In 2008 I accepted an internship in Shanghai, China. I created this blog so that my friends and family back home in Canada could keep in touch and view photos and videos of my travels (I was born in the Chinese year of the Monkey, hence the blog's moniker). What I didn't know then was that many foreign internet sites are blocked in China and I was unable to post anything! When I got back home I decided to keep the name and make the site a healthy living blog that would combine my interests.
Although I grew up eating cheeseburgers and turkey dinners,
I stopped eating red meat in the 90s. In
2005 I decided to “try” a vegan diet for one week and I have never gone
back. I have a family history of
diabetes, which prompted me in 2009 to attend a screening of Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days. I was so inspired
by the documentary that I immediately started incorporating raw living foods
into my diet. I used to eat a raw
breakfast everyday as well as 100% raw at least one day per week, which was
chronicled here on the blog, but then something happened …
I went to India and my life has never been the same
since. In 2010 I hopped on a plane and
flew to South India for a one month yoga teachers’ training course … I ended up
staying there for 6 months. The
community where I lived was completely vegetarian, but raw food? Nope.
I also drank lots of chai (with milk of course). Ultimately I learned to have gratitude for
what is offered to me and to be more flexible in body & dietary
restrictions. Even though I do not live
in India anymore I am still involved with a non-profit in South India and I
travel there every winter.
From browsing my blog you may have noticed my unusual obsession with organics and in particular the Organic Canada logo. In 2007 I worked for the Organic Council of Ontario and became involved in promoting the benefits of organic products. While I do think that organics have come a
long way in recent years, there is still a lot of consumer confusion about what
the term organic really means. The Canada Organic logo was developed to avoid this confusion and I think it’s
helping a lot of people and changing the way we think about our food and how
it’s grown. When I talk to people who
are misinformed about organics, all natural or eco-friendly products I become
very motivated and end up writing an article about it for my blog.
The somewhat less frequent theme on the blog is my
Do-it-Yourself eco crafts. Since I was a
little girl I loved to cut things up, sew, paint, glue things back together and
create! When I get inspired I will just
do it, so a lot of my projects don’t get photographed and
as a result don’t end up on the blog. I
hope I have inspired other creative people with some of my projects, but even
if no one ever views my DIYs I still love to create them.
I am currently residing in Canada, where I am completing a
certificate in Non-Profit Management.
I’ve only taken a few courses, but I am learning so much and enjoying
hands-on teachings from many renowned experts in the third sector. I can’t wait
to share everything that I’ve learned with many deserving non-profits. When I’m
not in class or uncooking my favourite raw food recipe, I am browsing local
farmer’s markets, being silly with one of my four nieces and nephews and
expressing my creative nature by writing and teaching myself how to play the
harmonium.
Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again for the
next raw vegan recipe, organic info or upcycled creation!
