Packing Travel Outfits for Asia

This summer, I had my greatest packing-for-travel challenge since the pandemic, with a long itinerary to and from Asia, no doubling back, and a bunch of low-cost flights that made extra baggage quite prohibitive.

I don’t wish to do that amount of packing, unpacking and repacking anytime soon. But here were some things that got me through.

1. Space savers

Firstly, take all the help you can get. So whether it is packing cubes or compression bags, figure out how to make the most of the packing space you have.

Compression bags on my Amazon store were my go-to

2. Layers and coverage

Long and lightweight pants

While it is likely hot and humid where you are going, for the varied activities that your itinerary involves, you will need layers and coverage. In fact, consider buying your summery things there but strategically packing your layers.

Think about a blazer to level up your outfits or a cardigan to deal with air conditioning on the plane or in climate controlled environments. Long pants for the same reasons. Make sure they can be coordinated with many of your outfits, are lightweight, do not wrinkle easily, and can be rolled up into a ball (eg in your compression bag).

Bring an anti wrinkle blazer that you can roll up into a ball

3. Pack for the weather

Asia is hot and humid, especially close to the equator. Uniqlo is my go-to for extreme heat or cold. Airism underclothes mean you don’t sweat into them and remain damp all day. Heat tech allows you to be out facing the elements in the cold as long as you have the endurance to.

Airism uniqlo for the win

4. Don’t forget to pack something fun

I always pack for function first when I travel to Asia. But there will always be photo ops. Pack a couple of comfortable outfits that you love (aim for the more lightweight materials), and they will always remind you of your trip.

Travel romper from the legendary Annie50 😭

In and Around Gastown Vancouver

I had to spend a lot of time in and around Gastown these last few days and got the chance to rediscover the neighbourhood, courtesy of some great local sources.

You can’t escape the fact that Vancouver is failing at resolving the overdose crisis in the downtown east side, and there is evidence of that everywhere in the neighbourhood and beyond. Here is hoping that the increasing visibility of the problem will be a catalyst for action.

In the meantime, businesses are trying to bring locals and tourists back downtown and there are certainly major draws.

One example is juice bar at 54 Alexander Street – a wine and tapas bar, by night counter service. It is charming and cozy and all the wonderful things you’re looking for in a night on the town. The selection and quality of the wine list really stands out.

While juice bar may be an old haunt for some, Tokyo in April is a new kid on the block. Its Japanese, does both traditional and fusion brilliantly and while the omurice feature (omelette rice) does not speak to me (though I’m told you need to order it if it does to you), their luscious sashimi salad and geisha roll (featuring scallop) did.

Last but not least I would note that Gastown is home to two retailers that have landmark locations on Water Street – Fluevog and Oak and Fort. Selection is much preferable to the locations that I normally frequent, and the historic buildings and spaces that house them are experiences unto themselves.

Introducing Envie Rideau for young professionals

After the upheaval of the last few years, Ottawa like other cities finds itself in transition. For young professionals though, Ottawa’s city centre is hands-down still the place to live and work.

I recently had the chance to check out a new high-rise development on Rideau Street that offers young professionals the advantages of a central location and a welcoming home-base to return to every day.

Rideau Envie opened in September 2022 as University of Ottawa students came back in fuller force to in-person course loads. But at the same time that students were moving in, Rideau Envie was refining its unique value proposition for young professionals.

Young woman in color-block work dress and collared shirt sitting in front of computer screen and tablet working from home in Envie Rideau development. #wfh #workwear #workfromhome #wfh #hybrid
The work-from-home and hybrid life

Offering both shared and single space-efficient suites, the development’s units are furnished, sleek, and modern. This means you can move and settle in quickly – and not commit to city life forever. In-suite features include new appliances such as a washer and dryer, dishwasher, oven, as well as kitchenware. Rent includes heat, water and wifi plus reception/security at front desk 24 hours a day.

View of Envie suite with kitchen station, dining table, bedroom area and hallway, including design details like mirrors and modern wall art
Furnishings and design details of a suite

Top level floors and a penthouse sky lounge are designated for use for young professionals only. That means you can connect and lounge in the convenience and comfort of home, and tap into a network of other individuals just starting out in their careers – with nearly no effort at all.

Young woman in dress and collared shirt standing in suite with 29th floor city view in front of dining and lounge area
29th floor Penthouse lounge and suite

A lifestyle team organizes social or professional events that you can drop in on at no extra cost. Access to building amenities like the state-of-the-art fitness centre, terrace, lounge areas and dinner party space also help to create community among the residents.

Three images are side by side. The first on the left shows a neon Envie sign behind ample counter space and full kitchen. Second image in the middle is a lounge area with comfy chairs with a wall of TV screens for game nights. Third image is a row of spacious comfy lounge chairs
Amenities at Envie Rideau: Dinner party space and lounge areas
View of fully equipped fitness centre through a window with the Envie logo
State of the art fitness centre

Being right in the heart of Ottawa also means access to everything that the city has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a day in the touristic Byward Market, a show at the National Arts Centre, a bit of retail therapy at Rideau Centre, or you’re getting to work for your downtown employer’s anchor day, Envie Rideau puts you a stone’s throw away.

On the practical side of things, Envie Rideau puts you in the middle of multiple grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, LCBO’s (including the main King Edward location), dry cleaners and restaurants. All accessible by foot in any weather. (Might I suggest La Bottega for your wine and cheese nights, the Ottawa Art Gallery for free local art exhibits, Hong Kong Express for the city’s best HK style milk tea, and maybe not too many grab-and-go dinners from Shawarma Palace?)

That said, with easy access to public transportation and a ready supply of uber drivers in the neighborhood, you can also get anywhere across town in no time.

Envie Rideau reflects Ottawa growing as a city and the changing face of the neighbourhood. With its prime location, design features and amenities, this development is worth a look if you are a young professional wanting to try out city living. Find more information here.

DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored blog post. However, opinions and views expressed in this post are my own.

Leaving the holidays behind

I’m back at work like a lot of you… but find myself still reflecting on the holidays. As challenging as the season typically is, and amid our recent failings at collective adaptation to a post-pandemic climate-changed future, I managed to get time to spend with family and friends. Time that had been very scarce in the last two years.

While certainly not a tradition from my childhood, though the family did put a trip to Raffles hotel on the bucket list, I relish the chance to fit in afternoon tea during the holidays. And the Fairmont Chateau Laurier’s holiday afternoon tea at Zoe’s measured up this year in a notable way.

The attention to both the savoury and the sweet this year had some exceptional entries, even if service had not been what it was in the past.

In particular the mushroom with mascarpone was a surprisingly well balanced and a dynamite combination; the yule log had lovely artistry details and much better flavours than in previous years, the gingerbread cheesecake was delicious and had a playful presentation.

It was strange to be able to celebrate things again without hyper anxiety around safety and public health. I realize it’s a privilege that not everyone has… and it also may not last. But for while it did I really enjoyed the chance for the visit to Zoe’s with the family, in the festive ambiance that the Fairmont created.

Self Defence Resources for Seniors

In my circles of interaction, given current events and the ensuing media coverage, there is a fair bit of anxiety in the community around the safety of BIPOC seniors. And while there is much that can be done to combat the racism and fear that is fueling incidents of violence against this and other BIPOC populations, this post is specifically dedicated to identifying some resources for seniors looking for advice how to protect themselves.

3 pointers to remember

While it may be hard to think on your feet, when you are the target of a physical attack, remember three things, as per https://www.greatseniorliving.com/articles/senior-self-defense:

1. Make noise to get attention

When you are the target of an attack, you want to get attention and this in itself can discourage your attacker. You want to make noise by shouting, knocking over objects or blowing a whistle.

2. Use what you have on hand

Depending on when an attacker is coming at you, you may have to be more or less resourceful. Use what you have on you to fight back and to get that extra moment to get away or for help to arrive. What might you have on hand? It could be keys, your phone, dirt or gravel on the ground, a water bottle or a cane.

3. Aim for the vulnerable areas

When fighting back, you need to make it count. This means remembering that sensitive pressure points include the eyes, nose, neck, groin, and knees.

Training online and in-person

For those who are a bit more serious and looking for training for these sorts of incidents: the pandemic has transformed the resources that are online and made increasingly available to audiences without regard for geography. This includes self defense classes.

For example, Hit and Run Self Defence in Richmond, BC offers group and family self defence classes for seniors in person and online (Krav Maga and Jujitsu).

Still more common are in-person classes for seniors (subject to covid protocol) like at Krav Maga in Ottawa.

And after this story went viral, I can’t not make mention of the possibilities of your elder’s cane for the purposes of self defence.

See this YouTube video for more.

Sweet Ottawa Things – Pick up and by Delivery

I realize this is a workstyle blog but in case you live in Ottawa and are one of the ones who have asked me about my favourite sweets that have delivery, you will have this list to refer to.

ICE CREAM

Mooshu Ice Cream and Kitchen – pick up Tues/Wed/Saturday

Pascale’s Ice Cream – delivery through BUCHIPOP LOCAL DELIVERY

Merry Dairy – pick up at store; next day delivery daily Tues to Saturday

Pascale’s Ice Cream

CAKES

Thyme and Again – pick up at store; delivery

Cake Shop – delivery through Givopoly

Rideau Bakery – delivery through ejoycity.ca

CACAO 70 – asap delivery through ubereats

Three tarts – pick up at store; delivery on Thursday

Three tarts

CHOCOLATE

Cylie Chocolate – pick up at store; delivery available on request (chocolate and French patisserie)

Cylie Chocolate

BAKED GOODS

Art-is-in Bakery – Baked goods pick up on Saturday

Purebread – bread pick up at Mooshu on Tues/Wed/Saturday

Teeny Bites Ottawa – macarons and cupcake pick up at store and delivery

Morning Owl Parkdale – pineapple buns delivery

Bridgehead – delivery with purchase of two pounds of coffee

Ottawa Farmers’ Market vendors – delivery through poppa bean VENDORS PROJECT (Friday) / through FarmScore.ca

Teeny Bites Ottawa

GROCERY DELIVERY

Joey Restaurants – asap delivery pantry and produce through DoorDash

La Bottega – asap delivery through Skip the Dishes

Kaladar Market – delivery

Tops for Video-conferencing

Since big North Amercian cities have started locking down, Walmart has reportedly seen increases in sales of tops but not bottoms. This is supposedly because of the hordes of office workers can work from home and in their loungewear… except for when they are video conferencing with the office.

The work-from-home culture, be it of the covid-19-essential variety or not, is going to be reshaped by the current health crisis. It may be worth thinking and anticipating what it might mean for your work.

Maybe it will mean staff doing rotating shifts in the physical office, or maybe it will introduce new ways and expectations for communicating information to clients and staff.

Chances are that there will be more video conferencing in your future. So have you thought about your video conference-ready tops? Make sure you try them out before their debut. Find some other tips below on what to think about as you are putting those looks together.

BLAZERS

In general I would say you can’t ever go wrong with a traditionally coloured blazer and a solid coloured top. But the benefit of being at home is that you can opt for something more casual unless the call is a particularly important one.

Blazers might be too much?

NOTHING TOO STRAPPY

That said you may choose not to go the very casual route, as on even a plain background it might be rather stark on camera that you are showing a lot of skin.

Maybe camis are not enough.

PATTERNS

There is nothing wrong with loungewear tops. But know that some have bold patterns that may be distracting on camera even amidst a number of other floating facetime rectangles. Then again maybe you want to stand out and make a statement. Just test your selected pattern out in advance to make sure it is sending the message you want and on the backdrop you have.

Stripes for video conferencing

SOLIDS

Solids are a conservative bet for the screen. You might test them out anyway, especially for the light and your background.

Solids are a safe bet

I will let you all get back to Lady Gaga’s One World.

Stay safe and healthy you all.

Cloth Masks

As the worldwide public health crisis continues, the public health direction is changing on wearing masks.

I am offering no medical advice here. But in Ontario, as of July 6, 2020, by public health order, non medical masks will be required in indoors public settings. For your reference then, here are some Ottawa and regional resources that could help you get a cloth mask into your possession.

Hard to find. But there may be reusable cloth mask options near you.

Free Cloth Masks for the Ottawa Public

This is a facebook group that is a grassroots space where Ottawa residents connect to obtain / share homemade cloth masks to reduce the spread of the covid-19. No monetary contributions are accepted (but charitable donations elsewhere are appreciated in lieu).

According to the description on fb, the aim of the group is:

“To allow people in and around Ottawa to coordinate and respond to needs and requests quickly and efficiently, by creating a network that:
*Provides the best, most up to date, science-based information on the use of masks to reduce community transmission of the coronavirus
* Helps residents of Ottawa obtain cloth masks for personal use
* Provides a space where crafters and members of the public who want to wear masks can access each other efficiently.”

Ned Madison

Ned Madison is a Canadian retailer that focuses on music inspired fashion but have reoriented at this time to the production of face masks. $10/mask no delivery charge for Ottawans.

Thawrih

Thawrih have a goal of creating unity through fitness and hire newcomers to Canada to produce sports hijabs and turbans. Since late March, they have been in the “sports mask”-making business as well. $20 for a package of two. You can order here.

Dovetail Ottawa

Pre-covid, Dovetail Ottawa made fashionable masks for estheticians for work but have since pivoted to producing face masks for the public. You pay for the mask (about $40) and for Canada Post delivery rates. Contactless delivery to the door may be possible in the Ottawa downtown core as well. Find them on instagram.

Annie 50

One of my fav go-to’s for local vintage inspired workwear, Montreal based Annie 50 is producing masks. Find them here for $20 each plus Canada Post shipping.

No Sew DIY Option

Here is a video of a DIY mask that requires no sewing skills (and no elastic, which is helpful given the current shortage in many stores). Thanks to D Bastien for this.

Working through the Status Quo

It seems that social distancing may be the name of the game for the foreseeable future, at least here in the Canadian capital. I have gotten some questions about resources to help others through this time and I’m compiling some of them here in case they are useful to you. I am not an authority on ANY OF THESE ITEMS. Therefore in general I am referring you to those who are.

1. Government information and support

Circumstances are changing very quickly so it is important to know which authorities to turn to. You should consider making federal government information, provincial government information and your public health authority your go-tos.

2. How to help local businesses

It seems supporting the operations that businesses are still providing and buying gift cards helps with cash flow. If there are businesses that you are concerned about, you may wish to reach out to ask how you can help them.

3. How to help vulnerable individuals or health care workers

These initiatives are generally more local in nature. So on this front I would point to a few efforts specific and not specific to Ottawa.

  • Swiss Chalet / Harvey’s: providing 50% off meals to the healthcare workers on the frontlines of covid 19.

Supervising and Working Remotely

If you have ever waffled on whether supervising / working from home is or is not feasible for your job, in the context of covid 19, you probably will be forced to figure out the extent to which it actually is.

So let’s say it’s happening, whether you or your workplace are ready. Here are three things that you may help set you up for success.

1. Setting yourself up to work from home for an extended period

Expect that covid-19 will have public health containment implications for 3 weeks. You know your calendar and many of your operational requirements. Figure out what you need at home to be able to support your deliverables.

This includes setting up a dedicated functional work space. You will want to ensure you have remote access to necessary tech and all the documents/resources that are only accessible at work. Figure out how to transport what you need to your home work environment so they are accessible.

You will also need to manage the home environment. This includes deciding how home life interruptions will be managed and what routines from normal #worklife you will retain (e.g. lunch, breaks, informal checkins with management and others).

2. Communicating your expectations to management

Beyond setting yourself up, you will want to have an arrangement with your supervisors about what they need from you and vice versa, and how communications can occur in a timely way when you are no longer in the office and able to accost them in person.

There may be business continuity protocols that you will have a responsibility for distributing to the working level. You want to establish how you will receive these communications from management and how you can raise issues that arise in a timely way.

This is especially important when things are changing rapidly: you want to have the most updated guidance and to be able to determine and discuss the operational impact.

3. Communicating your expectations to subordinates

Your communications with subordinates may already be established. If so you will want to revisit them to ensure they are still appropriate under current circumstances.

Like most instances of supervising offsite/from offsite, planning will be of the utmost importance. Beyond planning, you must then communicate operational requirements and deadlines, maybe even more in advance than normal because in the office you typically do it by other means.

You will want to encourage subordinates to think through what they need to support whatever plan is communicated, and actively ask what they might need from you rather than simply wait for feedback.

But overall you will want to explain your expectations for working offsite, including checkins (e.g. when they sign on and off for the day), availability for calls, turnaround time for deliverables, and how and when they can raise concerns and needs for accommodations.

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