Author: Karen SueAnn Yao

Four years ago at Centennial College, we had this one classmate, a UX Designer (a really good one), and one day she showed the class her mock ups and a presentation… everyone in the room went “whoah.” We were all so impressed. I was so envious of her skills. I wanted that same reaction, so…

With my current pay, which is within the average range for Toronto, I wouldn’t even be able to afford Toronto or Vancouver. If I moved to those bigger cities, there would be no room for savings, travel or miscellaneous expenses without sacrificing my comfort of living. My comfort of living includes at least a 1-bedroom…

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you’re feeling overall exhausted, unhealthy and grumpy +90% of the time, you have to re-evaluate and change your routine. Last year (to say the least) was rough. I would dread waking up, have a max of 5 hours of sleep. Ate and ate and ate,…

A week ago my sister got into an accident. Her car was hit on the driver’s side fender; impact was strong enough that it misaligned the wheel. Imagine: a few inches more and it would have been a direct hit to the driver, her. She’s safe and uninjured. Yesterday, my mom called, telling me she…

I’ve had questions and assumptions about my pay because of how frequent I fly to the Philippines. I always answer, “I wired my brain to decide it’s a non-negotiable expense, a need, similar to paying rent or bills. My pay is enough, but not lavish.” I plan and budget ahead. We book tickets a year…

When I was in high school, my mom would prepare a bag of snacks for me daily, with stuff like jelly aces, wiggles, or hello panda, plus lunches—nice lunches, like rice with adobo or tinola. Yeah, I’d share. It came to the point where my friends n classmates would negotiate who would get what snack,…

If you’re an organized, creative over-thinker like me, Product Design is the perfect career for you. My job basically revolves around looking for pathways or user flows to painlessly bring users to an end action or goal. For example, it’s my job to think, and overthink, the complexities of the simple action of adding an…

Mine was in November 2016. We had an office competition to decorate our stations for Christmas. I don’t even remember what the prize was, but this was a time that I was in love with my job, I loved being in Manila, I was earning my own money for the first time, fresh graduate, and…

Even my parents broke stereotypes: My mom didn’t marry young. My mom never told us to “obey men.” My dad, sister and I all got tattoos together. My dad never made us feel as if “we had to be the good wife.” My parents separated despite everyone’s prying eyes because they prioritized peace. My parents…