Stephanie Lim
Multimedia storyteller
Past articles
Case of the “Miss-ing” Surname
November 28th, 2009 | Published in Features
By Stephanie Lim
WEDDING GUEST LIST: CHECK,
WEDDING VENUE AND FOOD: CHECK,
WEDDING DECORATIONS AND FLOWERS: CHECK,
WEDDING CAKE: CHECK,
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: CHECK,
WEDDING—MAIDEN OR HUSBAND’S NAME:
DECISION.
For many brides-to-be, another item on their wedding checklist may include whether or not they should legally change their last names to their husbands’. Like aesthetic appearance, sexual orientation, career, beliefs, values, culture and religion, surnames are simply another way people identify themselves.
Samantha Smith (maiden name), Samantha Smith-Wong, Samantha Wong-Smith, or just Samantha Wong—which should it be? In the end, the changing of one’s surname may be determined by a number of factors: personal choice, following tradition, or in some cases, abiding by the law.
While some brides hold dearly to their maiden name, others don’t. With marriage, the possibility of a new surname may signal a new identity. Imagine the experience of dating the man of your dreams while you’re enjoying a successful career. Then, suddenly he proposes. What then happens to your professional identity? Such is the case with Carmen So, a Business Analyst and Project Manager who is known at work as an independent, aggressive, and organized person. Carmen knows what she wants and gets down to business. When Calvin Kwok proposed to her—in his car on the way home from watching fireworks—the decision to change her maiden name to his surname immediately began to creep into her mind.
(for the full article click here...)
Chinese New Year is a time for fresh starts, food and blessings
By Stephanie Lim
February 8, 2013
Sugared lotus root, coconut and winter melon pieces are some of the delicious treats Kathy Chan looks forward to on Chinese New Year. In the traditional round candy box found on her kitchen table every New Year, other lucky treats like red melon seeds, candied ginger and chocolate gold coins can also be found. As a child in Hong Kong, she remembers waking up early on Chinese New Year’s Day, dressed in her new clothes, ready to greet her parents with blessings of good health and prosperity in return for red envelopes filled with “lucky money.”
“When I was little, collecting red envelopes or lei see from family and relatives, and eating lots of sweets, were always my favourite parts,” laughs the Scarborough, Ontario, resident.
Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it is commonly known in China, is celebrated by Chinese people around the world. It starts on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar and ends 15 days later with the Lantern Festival to celebrate the first full moon of the year (this should not be confused with the Mid-Autumn festival also known as the Lantern Festival). This year’s merriments begin on Feb. 10, 2013, which marks the year of the snake on the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
Chan came to Canada when she was 10 years old and was elated to find out that Chinese New Year is also celebrated in Canada. Leading up to one of her favourite times of the year, a lot of preparation is needed, especially around the house.
(for the full article click here...)
Construction woes for wheelchair users
By Stephanie Lim
Point Grey resident Lori Kemp knows firsthand the problem of crossing sidewalks during roadside construction. She nearly toppled over a temporary construction ramp on West Broadway between Larch and Alma.
The city of Vancouver began the West Broadway Street Renewal project to repair broken sidewalks caused by aging tree-roots along this street on January 8, 2007.
Plans are to widen curbs for wheelchair access and to add groove lines for the visually impaired by the end of this year. This process to redo and upgrade sidewalks is making it difficult for wheelchair users like Kemp to move around.
There are guidelines and standards to ensure the safety of pedestrians during roadwork, but no legal requirement to give people with disabilities safe and equal access.
“By myself, it’s safer to be on the road,” said Kemp, who finds daily tasks like going to the bank across the street from her apartment more difficult than before.
Temporary bits of boards used as construction ramps bridging unfinished sidewalk curbs are not enough, she said.
“If … accidently you move [the ramp] when you’re trying to get over it, you topple right over.”
(for the full article please click more...)
Barry Szeto: Making the Rounds, Making it Big?
By Guest Contributor Stephanie Lim, originally published on Perspectives
Breaking into the New Year is pop/R&B sensation and BC native Barry Szeto. With his first self-titled album due to be released late this spring at the iTunes store, Szeto is one of many Asians trying to break into the western music industry.
Experimenting with different genres including Reggae, Reggaeton (a Latin inspired genre) and Hip Hop, his smooth and soulful voice makes his style one of a kind.
This past December, 2008, I had a chance to catch up with Szeto at a local bubble tea cafe in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He was very nonchalant when he greeted me - like we were old friends. His black hair was carefully spiked to a peak, and I knew this young man was serious about getting into the music industry when I saw a silver chain draped around his neck holding a classic cassette tape pendent - reminiscent of the real ones from back in the day.
After ordering some food and our green tea, he slowly began telling me about his journey into the western music scene.
"I'm trying to get [Asians and non-Asians] to like me as an artist, period," Szeto said. "I don't really want to let the whole Asian thing get in the way, because this is all about music at the end - it's about making them dance."
(for the full article click here...)
Diversity begins in the classroom for students
By Stephanie Lim
June 4, 2013
In May 2005, Debora Rubin immigrated to Canada from Córdoba, Argentina, in hopes of a better education and work opportunities. However, this came at the price of leaving a life that was once familiar for one that was unexplored.
“Even though I decided to leave my home city for a better life, I found myself missing a lot all my good friends and family,” Rubin says.
“The change from Spanish to English and from a collectivist to individualist culture also had an impact on me.”
For Rubin, pursuing a business management degree majoring in global management at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management in Toronto gave her an ideal environment in which to learn, socialize and immerse herself in Canada’s diverse society prior to entering the labour market.
(for the full article click here...)
Tips for post-secondary students entering the job market
By Stephanie Lim
June 11, 2013
Landing his dream job as a video editor at Ubisoft Toronto was nothing short of hard work, drive and determination. Like many immigrant students, Chinese student Jason Cook followed the usual path after high school and enrolled in university. At the University of Waterloo, he studied computer science and psychology, but it was his elective courses in film theory that really ignited his passion for a career as a video editor.
“My aspirations were to work in something computer-related,” Cook says.
Focused on this goal, his career journey began. He participated in co-op work terms in the computer science field and later tried psychology-related jobs upon graduation, but all the while, he was still gripped by his love for film and storytelling.
“I realized that I could really thrive if I combined my love of technology with my love of film (editing specifically) and sought out an exciting new career as a video editor,” Cook says.
For many graduates, finding a job upon graduation may prove difficult due to a number of things such as the economy and hiring demands.
(for the full article click here...)