal with the situation, the park the demand until I am ready, and to identify when I am ready and take the time to figure out the problem. I was not driven by the hustle, and I was ready enough to go for it and do my best to get the “job done.” It’s not avoidance, but it’s really about readiness. I do this with emails too. Sometimes I don’t have the cognitive capacity to deal with an email. Park it, wait, and get back to it. Yup. Seems to work.
I’ve had opportunities in my work to use AI to “get the job done” but honestly, I’m not into it. I get that the job will get done, but there is a part of me that wants to learn how to do what AI is doing. As a result, unfortunately, it takes me a lot more time than anticipated to get the job done or sometimes I don’t have time to get to things that I need to get done. Which kinda sucks, but that’s where I am for now. It keeps me human. I don’t claim to be bionic, and I don’t want to rely on tech to get my work (or thinking) done. There is a huge part of me that just wants to learn about it, experience it, and make the mistakes needed to gain a deeper understanding of what I am trying to get done. I gain some great satisfaction from “doing it the hard way.” My mom would always say that about me. I would say, it’s my preference, but understand that AI does creep into my work through tech, colleagues, and other avenues that is “out of my control.” For now, I will keep doing the “hard way” and enjoy the struggle, confusion, and mistakes. 🙂
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, August 07th, 2026 | Comments Off on Technology by Hand
Wow. My head was down for a few weeks… and it’s been a hot minute since I have blogged and engaged in reflection. It’s been a hot minute and when everything happens, it seems to happen all at once. I had to make a deliberate decision to take a rest this weekend. Even returning to the blog took some intentionality. I started this blog on Friday, thought I would write this blog on Saturday, and here we are on at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon getting to this reflection. One of my criteria for blogging is feeling good about blogging. Right now is the right time. I love listening to and watching Chef’s Table on Netflix and slowly but surely, I’m grounding myself in preparation for next week.
Gosh. Where to start. So much has happened since my last blog post on June 19,2026. I almost feel that I might have a list of things that I’ve done, but overall, what’s been working in my favour is FINDING THE JOY IN THE EVERYDAY. Things that happened in the last month: (1) completing a contract with another institution and doing the best I can despite the circumstances; (2) rewriting a chapter submission, of which totally took a left turn and “rigour” was had; (3) presented at an international network session and made a few new contacts; (4) organized and facilitated the School of Education Retreat; (5) attended a conference on deeper learning and (re)connected with many likeminded folks; (6) reviewed a dissertation as an external examiner and provided formative feedback; (7) reviewed a master’s thesis as committee member and pleased with its transformation; and (8) collaborating with a former colleague to co-write a chapter.
I’ve been working on some other projects… one I am leading, one I am a member of, and anther of which a play more of a supportive role. Other things on the personal side includes participating the Relay for Life (that my daughter was one of the directors co-leading the event), going to physio to work on my hip, and being a part of a study focused on pre-diabetes. Oh… and my kid will make me an empty-nester soon, so there is a tonne of stuff there related to supporting her but transitioning to be living on my own (as an empty nester). It’s a big deal. Some highlights over the last month: (1) meeting a professor from Oxford University who was super supportive of a project I am leading; (2) meeting some incredible students who modelled and taught me more about student agency; and (3) my friend driving me up and down to a conference and we went to the taco stand in Cache Creek where I found my people, place, and food. All good things.
One lesson that one person who has been always a teacher or guide for me… over the last years in Prince George… and he has taught me a valuable lesson about the myths or false narratives that are not true, they are lies that we create in our minds, and they do not serve me. It happened THAT DAY when we had talked. I was humiliated and humbled at the same time… all my doing… but damn, it was/is a lesson I needed to learn. I was shocked by the lesson. Cognitively, it made sense, but when you catch yourself doing it, you have to call a spade, a spade. I could not believe how often I do it and how it’s so important to be authentic and true to oneself, so that you can live in the energy and integrity that you are meant to live in. This way of being takes lots of trust, vulnerability, and humility. Oh man… I am learning. What I am learning is, you have to do what makes you happy and brings you joy. Be true to yourself, be kind, and love life as it comes.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, July 12th, 2026 | Comments Off on Finding Joy in the Everyday
I will say, imposter syndrome is REAL. Understanding my worth is CHALLENGING. And, being ok with rejection is NORMAL. Wow. It has taken me a load of time to figure this out, but I guess that is the journey. I am sitting here on a Friday night, looking out my window and watching a thunder and lightning storm. The metaphor did not escape me. Big changes are a happening, and it’s taken me a long time to accept who I am, love who I am, and love the work that I do. I guess I am going to cite Brené Brown again to say that “I am enough.” I do remember the words of my supervisor saying, “we don’t give out doctorates to anybody… you’ve earned it.” (PS. may not be the exact words, but it’s close).
I remember that it took me a year to tell people I was a doctoral candidate (which meant passing the comprehensive exams), many years to complete my dissertation (because I kept spiralling in the research problem without making much progress until I quit my job, became a school trustee, and realized that my job as a doctoral student and researcher was to answer the research question.). Once all the pieces seemed to make sense (as I struggled with my identity, my value within the profession, and what to do next in my professional career), I completed my research. At that time, I was a sessional instructor (commuting from the Sunshine Coast), I was a two-term school trustee, and my mom was dying (I needed to take care of her).
What can I say? Life was turbulent to say the least, and my sense of self was at an all time low. It’s hard to hear things like, “hey, do you want to publish your dissertation?” from your supervisor. I had no idea what he was talking about. He offered to help and to be a co-author (many, many years ago), and I said, “sure.” I had no clue what this meant or involved. He took the time to reduce my dissertation down to a word-count less than 10,000. He managed to do it, and added his flair to the manuscript to to bring some of the ideas together in its condensed form. Now what? It did take some time to get the manuscript completed, but once it was in my hands to review and submit, I was lost again. What was I suppose to do with this document? Where does it go? Academia is very much what my dissertation was about… being out-of-field, learning-by-doing, and experiential learning. I did submit it to one place, but the editor quickly returned the manuscript to me saying that they did not like the convenience sampling approach and that it needed a literature review. I can say that now, but what I internalized then was, this work is garbage and you can’t read or write. Sounds extreme, I know, but that was the headspace I was in. It was not good, so formative feedback was difficult to receive.
Time lapsed. I could not fathom submitting this work to another journal. First, it was a long manuscript. Most journals accept 5000-7000 words. I’ve attempted to shorten the manuscript and edit it, but I could never get passed the first page. I was so devastated by the editor’s reply that I could not even think about subjecting my work to anyone, despite the blood, sweat, and tears incurred by both myself and my supervisor. I did not have the strength, confidence, or heart to do it. I just wanted to keep the work to myself. So, what did I do? Pursued academia and engage in studies that had NOTHING to do with my doctoral research. OMG. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. I loved returning back to teaching, and I love learning about research. I am really enjoying working with others on some research projects, and I am getting some publications out that are aligned to teaching and learning. Lots of what I am doing at the university through teaching, research, and service are related to what I love, but none of it is directly correlated to my doctoral research. CRAZY. Until one day, I went back to that manuscript and realized that my supervisor referred to the literature review in the discussion as a strategy to reduce words, and my student did engage in a form of convenience sampling.
HELLO? I’m not a bad person.
Other life events have happened since then, like ending my marriage, moving to a new place, becoming a full-time single parent, navigating the academia world (and not really doing a good job at it), buy a new place, a new car, a new way of being. Why not through a pandemic in there as well as a strike (that was a turbulent year). The brighter side, my kid just graduated from university and working a full-time job, I am a cat-mom, and I love teaching and learning about math and math education. Ah yes… back to my OG love. I get super stoked attending professional development sessions about math education, and I have opportunities to put my doctoral work into practice. I’m not sure if this is serendipity or that I was always meant to. It’s been an incredible journey to get to where I am today, and YES… I submitted that manuscript to a different journal, that accepted up to 10,000 words, and I feel 1000-times better about this work and realizing that the research is still relevant. I want to do a replication study. This work is interesting to me, and I feel like I’m coming home… in a good way… and it feels GREAT. I have overcome my fears. And, even though I have another chapter, and another chapter to write (with timelines), I needed to take today to submit that manuscript, regardless of outcome.
I feel good. I am not hung up on the outcome, or the feedback. Everything is formative, and I really understand that. It’s taken many learning experiences to get to where I am with this mindset. Not only did coach teacher candidates this understanding in their upcoming and recent publication as a conference proceeding, but also to graduate students I am mentoring and supporting in other ways and roles. But now, I get it. I really understand who I am, my doctoral work, and MY WHY (of which I wrote in my last blog post). This ALIGNMENT has been something that I have always been striving for, and now I see it, I can feel it, and I know it. I feel that the floodgate has opened and now the water can rush through. I want to use the metaphor of a salmon swimming up stream, but my arrival is not my death, but rather the opportunity to lay eggs and spawn birth to new ideas and possibilities. I had to write this blog post soon after I sent my manuscript, co-authored with my supervisor. I know that we are colleagues, but he will always be my supervisor. For that, I am very appreciative. Onwards and upwards… to the next chapter!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, June 19th, 2026 | Comments Off on Overcoming My Fears
UNBC School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony 2026 – May 30 – Northern Sports Centre
June 4, 2026 – Feeling Lucky to have this PIC
Oh my goodness… The last week has been a whirlwind and finally, I have a moment to reflect, wonder, and appreciate my kid’s achievements. THE KID graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia in the School of Nursing, and she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) on May 29th on her birthday. You could not have written a better story. I loved that Zoe was highlighted in the interim President’s speech, and she was warmly received by her friend, Chancellor, interim President, Dean, and Chair as she crossed the stage. What an exciting moment for her, and I was so grateful to be front stage as faculty member witnessing this achievement. My kid has overcame so much over the last handful of years, and she is becoming the person she is meant to be.
There is nothing more that I can say about this kid, except for “I am so proud.” This kid is seems to know no bounds and I cannot believe that she has finished the UNBC Nursing Program and starting full-time work in the next week… in addition to a few other jobs relating to research and nursing. Who would have thought? I just love all of the service work that she does. The kid takes after her mom in lots of ways… but 10-fold. She just does a lot better than I have ever done, in 10-fold. It’s amazing… and I want that for her. I remember when she was learning how to swim. She loves the water ever since she was born. I put her into swimming lessons when she was only a little bub. When she turned 10-years old, she finished all of the swimming levels, then when she was old enough, finished her bronze medallion and bronze cross, and worked as a lifeguard for several years before graduating high school. AMAZING!! (PS. I don’t know how to swim).
I am not trying to downplay my achievements, but THE KID has created dreams and goals that are set by her. I’m here to support, guide, and encourage, but all of her accomplishments are hers. She was the vice-president of the UNBC Pre-Med Club and President of the UNBC Stem Cell Club. It’s not the roles that mattered, but the work she had accomplished for these clubs in these roles. She fundraised for both clubs, organized gatherings and talks with folks in the medical field, and rallied in many ways to promote and gather swabs for stem cell. I only have a sense of the kind of work she has manifested, and there’s more… She co-led the inaugural Prince Hoops with her boyfriend that hosted 14 3-on-3 basketball teams, and the event was sponsored by many community organizations and companies. And, she is also one of the directors of the Run for Life in Prince George, an initiative started by a group of her peers who wanted to bring this event back to the community which is happening at the end of this month.
I have attached one of many news articles she is a part of. She’s been interviewed by the local newspapers, local news on TV, and UNBC Communications promoting the good work she is engaged in (as mentioned above). She also takes the time to promote these initiatives on social media as well. What I like about all this is, not only she is doing the good work, she also prefers not being the centre of attention. She lifts other people up, to be at the centre, and fostering their leadership. I appreciate that about THE KID as a leadership, action research scholar. She is making a difference, and one metric of leadership is the number of leaders you leave behind. Now graduated and leaving the university to pursue her career in health, she has mentored many competent student leaders that she leaves behind at UNBC. What a gift to the two clubs and university.
As you can see, I am super humbled and proud of this kid. She works hard, and plays hard. I loved having the last 5-years with her. She moved to Prince George to be with me, and I would not have it any other way. Not only am I excited about her next steps in life, I am confident that she will do whatever she is doing to the best of her abilities, and 10-fold beyond my expectations. Congratulations KID. Enjoy. You can do anything. Love you!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, June 04th, 2026 | Comments Off on The Kid is Growing Up
I started this blog post at the start of my day… and now, it’s the end of the day. Classic. I got motivated, then distracted. I say that, but there are so many things on the go, everything seems like they have to be done at once. Ironically, multitasking is a myth and today is Saturday. It’s “be a person day.” So, I can move along my day without any guilt. What will happen, will happen. If anything, I am so grateful that I got my recycling done today. Recycling has become a ritual on Saturdays. I live in a townhouse complex where we don’t get garbage pick up, or recycling. Honestly, I don’t mind. I took out the garbage when I needed to when I lived at the apartment, and had to go to the recycling depot then. And now, I’m still doing the same thing. I don’t mind. I kind of like it. Maybe it’s the routine. Maybe it’s the sorting. If anything, I feel a lot of satisfaction when my recycling bins are empty. I am also feeling a lot of joy sitting at my office desk in my bedroom that looks out the window. I love that it’s 10pm and there is still some light outside… almost like the sunset… lingering. It’s just beautiful. There are some clouds, some blue sky, and hints of orange too. It makes me so grateful to be where I am… and to be alive.
Wow. This blog post is taking an existential direction. I am filled with a lot of joy and gratitude. My kid is graduating from the School of Nursing with her BSN next week. Next week, she is also turning 23-years old. DAMN. Where does the time go? She’s a grown adult, and I am so grateful that we spent the last 5-years together in Prince George being roomies. I know that I’m her mom, but I feel that we had the opportunity to grow up together, be together, and support one another. I feel very lucky that I got to be with her during these formative years. She has accomplished so much, and by living together, I can support her with living expenses, schooling, and anything else she needs. I feel so fortunate that I could have supported her in this way. Otherwise, I don’t think we could have had the quality of life we had if she had lived and went to school somewhere else. Honestly, I am filled with gratitude. I mean hey, the photo above is a picture of guacamole from Earls. I needed to slow down my work week and end it with a good meal. With one text and invite, we are having dinner together. I love that. It’s a chance to connect with her, but also to wind down with her, a yummy dinner, and ice cream.
It’s been a busy week, much like the last few weeks, and I was reminded the other day when folks were coming over for a work meeting and dinner, that my mom would often say to me, “you always have to learn the hard way.” I get what she means. I am an experiential learner. I just can’t use common sense or reason to understand something about myself, others, or the environment… I have to experience it… maybe a few times over, before I really get something. Moreover, I am the worst risk-taker. I thought I was a risk-taker, or at least I wanted to be one, but really, my steps forward are tentative at best, and I am better walking forward with someone than alone. That’s something good to know and learn about myself, but damn, it can be very frustrating too. I can get caught in my own mind, overthink, and do nothing. That’s not fun. I had another aha this week when thinking about the fall and planning my courses. I was thinking about who could guest speak in my class, and the flow of the course. I realized that I choose the person or persons. The people I want to work with me and in my classroom are folks I have a relationship with, of whom I have a high regard for, and who are aligned to my thinking.
Whoa… can you believe it? I AM RELATIONAL. My leadership style is relational, transformative, and service-oriented. I don’t know why this is a surprise to me… but it is. However, if I look at my actions and think about what brings me joy in my work and personal life, that pretty much sums it up. I love service, I love people, and I love seeking or challenging people to take action. So, of course, I’m going to ask my kid to go out for dinner on a Friday night after a long day and week of work. Of course, I am going to order the food I love that makes me happy. And of course, we are going to end a yummy dinner by going to the local ice cream shop by the bowling alley to buy some “made in BC” ice cream from a young guy and support this local business. The ice cream is really good, and my kid likes it. Why not? We then went to Shopper Drug Mart to maximize on the points, then go home to rest and be with my cat. I can’t ask for anything more. What I do know is, my joy is in doing, trying things out, and making mistakes… but with people I trust and respect. I’ve been information gathering, wondering what my next steps might be. What I have realized, I am doing exactly what I need to be doing. Now that’s joy.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 23rd, 2026 | Comments Off on Finding My Joy in Doing
I cannot believe that it’s already been a week since I was in Toronto visiting with relatives on my mom’s side of the family. It was my aunt’s 80th birthday and with sheer grit and will power, my aunt and planning committee of cousins (that included my twin bro) organized a weekend event in Toronto. One of the highlights of the reunion was my nephew’s camera. It was pretty cool what kind of photos it could take, so here are a couple of them with a few members of my family. This first photo of us in a circle was taken at the University of Toronto visit a memorial bench that honours the memory of my grandmother and grand father. The second photo below is all of us who went to the reunion visiting and paying respect to my grandparents at the cemetery. My grandparents from my dad’s side are also buried near by, so we went there as a little family to pay our respects as well. I was so heartened that many of my aunts and uncles from my mom’s side also came over to pay their respects. What I did not realize is that our families were connected because of my parent’s marriage and one of my aunts on my mom’s side went to school with my uncle on my dad’s side, and she also knew another one of my aunts as well. That was so cool to learn. What was even more exciting was reconnecting and connecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Many of them I did not see since my mother had passed away in 2018. Most I have not seen in decades. While others were brand new to me, and I was meeting them for the first time. There is something magical about families. Because you are family, you are just going to connect and get to know each other. It was a wonderful 3-days. Lots of memories.
The Chik-family reunion started with a get-to-know you session at my aunt’s condo in the multipurpose room. We wore name tags, there were games, food testing, gift exchange, slideshow, and food to eat. Although I was admittedly apprehensive of a 4.5-hour event, the time flew by. The event ended with my artist-aunt sharing a big image of a tree blossoming to my birthday-aunt, and there were smaller prints that were framed for each of us to take home. What a present!! In the image is a stamp with our Chinese name, and the image is titled, “To plant. To grow. To blossom.” So beautiful… I am looking at it on my window sill (a temporary location) as I write this blog post. Later that night, we went to the Pearl Restaurant, which is close to my birthday-aunt’s place. We had a 10-course Chinese meal. It was absolutely delicious. It’s be awhile since I had peking duck and a full formal Chinese dinner. We had 3 large round tables for our group, and a gorgeous view of Lake Ontario. The next day, we went to the cemetery in the morning, my little Ho-family went back to city centre to have Shake Shack for lunch, and then we all reunited at the CN Tower for dinner. Wow!! What an amazing experience. Very memorable. Beautiful views of the city. And, it was stormy that day… so depending on where the storm was or direction we were facing, sometimes we had sun, clouds, and everything in between. After dinner, we went to the observation deck as well. The CN Tower is a MUST DO in Toronto. Finally, on day 3, we concluded with dim sum and professional photos at the Pearl again. Another AMAZING meal!! Many flew out that day after dim sum. We also got a CN Tower glow-in-the-dark coin and personalized travel tags with our Chik-name on it.
The Chik-family reunion was amazing and I am so grateful that we had this moment to connect and reconnect. In lots of ways, we have not changed. One of my aunts said that I am still the same. Hmm… disturbing, yet reassuring. Thank you to the organizing team and my cousins, birthday-aunt, nephews, and everyone who came to Toronto to make this event possible. My heart is full, and I was so grateful to spend time with my little Ho-family as well. My kid and her boyfriend took me out for Mother’s Day dinner on our final night in Toronto. Miku would have been fabulous, but they were completely booked. Instead, we had Italian food, and the meatballs were delicious. I also want to say a big thank you for my roomie for the 4 days… my big sis… and to my twin bro for all of the points he collects from the Marriott and Air Canada that heavily subsidized the hotel and flights to Toronto. For some reason, all the parts fit, and I could briefly step away from my work and enjoy the company of my family. I had so much fun. Kudos to the Chik-family!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 16th, 2026 | Comments Off on Family and Feeling Grateful
It took me some time to condition myself to NOT work 7-days a week and around the clock and reprogram myself to take Saturdays as “be a person day” and to go to bed at a reasonable hour. It helped to have an almost burnout situation almost two-years ago and adopting a cat when I moved into my townhouse. Yesterday was a pleasant reminder that “be a person day” is so essential for me to REST and recalibrate for the upcoming work week. I’ll admit, it took some time to get myself to NOT work, guilt-free on Saturdays, but also setting and creating boundaries so that it does not bleed into other days of the week. Because I am not working everyday of the week, and around the clock, I have to be mindful of what I can and cannot do, make the most of each work day, and self-care is not selfish. Yesterday, the kid and I end the day with ice cream at Ice Cream Express. It’s a seasonal, small business run by one ‘very active’ young man. We both got a kid-sized ice cream, and it was HUGE. The one-scoop and two-scoop options are equally generous. I got burgundy cherry, and it was delicious. I just needed to slow down I was so wound up over the weeks with still a tonne to do, the messiness of changing one’s habits is a given so forgiveness is also part of the process. It’s Sunday morning and I feel good. I feel renewed. During the week, I was putting myself aside because I’ve been overwhelmed or overworked. I can’t do that anymore. I’m important. This self-love has been incredibly challenging to achieve, but in doing so, I can make better choices for myself and my work. I’m not getting any younger, and I am realizing that life, my wellness, and my health cannot be taken for granted. I feel that I need to take hold of my life… almost for the first time. I feel more rested and empowered. YAY!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 03rd, 2026 | Comments Off on Be a Person Day
In this photo, my kid and I went to get pho. She had soup, and I had this prawn and roll platter. It was absolutely delicious and a huge portion. This meal has held me for 3 meals. I enjoyed every bite, and thank goodness for air fryers. What was life like before the air fryer. This appliance is the MOST used appliance in my household next to the coffee machine. Another thing I love… COFFEE. We have a Keurig and a Nespresso. I love both of those appliances as well. Expresso or a drip coffee in one cup… it can’t get any better. Yes… there are a few things I love. They do lean onto the food spectrum, hence the many food pics. I just enjoy the food, the experience, and the memories. I feel so loved and joyful when I am engaged in eating or drinking something I love and often times, the company I keep. I am so grateful for the food, the love, and the people. I am very lucky.
I think as a child, I feel that food was a privilege. We did not have a lot of food and I was given food that I was given. My parents worked very hard to put food on the table. My mom made the most of the dollar to maximize the food in our house. I don’t know how she did it. I have very negative memories about food. The fridge was almost empty, my mom bought “x” bread (aka., day old bread), and my made many stir fry dinners with meat she cut off a chicken leg (aka., the cheapest cut). My dad worked at the pulp mill, underemployed, and worried about being laid off from month-to-month. My mom worked at the cannery and pulp mill cafeteria at one time and worked around the clock, then in the food industry as a coffee shop owner, caterer, and delicatessen worker. I often think about how many sandwiches my mom had to make to ensure that my siblings and I are educated, working in places where we thrive, and living “the good life” in Canada.
This blog post is the fourth time I have with this title. It does not surprise me. I’ve been feeling kind of low lately and have been resistant to complete some of work I need to do because I am not in the right headspace. I feel that I am finally seeing myself through this heavy space but still have a tonne of stuff to do. I will get it done today. I have no choice. What I am learning is, to feel the feels before proceeding. I don’t want to react, and I don’t want to numb myself and plough through the work without feelings. I just recently did the Myers-Briggs test lately. I was talking about it with my sister. She is INTP. My kid is ISFJ. I used to be ESTJ when I was first introduced to this preference test, but now with a new life, a new way of being, and therapy… LOL… I am now an ENFP, the campaigner. I am enthusiastic, creative, and idealistic. When I read this description, I feel like it’s telling my story (when before I was doing what I thought I should do).
Why does this matter? It’s so important to be who you are and celebrate it. Everyone has strengths, and everyone has stretches too. For many years, I was trying to be someone who I was not to “fit in” and often compromised who I was to “belong.” BAD MOVE. I lost myself in doing that. The people-pleasing, the self-betrayal, and the hurt that equated to numbing was HELL. I won’t do that anymore. The person I belong to is ME. I am so grateful for Brene Brown’s work, but also the work of my therapist, and now, the work of my physiotherapist. Be yourself. Love yourself. And, ask for help, if you needed it. Ah yes, vulnerability, acceptance, and love. These virtues are so essential to our ability to experience joy, happiness, and doing what you love. I am not motivated by money, but rather I am motivated in helping (or lifting) others to be their best selves. I love listening to other people’s jam. I love slowing down and savouring in the joy.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 26th, 2026 | Comments Off on Do what you love
Does it feel like fall again? It’s starting to look that way. I’ve been thinking about these #patiopics that I take and post onto X (formally known as Twitter). I started posting a daily #patiopic during the pandemic when I was trapped, in isolation, in my one bedroom apartment in Prince George. Admittedly, that time was somewhat grim and lonely, but it was also a good time for reflection, self-care, and humour. Posting a daily #patiopic entertained me during that time and it has not stopped since. I’ve tried to terminate the daily post, but then I would bump into somebody and they would either give me a suggestion for the post (i.e., during travel), introduce themselves to me because they know me from my patio pics, or pay a compliment to me and my patio pics. As a result, I would re-start again. No complaints. It’s been 6 years and it’s still fun.
What can I say? I’m a little stubborn. I am 100% aware that AI is all around us. You can’t avoid AI. There is autofill on my phone, Google provides an AI overview for your search, and I LOVE AI cat videos on Reels. The only way I could avoid AI is if I was off my phone and laptop. No wait… I have colleagues who use AI. OK. Maybe, I will isolate myself from the people and my devices. Oh boy… not possible. So, how much AI is enough AI? I don’t think that’s the right question. Life is full of choices and not only do I have colleagues who are “pro-AI”… I am also connected to colleagues who are against AI. I think I would lean on the latter. What brought me to this blog post is having to renew some of the products for this WordPress site. I had one notification… then another notification. I just didn’t have the brain space to deal with the notifications and warnings that time is running out. RENEW NOW. Ok… I got it… but how? What’s the problem? I only renew every few years and honestly, I don’t even know if I have the right products to sustain my website. I hired someone more than 10 years ago to design a website for me. It looked a lot better then, and I had the gall to edit and revamp the design and I even lost access to my site when I changed my phone (and regret having to have a 2-step authenticator and not saving anything… LOL). I am so techno-savv. NOT. It’s not two or so weeks later and now I have the “brain space” to even address the notifications to figure out what the hell I need to do to renew my products. Slowly but surely, I think I figured it out… maybe.
I will say, imposter syndrome is REAL. Understanding my worth is CHALLENGING. And, being ok with rejection is NORMAL. Wow. It has taken me a load of time to figure this out, but I guess that is the journey. I am sitting here on a Friday night, looking out my window and watching a thunder and lightning storm. The metaphor did not escape me. Big changes are a happening, and it’s taken me a long time to accept who I am, love who I am, and love the work that I do. I guess I am going to cite Brené Brown again to say that “I am enough.” I do remember the words of my supervisor saying, “we don’t give out doctorates to anybody… you’ve earned it.” (PS. may not be the exact words, but it’s close).
I cannot believe that it’s already been a week since I was in Toronto visiting with relatives on my mom’s side of the family. It was my aunt’s 80th birthday and with sheer grit and will power, my aunt and planning committee of cousins (that included my twin bro) organized a weekend event in Toronto. One of the highlights of the reunion was my nephew’s camera. It was pretty cool what kind of photos it could take, so here are a couple of them with a few members of my family. This first photo of us in a circle was taken at the University of Toronto visit a memorial bench that honours the memory of my grandmother and grand father. The second photo below is all of us who went to the reunion visiting and paying respect to my grandparents at the cemetery. My grandparents from my dad’s side are also buried near by, so we went there as a little family to pay our respects as well. I was so heartened that many of my aunts and uncles from my mom’s side also came over to pay their respects. What I did not realize is that our families were connected because of my parent’s marriage and one of my aunts on my mom’s side went to school with my uncle on my dad’s side, and she also knew another one of my aunts as well. That was so cool to learn. What was even more exciting was reconnecting and connecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Many of them I did not see since my mother had passed away in 2018. Most I have not seen in decades. While others were brand new to me, and I was meeting them for the first time. There is something magical about families. Because you are family, you are just going to connect and get to know each other. It was a wonderful 3-days. Lots of memories.
It took me some time to condition myself to NOT work 7-days a week and around the clock and reprogram myself to take Saturdays as “be a person day” and to go to bed at a reasonable hour. It helped to have an almost burnout situation almost two-years ago and adopting a cat when I moved into my townhouse. Yesterday was a pleasant reminder that “be a person day” is so essential for me to REST and recalibrate for the upcoming work week. I’ll admit, it took some time to get myself to NOT work, guilt-free on Saturdays, but also setting and creating boundaries so that it does not bleed into other days of the week. Because I am not working everyday of the week, and around the clock, I have to be mindful of what I can and cannot do, make the most of each work day, and self-care is not selfish. Yesterday, the kid and I end the day with ice cream at Ice Cream Express. It’s a seasonal, small business run by one ‘very active’ young man. We both got a kid-sized ice cream, and it was HUGE. The one-scoop and two-scoop options are equally generous. I got burgundy cherry, and it was delicious. I just needed to slow down I was so wound up over the weeks with still a tonne to do, the messiness of changing one’s habits is a given so forgiveness is also part of the process. It’s Sunday morning and I feel good. I feel renewed. During the week, I was putting myself aside because I’ve been overwhelmed or overworked. I can’t do that anymore. I’m important. This self-love has been incredibly challenging to achieve, but in doing so, I can make better choices for myself and my work. I’m not getting any younger, and I am realizing that life, my wellness, and my health cannot be taken for granted. I feel that I need to take hold of my life… almost for the first time. I feel more rested and empowered. YAY!!