Category Archives: Creative Non-Fiction

I was a member of a teenage cult

Posted on 24 August 2018 by andyq

When I was fifteen years old, I entered a program at my high school in Vancouver called B.C. Quest. It was touted as an outdoors education program, and become infamous in 2006 when one of our teachers was involved in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Creative Non-Fiction | 2 Comments

The Christmas Booze Delivery Run

Posted on 4 August 2018 by andyq

I’ve had a series of bad events for the apartment I rent out, so I felt that I wanted to show some appreciation for my property manager, who has had to do a LOT more work than usual, and send … Continue reading →

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Witches

Posted on 7 June 2018 by andyq

I remember being in the car, one of the series of station wagons my father loved, on a family trip. I believe it was somewhere in the USA, to Seattle or maybe Spokane for the World Expo. I would have … Continue reading →

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Buttercups

Posted on 15 May 2018 by andyq

Walking to the hospital, I am noticing the plain, boxy apartment buildings of Vancouver of the 40s and 50s, none renovated, in colours of pastel and forest. I can hear the voice of a friend Bert who left the city … Continue reading →

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Pearson College’s The Nostalgia Project

Posted on 21 March 2017 by andyq

For two years, I went to a tiny international college in Vancouver Island on a bay at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The idea of the United World Colleges, as Pearson College was one of I think six at … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Racism against Asian-Americans

Posted on 2 November 2016 by andyq

There seems to have been an interesting ‘moment’ happening in popular culture in the United States. I’m sure that this has nothing to do with the fact that the two Asian-American contestants on the latest season of the long-running TV … Continue reading →

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Four months in Paris

Posted on 29 January 2015 by andyq

Short vacations of a few weeks and living abroad for years or longer have their various benefits. But at this point in my life, where I have a happy home in Sydney, the unexpected opportunity to live in Paris for … Continue reading →

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Do you vélib in life after love? My favourite pastime in Paris.

Posted on 21 January 2015 by andyq

While getting lost, people-watching, and wandering are among my preferred activities in Paris, my singular favourite thing to do has been riding around on the amazing free bikes, the vélibs (vélo = bike and libre = free). It’s an amazing … Continue reading →

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Reading Hemingway in Paris

Posted on 4 October 2014 by andyq

Today, I have been reading Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. He writes about his younger self in Paris, as a writer, living, without much money, on the Left Bank in Paris. I am a writer, just moved here to work … Continue reading →

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The Amazing Abtronic

Posted on 6 September 2014 by andyq

Note: This is one of my most popular blog posts. People keep searching for it, and finding it. If you want to save some time, here’s the take-home message. This thing doesn’t work. Eat less or do some sit-ups. Whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Non-Fiction, Family | 9 Comments