Michelle Chan

Have you ever watched a travel show about skiing and felt inspired to learn how to ski, but without exerting yourself too much? Or have you ever admired the graceful form of Olympic divers from afar, yet lacked the courage to try it yourself? Watching divers jumping off the 3-meter springboard might make you think that it's a fun and exciting activity to try. However, when you see professional divers calmly standing at the edge of a 10-meter platform, preparing to jump, you might feel intimidated and wonder how ordinary people can do it. Often, when faced with challenging activities that seem difficult, we tend to avoid or procrastinate due to fear. For the BBOLD "Dare" Challenge, we invited Kylie, a fearless test officer who loves water sports, yoga, free diving, and surfing, b...

Recently, I ventured out of Asia for the first time and explored England and Europe. I was filled with excitement and the memories I made were truly unforgettable.On this occasion, I took on the challenge of a self-driving tour with my besties. From planning our route to renting the car and overcoming obstacles, my experience as a novice driver (in overseas) was a valuable learning experience. If anyone is dreaming of embarking on their first European self-driving tour, my story may provide some interesting insights! Navigating Car Rental Reviews:Tips for Making Informed Decisions I've gone on a few self-driving trips in Japan, but this was my first time doing it in the UK! While researching car rentals, I found that the major rental companies include Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Hertz...

As we grow up, we often see the world and ourselves through the lens of our beliefs. While we can listen to others' life stories and experiences, we often have our own set of ideas and emotions as third-party observers. We may unintentionally add too much of our own emotions and opinions. When we listen to our friends' stories, we often try to put ourselves in their shoes, but it's not the same as experiencing it firsthand. That's why I enjoy reading - I can read other people's life stories without bringing my personal emotions or being influenced by close relationships. It's easier to detach myself, immerse myself in the world of the book, and experience a different world view and life story. The annual book fair is a great opportunity to discover new books, and I've prepared some rec...

Inviting Women friends to Explore Their Ocean and Celebrating New Freedoms  Saudi Arabia In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (where many female divers are also driving for the first time), a 2019 Women’s Dive Day event brought together three diving trailblazers. The historic meeting included the one of the first female PADI Instructors in Saudi Arabia, Jennifer Simpson, one of the first female Saudi PADI Instructor, Sarah Abdullah Bogdadi, and PADI AmbassaDiver™  and one of the first Saudi female PADI Technical Diver, Nouf Alosaimi. Cayman Islands Continuing the tradition of paying it forward every PADI Women’s Dive Day, PADI Five Star Dive Resort Divetech Grand Cayman celebrated the day through a charity fundraiser, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the Cayman I...

In recent years, both large chain gyms and small independent fitness studios have been popping up all over Hong Kong, showing that the fitness trend is becoming more and more developed. As an editor born in the 1990s, I used to rely on my youthful energy and good health, and didn't pay much attention to fitness. However, after working in an office from 10am to 7pm every day for three to four years, I've noticed that my body is gradually deteriorating due to the lack of targeted muscle training. I'm not alone in this, as many of my friends are facing the same problem. Initially, we thought that getting a massage, stretching, or acupuncture would relieve the pain and discomfort, but after a year or two, we realized that these methods only address the symptoms and not the root cause. ...

May brings the early summer heat and reminds us that the Dragon Boat Festival is nearly upon us, with its exciting and intense dragon boat races that take place every year! I recall a few years back, whilst chatting with my colleagues about my nerves regarding the start of diving season, a seemingly reserved female coworker sitting opposite me at my computer mentioned that she had recently arranged to "paddle a dragon boat" with a group of friends. I was taken aback and responded, "Wow, that's fantastic!" It was then that I realized that even someone like myself, an ordinary woman working in advertising, could form a dragon boat team and experience the thrill of racing. Is it true that women were once not allowed to touch dragon boats? The tradition of dragon boating in Hong Kon...

Last month, Forbes magazine released its annual "30 Under 30 Asia" list for 2023, recognizing young elites from various fields and industries. Among the honorees was MC Cheung Tien-fu, selected as a "Sports and Entertainment" standout, making waves in the city. However, it's worth noting the other young Asian sports talents who were also named to this year's list, including Japanese athlete Momoka Muraoka, "Korean Short Track Speed Skating Queen" Choi Min-jeong, Australian golfer Hannah Green, Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic, and 23-year-old Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina. As young athletes, they often have to make life-altering decisions earlier than their peers. They must sacrifice their social life and time with friends to focus on intensive training, all while n...

Vegetarianism has its roots in ancient India, where it was first practiced as a religious tradition. In China, the custom of abstaining from meat on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month was also prevalent. This led to vegetarianism being regarded as a manifestation of religious faith. However, in modern times, vegetarians often face stigmas such as being associated with malnutrition. They may also be viewed as difficult to dine with, and even labeled as weak, as seen in the popular Chinese internet slang "I'm not a vegetarian." Moreover, studies have found that women are more likely to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle than men, which further reinforces gender stereotypes associated with the term "vegetarian “Only women will like veggie food, real men will eat meat.” When ...