Fresh Off the Bluff

Work hard, make money, make your family proud. But what were you actually supposed to become? Janice and Suzanne revisit career tests, auntie-approved business degrees, and the pressure to finish what you started, even when it didn’t feel right. From a mom who somehow juggled babysitting, sewing, and three kids to childhood dreams getting another chance in adulthood, it’s a funny, honest conversation about the work ethic we inherited, the guidance we wished for, and figuring out what we want to be when we grow up… again.

Timestamps

• 00:00 — Growing up with different expectations
• 00:44 — Career tests and the business-school detour
• 04:18 — Suzanne’s classes, psychology, and finding ECE
• 06:48 — Marriage, motherhood, and feeling unfinished
• 08:37 — Making room for acting
• 11:58 — How did our moms do it all?
• 14:50 — The conversations we didn’t have
• 17:21 — Between cultures, between school systems
• 21:01 — What we’d do differently
• 24:14 — A gap year? Imagine that

In Part 2 of the Crushes conversation, Janice and Suzanne leave the tiny Squamish dating pool behind and enter the much more confusing world of university, city boys, hidden relationships, bad dates, and figuring out what actually matters in a partner. From awkward first kisses and “dried fish lips” to spilled water, secret boyfriends, and the very specific panic of wondering whether someone will actually understand your Asian-ness. Basically, the messy, funny, sometimes cringey path from teenage fantasy to adult clarity.  

Along the way, they unpack what it felt like to be too Asian for some people, not Asian enough for others, and why being truly seen can feel like the biggest green flag of all. It’s a nostalgic, hilarious, and surprisingly tender look at dating, identity, cultural expectations, and the hard-earned realization that maybe there are finer things in life than chasing a boyfriend.

Timestamps

• 00:28 — Leaving the Tiny Squamish Dating Pool
• 02:34 — Hidden Relationships and Learning What You Want
• 05:58 — Code-Switching, Culture, and Dating
• 09:56 — Too Asian, Not Asian Enough
• 14:24 — Moms, Matchmaking, and “Someone Really Buff?”
• 18:11 — Dried Fish Lips
• 18:50 — Spilled Water and the Biggest Green Flag
• 21:16 — When Chemistry Does Not Translate
• 24:21 — Advice to Younger Selves: Find a New Hobby

Before real relationships, there were TV crushes, Tuxedo Mask standards, compatibility tests, and one very romantic box of chocolates that had already been half eaten. In Part 1 of their crushes conversation, Janice and Suzanne look back at the awkward, funny, and quietly formative ways they learned about love, from cartoons, TVB, boy bands, school crushes, and the complete lack of “the talk” at home. It’s expectations vs. reality in full 90s/Y2K form: childhood butterflies, confusing signals, big feelings, and the slow realization that love was probably supposed to feel less like guessing and more like being seen.

In this episode, Janice and Suzanne unpack the holiday food divide that says way more about growing up Chinese-Canadian than it probably should: Janice just wanted turkey, Suzanne’s family was firmly team hot pot, and somehow both of them ended up carrying whole childhood identities through what showed up on the table. From Lunar New Year traditions and Chinatown memories to soggy sandwiches, fish eyes at school, and the awkwardness of explaining your food and culture to classmates who didn’t quite get it, this conversation is funny, nostalgic, and surprisingly tender.

It’s an episode about the meals we loved, the lunches we hid, and the traditions that still feel worth passing on.

Timestamps

• 00:05 – Welcome back to Episode 2
• 00:22 – Turkey vs. hot pot: the holiday food debate begins
• 04:15 – Lunar New Year dishes and favourite feast foods
• 07:05 – Chinatown memories, night markets, performances, and lucky candy
• 12:14 – Traditions today, sad Christmas dinner, and serious turkey leftovers
• 15:37 – Dry ham sandwiches, soggy lunches, and the school lunch struggle
• 18:49 – Salted fish, fish eyes, and lunchbox culture shock
• 25:13 – What school did (or didn’t) make space for
• 31:32 – Passing on traditions, hot pot, and watching your eyes

In this episode, Janice and Suzanne reflect on their childhood growing up in Squamish, British Columbia, and share memories of small-town life, family traditions, cultural identity, and the experiences that shaped them as first-generation Asian Canadian kids. From wandering around neighborhood creeks and parks to helping at family businesses and navigating life as one of the only Asian families in town, the conversation is filled with humor, nostalgia, and heartfelt stories about growing up in the 90s.

Timestamps

• 00:01 – Welcome to the podcast and why Janice & Suzanne started the show
• 01:23 – Growing up in Squamish and memories of different neighborhoods
• 05:10 – Creek adventures, backyard playtime, and classic small-town childhood memories
• 07:00 – Playing around town, family restaurants, and growing up with independence
• 10:10 – Parents working constantly and helping out in the family business
• 12:04 – Being some of the only Asian kids in school and experiences with identity and bullying
• 18:07 – Strict Asian teachers, school stories, and childhood discipline
• 21:37 – Taekwondo, piano lessons, Chinese school, and extracurricular activities
• 26:50 – Childhood memories they would relive again and reflections on home