GATHER | Baiting Ziwe x 'What It Means to Be American' x UBC

"I rarely get asked to do [racism] p*rn."

Photo credit | Si Ming Zheng

UBC—(March 13, 2025) Talented mononymous Nigerian-American late night comedian/interviewer and Black Friend author Ziwe (Fumudoh) brought her stylishly hilarious insights to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the 2025 Phil Lind Initiative's accidentally hyper topical ongoing speaker series on the politics of What It Means to Be "American": Navigating Identity in a Changing Nation.

GATHER | Ramy Youssef x 'What It Means to Be American' x UBC

"I wasn't gonna mention the whole fifty-first state thing."

Photo credit | Si Ming Zheng

UBC—(February 27, 2025) Award-winning Egyptian-American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director Ramy Youssef casually captivated a full audience inside the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the 2025 Phil Lind Initiative's second-year speaker series, discussing the topic of What It Means to Be "American": Navigating Identity in a Changing Nation.

SPOTLIGHT | Jia Tolentino x "Who's Afraid of Eating the Rich?" x UBC

"Capitalism is a machine for capturing descent."

Photo credit | Justin Man

UBC—(January 25, 2024) Toronto-born, Brooklyn-based culture critic and The New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino paid a visit to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of The Phil Lind Initiative's speaker series discussing political life through pop culture. Her half-hour talk, "Who's Afraid of Eating the Rich?" dissected our cultural obsession with the trend of popular entertainment dramatizing the sad depravity of being ultra-rich (think Succession and the like).

SCREEN | Being Vietnamese – 'No Crying at the Dinner Table'

"So let us listen. That's all."

Travelling Distribution

I have never seen anything so effectively document exactly what it feels like growing up in a Vietnamese-Canadian household than Toronto-born (now Montreal-based) filmmaker Carol Nguyen's award-winning documentary short film, No Crying at the Dinner Table. In the fifteen-minute short, she interviews her parents and sister as they therapeutically describe internalized past traumas around death and their lives as refugees, artfully intercut with intimate b-roll footage of them performing personal daily rituals revealing their vulnerabilities.

WORDS | 'Trick Mirror' – Jia Tolentino Maps Out Our 'Self-Delusion'

"I'm capitulating to everything I hate." ¹

Photo credit | Andrew Jacobs

The New Yorker staff writer and culture critic Jia Tolentino, sometimes hailed as the voice of our current social media generation, has so eloquently captured the inherent lie and con behind both the internet and the greater culture's duelling perceptions or realities of millennial life. Her first book, a collection of nine varying but intrinsically linked essays called Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion, is a thoughtful and measured retelling of her experiences covering a culture of self-deception, contemporary feminism, conflicted political identities, and modern life as a digital native.

SPOTLIGHT | Later x Why Instagram Makes Me Hungry

Crafting a visual media strategy for your personal or professional brand can take a lot of hard work, time, and energy. Through my own self-titled blog, Tumblr journal YVArcade and of course, two Instagram accounts (@rickchung and @yvarcade) I’ve developed locally-focused lifestyle content centred around food, drink and dining culture in Vancouver.

The Province: Vancouver's Most Eligible Bachelors

Well, this is both incredibly flattering and terribly embarrassing. According to The Province newspaper, yours truly is among 14 of Vancouver's most eligible bachelors for their Valentine's Day special in today's Sunday paper (on page A10). More on the cover story here.

The Waldorf Hotel Is Awesome (2010-2013)

Memories from The Waldorf Hotel in Grandview-Woodland from October 30, 2010 to January 20, 2013. As seen in Vancouver Is Awesome.



And it always will be be (awesome, that is), no matter what. You probably heard the sad news (Bob summed it up optimistically here) about the latest incarnation of the iconic Waldorf Hotel.

What's in My Bag? – Part Three

You may recall What's in my bag? (parts one and two) and What I'm wearing? See below.

The Social Medium: Branding x Social Media: The New PR

[SMA/SMN] Social Media: The New PR at The Network Hub in Gastown on October 30, 2012.



I spoke last night on behalf of the SFU Student Marketing Association and The Social Media Network on the topic of social media branding, along with Nicole Freeston from Magnolia Communications and Chris Mathieson (above). Here are my thoughts on PR and branding moving online and what I talked about. Enjoy.

From the Weekend: Backyard Sunset Wedding x Winnipeg

Winnipeg Wedding Weekend in friendly Manitoba on August 4, 2012.



Over the weekend, I made the trip to Winnipeg (where my family originally hails from, by way of Vietnam).

The Social Medium: 5 Social Networks You Should Be On

You're probably on Facebook and Twitter, but apart from knowing the big ones to be on and the faded stars of MySpace to avoid, there are so many social networks out there. We have less time to devote to more and more social channels. Not everyone needs or wants full on blogs or websites. Here are five (perhaps secondary) social networks you should probably be on and actively be using or interacting on if you're serious about this whole social media thing and your online branding.

LEGO: The Avengers x Iron Man x Hawkeye x Loki's Cosmic Cube

LEGO Avengers: Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape toy set with Iron Man & Hawkeye from the LEGO Store at Oakridge Centre mall.

More lego fun with a Marvel superhero twist.

2 Accounts, 1 Cup: When to Start A 2nd Twitter Account

I get asked this all the time. Should you have two separate, distinct Twitter accounts? And what are the merits of it? Whether its one professional and one personal, or one for business/branding and one for your actual name, it really depends.

Lego Store x Batman x Catwoman Catcycle x City Chase

LEGO Batman: Catwoman Catcycle City Chase toy set from the LEGO Store at Oakridge Centre mall.



I made it to the brand new (and only one in BC) flagship LEGO Store (pic). I was obsessed with LEGOs as a child and still have my entire collection.

The Social Medium: 5 Essentials for Any Social Media Strategy

1) Engagement is everything.

Having lots of followers is nice if not overrated, seriously. Sure, it's good and high numbers are appealing, but they can be very misleading. You need to directly access and talk to your followers and audience. Engagement is the true measure of value and success online.

The Social Medium: 5 Reasons Why Social Networking is Awesome

1) It's fun and interesting.

So much fun. The instant exchange of information and experiences online is now second nature. That instant satisfaction and opportunity to connect immediately is making our global community and world into a much smaller, connective one.

What's in My Bag? – Part Two

You may recall What's in my bag? (part one) and What I'm wearing? See below.

The Social Medium: 5 Things You Should Know Before You Graduate

Graduating college is one of the scariest feelings. The end of student life and the start of a professional one you may not be ready for can be daunting. You need to learn the rules of the game as you play it. Here are a few general tips to help you navigate your new lifestyle.

The Social Medium: 5 Reasons You Should Change Your Name Online

I wonder if savvy parents are considering more original names or spellings for their children nowadays. Our names now have to be more universal for a global community and audience online. People born with unique, interesting names that are easy to spell and look up online have a natural advantage for personal online brands.