But where are the holds? Herein lies the beauty and the differentiator between gym climbers and rock climbers — in the gym, there’s a general beta which you can dial and repeat-send. In the outdoors, there are suggestions (from either leftover chalk residue or a book that you can purchase from the park centre) but the real skill lies is in reading the rock and trusting in your ability to top out. Think of it like a high stakes game testing your ability to real-time solve a problem in relation to your current skills and attributes, and move intuitively with confidence that you won’t fall (because falling can be dire).

Hands down, one of the coolest moments ever was getting to watch my cousin Dave open for one of his biggest musical idols Zel Bautista of December Avenue.

Going by David Ursolo now, I remember first meeting him as a kid in the Philippines — both energetic and full of life, it was literally like he was bred to sing.

Our second time visiting El Dorado Casitas Royale (and certainly not our last), Tara and I really wanted to know if it was just a fluke as to why we liked the place so much (essentially, chasing after a feeling we could never achieve again) or if there was something truly magical about this place. And after 10 days at the resort (granted, some say 10 days might be a lot), we are even more hooked than before!

The real key is understanding the ramifications of your decisions and to realizing that you do have a choice. Just because I was brought up eating Filipino food, doesn’t mean I have to make it my go-to choice for every meal. Just because heart disease, diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver are all common to Filipinos doesn’t mean I have to fall victim to these diseases. Just because I was brought up believing everyone’s body breaks down and you just have to live with disease doesn’t mean that that has to also be my fate.

As a practicing photographer for over 10 years now (fun fact: Tara actually taught me how to shoot photography — Wab taught me how to shoot video), it never ceases to amaze me in regards to how much access and anonymity you can get just by holding a camera.

Hands down, one of the best travel recommendations I’ve received — mark my words, one day Cobá will be more famous can Chichén Itzá!

Admittedly, upon visiting the famed Chichén Itzá site I was a bit taken aback by the level of commercialization at the site and it ultimately left me feeling disinterested in checking out the second ancient site on our list, Cobá.

Having been to a number of ancient sites now (from Angkor Wat, to Giza, to Machu Picchu), it’s become a fascinating pattern to me to see how commercial these supposed “spiritual” sites have become (if you’ve ever been to Angkor Wat, the vendors at Chichén Itzá are like that on steroids when it comes to getting you to buy souvenirs or grift you into spending more money than you initially intended).

Truth be told, Tara and I were a little incredulous about going to an all-inclusive before embarking on this trip. Spending most of our travel adventures in hostels, hotels, and Airbnbs, while mainly taking the time to explore outside meant we paid very little attention to “relaxing” when travelling. Not to mention, most of the people we knew who went to an all-inclusive didn’t speak very highly of their experiences…

From the shows, to the venues, to the food, to the architecture, Las Vegas really shines in its ability to create cool stuff. Granted, I’m still a huge proponent of Asia when it comes to technological advancement, but what really sets Las Vegas apart from other Eastern technology-driven locations (like Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, and Japan) is its central focus on entertainment consumption.

For all you gamers out there, Halifax’s boardwalk kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy 8’s Balamb Town, and is loaded with many great spots to eat, with some of my top recommendations being: The Bicycle Thief and Dave’s Lobsters (home to easily the best Lobster Roll in Halifax—trust me, I tried a bunch!). Though, if you’re in for a bit of a drive, my other top two recommendations in Halifax would be The Canteen and The Knot Pub.

Located roughly two-hours away from Toronto next to Peterborough in Woodview, Ontario, contains the largest collection of Petroglyphs in North America with carvings dating as far back as 6,000 years ago with newer carvings etched in as early as 600 years ago.

A project I’m pretty proud to have been a part of; in an industry traditionally divided, we were able to bring together over 60 outdoor organizations nationally across Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto to discuss building program resiliency as it relates to climate change.

A short axiomatic breakdown, encoded in equation form, describing one of the primary mechanisms of action in life.

Capacity (what we can take on and manage) is directly proportional to the amount of Presence we can maintain in relation to Load (stress, anxiety, distraction, resistance, etc.).

A central component in the brain’s anatomical make up, the primary purpose of the Amygdala is to serve as the major processing centre for one’s emotions. In essence, the Amygdala is our “Emotion Factory” where we generate either positive or negative emotions.

How does this all fit together? Well, interestingly enough, the Amygdala is actually highly sensitive to (you guessed it) sound!

When examined far enough, there are actually only really two main traditions that dominate our society: the Vedic tradition and the Abrahamic one. 

From these two roots sprang forth a giant tree with derivative branches known as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism (for the former); and Judaism, Christianity and Islam (for the latter).

Don’t get me wrong—black belts are great. We live in a hierarchal world, after all. However, for all true martial artists out there, meritocracy is the only real measure; and I guess you just have to ask yourself one thing: am I a martial artist, or am I someone who just practices martial arts?

If we’re talking instead about Martial Arts Philosophy, then that is a totally different story, with only one true winner standing out against the rest: The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

As a creator, I’ve spent many years condemning the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for creative works; perhaps subconsciously out of my own existential fear of becoming irrelevant. I, like most other creators, thought AI was some sort of creative-abomination here to take away our jobs; rather than enhance our current way of doing things.

What’s outside of the universe?

Everything we see, experience, interact with and observe is all contained within this unified system called the universe. Every molecule, compound, chemical, star cluster, black hole, blade of grass, animal, and even consciousness itself, is all contained within the universe.

How would you know what a “thing” is if you had no words to define it?

If there were no words for pain, love, fear, happiness, doubt, joy, yin, yang, how would you know what “it” is?

Language is how we both create and perceive the world around us. “Things” are only “real” because we can define them.

At the heart of the entire Practice of Meditation is Discipline. Discipline, broken down, is knowing what you must do in that moment (despite your thoughts and feelings) and doing it.

I need to go for a run. But I’ll be so tired after.
I need to eat better. But the desserts look more tasty.
I need to study for this exam. But this show is so tempting.

At its lowest level, these are just the three planes of existence. However, at its highest level, these are planes to help you achieve self-mastery; for, what else is more important to master in this transient life than your self?

Each morning (typically from Monday to Friday) we all wake up and “get ready for work.”

Most likely, you’ll take a shower; change your clothes; eat some food; then head over to your car or local transit station (unless you work remote, in which case you’d just open your laptop).