Maintain a healthy relationship with social media

Most of us have a love-hate relationship with social media.  While social media can bring out such a bitchy side that we don’t like or appreciate. I would like to discuss how can we maintain a healthy relationship with social media. 

Follow accounts that make you happy 

I follow accounts on Instagram that make daily memes. Who doesn’t like those funny memes, especially after a long exhausting day?  It is a good way to relax and make us laugh.  There are a few meme accounts on Instagram I would like to share with you, funnymemes, epicfunnypage, funnyishcomedynetwork, and nugget. A daily dose of memes for y’all.  

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instagram post on epicfunnypage

Join online groups that align with your hobbies

I’m an extrovert and I enjoy socializing.  I joined online hiking groups and sports groups on Facebook, and I have been to a couple of events the group has hosted. It is a good way to enjoy nature, meet new people and keep physical activities.

screenshot of Ottawa hiking hub page on Facebook

Use social media as a study tool 

Have you ever typed “excel tips and tricks” on the search bar on Instagram? Believe me, you will find a lot of useful information to apply to your work or school. There is also an account called ” thecheatsheets” which I found it helpful for basic tasks in Excel. Facebook also has a similar group called “advanced Excel Tips and Tricks”. You can post any questions related to Excel. It is always a good resource to learn and improve your knowledge and skills. 

thecheatsheets account page on instagram

Overall, social media is a double sided sword and we need to know how to use it properly. I like social media, it helps me to stay happy and positive.  How do you find your relationship with social media? Do you have any suggestions for building a good connection with social media? 

Social media posts:

Twitter: How to maintain a #healthyrelationship with social media? check out my post: https://bit.ly/415RdAm

Facebook: My lastest post about how to use social media better & let me know your thoughts: https://bit.ly/415RdAm

#ottawafoodie

I’m a foodie, I like browsing delicious food pictures on social media and I would make a list of restaurants I’d visit. When I live in Alberta, I usually check out those restaurants by friends’ recommendations, and my friends, of course, are all foodies. It feels great to have good food, nice chat, cozy environment altogether. I moved to Ottawa in 2021, and a lot of restaurants back then were not open for dine-in, I couldn’t explore local restaurants till last summer. One of the best ways to find good restaurants is to search on Instagram. Hashtags became popular nowadays, whenever I type #ottawafoodie(s)on the search bar, there are so many delicious food pictures that pop up on the main page. I have explored a few of them, some restaurants are worth to discover.  Here is my top five list.

Saffron Kebab

It is family-owned restaurant. Authentic Halal Persian food, the portion is decent with a reasonable price. My recommendation is Mahicheh( delicious!). It is Lamb shank stew in a tomato base sauce comes with rice and soup. If you are a meat lover, it definitely satisfies your taste buds. 

Picture from Saffron restaurant instagram page

Gyubee Japanese grill 

All-you-can-eat Japanese barbecue, delicious quality meat with top notch service. Set price dinner with menu options to order on demand. A reasonable dinner price is about $44 including tax. Do make a reservation if you are a group of 6 or more, unfortunatly they do not take reservations under a group of 6 people, it is based on first come, first serve. I have to say they have an extremely long waiting time. My friends and I waited 2.5 hours to get a table. What can I say, it is one-time experience but trust me you will never get disappointed. 

Picture from Gyubee Japanese restaurant instagram page

Alirang Korean restaurant

An OG Korean spot to eat out with friends and they have a decent selection of food. Definitely recommend their bulgogi beef bibimbap, Gamjatang( pork bone soup) and seafood pancake. Big portion, cozy environment and friendly staff, who can refuse to have a meal in such a great spot. Vegetarian options available.

Picture from Alirang Korean restaurant instagram page

Peking duck 全聚德( Quanjude)

“One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero, one who fails to eat Quanjude roast ducks will be regretful.” Peking duck( roast duck) is surely Top 1 Chinese cuisine. Cooked skin and tender meat- crispy outside and juicy inside. Roasted duck in stove (Peking duck) is honoured included in the national intangible cultural heritage. Recommendation: Quanjude Premium “Peony Duck” set ( good for 4 people). 

Picture from Quanjude Peking duck Ottawa instagram page

Harmons Steakhouse

Best steak house in town in my opinion. I was a bit skeptical before dining in this restaurant due to the price $$$. I changed my mind soon as I had my first bite. the steak is well-seasoned and cooks perfectly. The portion is generous. The staff are friendly and patient, they took their time to explain their ingredients and check with you to ensure you have the best experience in the house.  It was one of the best experiences I’ve had, high quality of everything. 

Picture from Harmons Steakhouse instagram page

Are you a foodie like me? Have you tried any restaurants above? Share your restaurant experience with me and let me know if you have any recommendations, I would love to try them! 

Twitter:

Are you a #ottawafoodie? check out my top 5 #ottawarestaurants recommendations

#ottawafoodie

Facebook:

are you interested in exploring more local restaurants? Click the link for recommandation

#ottawafoodie

COM0011- Food for thought

I was browsing Facebook news feed, and a friend’s post caught my attention.  He posted pictures of him climbing a mountain at the tagged location- Mt. Binacayan, Rodriguez, Philippines, with the caption “enjoying the moment”.  I was like is he traveling to Philippines? Out of curiosity, I went in his FB page, and his journey in the past year blew my mind. 

Picture of Mt. Binacayan Peak from Nyo’s Facebook

I don’t remember when and where we became friends. One of good things about Facebook is that when you and your ex-friends don’t contact each other anymore, somehow the friendship still remains as “Facebook friend”, and it is the case between us. The reason why I’m surprised about his journey was because he had left everything in Toronto and Moved to Bali, Indonesia in Jan, 2022, and he has been living there since. I have no clue why he made the move, he seemed doing well in Toronto as he owned a business in the fitness industry, he is also a photographer and a fitness trainer. However, he looks happier by surrounding the beautiful nature in Bali comparing the pictures he took in Toronto.

Picture of Bali, Indonesia from Nyo’s Facebook

I’m sure we all hear someone in our life has done an adventure like this. The reasons why people want to make the change can be different, but it is admirable that someone who are brave enough to take the action. How many people have a gut to start a new journey in a new place/ country? Most people are caught up with career, family, and connections they have been built since childhood, it is challenging to give up everything and moving to a new place.  Some are too afraid to start a new journey even they are not happy with their life. 

If you ask me: are you willing to start a new journey in a new city/ country? The answer is yes. I have been doing it since when I was 18 as I moved to Canada myself and have lived multiple cities from west coast to east coast. 

How about you? What is your thought on seeking new adventures? Are you willing to leave everything and start a new journey? 

How Meetup helps me making new friends in Ottawa

Photo from: https://www.meetup.com/about/

The influence of social media increases everyday. People use social media to keep in touch with their friends and family, meet new people, share information and ideas. While Bumble, Tinder, Hinge become trendy apps to meet new people, my favorite app is Meetup. In this blog, I will share my story about how Meetup helps me making new friends. 

I’m from Alberta, and recently moved to Ottawa in October, 2022. I’m single, no pets, live in a one-bedroom apartment by myself. I didn’t know anyone in the city, I was always alone. People say it is hard to make friends in adults world, I felt just like that. Pandemic has changed the way we communicate to each other; a lot of people are getting used to meet people online and talk virtually. I’m an outgoing person, and I love to have great time with friends. The depression started growing in me due to the lack of social life. Getting familiar with a new city is not easy. When I want to have a drink at a bar, I couldn’t find anyone to go with 😦 After a month moving to Ottawa, I decided to sign up Meetup. So, what is Meetup? Meetup is a social media platform for hosting and organizing in-person and virtual activities, gatherings, and events for people and communities of similar interests, hobbies, and professions. In this app, you can join and create any group events based on your interests, hobbies, and professions. there are a lot of groups you can choose to join based on your interests and hobbies, and each group organize events and activities in a regular basis, such as board game night, movie night, explore different cuisines, ski and snowboarding, play sports, etc. Everyone can post events in a group after becoming a member. Is it interesting? I joined a bunch of groups and decided to go a few events and I became much happier ever since. 

Photo from: https://www.meetup.com/blog/tips-for-making-friends-as-an-adult-during-lonely-times/

Back in winter 2021, I joined a French conversation event organized by a Meetup group Alliance Francais Ottawa. The event was held in a bar on Bank Street, I was sitting in a table with three other ladies. We chatted about where we are from, the reason why we joined this event and much more. We have similar experience as we are all from different cities and recently move to Ottawa for work. I built a good connection with one of the ladies because our connection was instantly clicked. Knowing that we both live in downtown, we decide to join another Meetup event together. and then, we went to another one. After going to a few events together, we decided to hang out by ourselves. She became my first friend in Ottawa, we go for dinner together, have drinks once a week to chat, go to festival etc. I start enjoying life more in Ottawa. I also join a few other events with different Meetup groups and start getting to know more and more people, and eventually, we start hangout our own and build friendship.

If you are also new in the city looking for new friends to socialize, this is the go-to app. Perhaps we will meet in a Meetup event soon. 😊