
import Image from "next/image";

<div>
    Attended [Hopscotch Vancouver](https://www.hopscotchfestival.com/) with Jess this past Friday,
    and got to try out a diversity of liquor at the PNE.
    I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I definitely under estimated how many vendors would be on site
    with the availbility of 400+ product sampling. Jess and I both traded for 25 tokens and began our night's dive into alcoholism.
    \
    \
    We started off our night with a sample of Nikka whiskeys; I got the coffee grain while Jess got the Coffee malt.
    Although I have been trying to get into sipping whiskey as a consumerist hobby, I still can't handle the unique aftertaste of whiskey.
    The coffee grain whiskey made from corn was smooth, sweet but still have that distinct whiskey taste.
    While the coffee malt tasted just as sharp as the whiskey I have at home.
    I then visited the Patron stall to try the AÑEJO which was aged over 12 months,
    and to my unrefined palette it just tasted like an extra smooth tequila.
    I would not mind sipping on this at home over ice after a long day of work.
    \
    \
    We then tried Sheringham gin, and the Rhubarb version I got tasted like a slightly sweet gin, while Jess's Lemon gin
    basically tasted like lemon juice.
    Jess then went to Bicardi to try their cocktail mixes, which were pleasantly mixed and is something I would love to have at partys.
    We finished off the night at Cambridge gin, where we sampled their truffle gin.
    While it smelled heavily of gin and induced my appetite, the taste was undeniably strong of gin with a slight truffle after taste.
    I wonder if I could keep a shot of this in my room as a liquid candle?
    \
    \
    We got to catch up with Kevin who was also there, and ended off the night with some homemade Pho from Ms.Chef herself
    while we re-watched Kung Fu Hustle over dinner. Overall it was a pleasant night, and I am happy for this opportunity to explore the different alcohols available.
</div>

Hopscotch


import Image from "next/image";

<div>
  <div>
    Road tripping across Canada has always been a goal of mine, and this summer marks the beginning of the journey to cross that off my bucket list. 
    While the recent gas price still make both my wallet and I cry internally, 
    I can say with certainty that this trip spanning two months and over 6000km driven provided a unique experience that can not be justified by the monetary value alone.
    \
    \
    After leaving home in Surrey, I headed East toward Hope where I sprinted through two quick water falls: Bridal Veil Falls, and Flood Falls, before visiting the Hope Slide. 
    Originally I planned on tackling Needle Peak as well in the afternoon, but I was deterred with snow, fog, and a construction site with warning of "Active demolishion in progress in the area" upon my arrival. 
    A quick rest stop at the Hope slide humbled me in regard to the raw power of nature before I quickly ventured on towards Kelowna.
    \
    \
    On entering Kelowna, I found myself stumbling across a car show at the waterfront, and thus reminded me that it was Father's day weekend. 
    I called Papa H to update him on my wellbeing and current location before taking in what the city has to offer. 
    I took a quick trip to UBCO and then checked out the Kangaroo Creek Farm where I got more than I bargined for in terms of cute and fluffy critters. 
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/ProvincialRoadTrip2022/Who's that Pokemon.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    Heading further East, I visited the worlds largest paddle in Golden before arriving at Radium hot spring, where I was 30min too late for the day's entry into the hot spring. 
    And so I spent the night to try again tomorrow. Bright and early, I tried to tackle the Lake of the Hanging Glaciers hike with very little preparation *foreshadowing*, 
    and soon spent more than an hour going down rough logging road before entering bear country. 
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/ProvincialRoadTrip2022/World's Largest Paddle - Parson.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    I still ventured on into the woods by myself, which was alarmingly filled with large animal droppings, before realizing 1.5hrs into the hike that the temporary foot bridge used to access the rest of the hike was not in place during this time of the month.
    Let this be a lesson to myself to plan solo hikes of more than 5hrs in duration more thoroughly before attempting to tackle it.
    On the way back down from the logging road, I ended up popping my tire over some sharp rocks and spent an hr on the side of gravel road trying to figure out how to replace my tire, or if I need to call a tow truck to get me out of this mess.
    Anyways... a whole three hours of hassle later I found myself back to civilization, where I made arrangements to have the tire replaced at the closest Canadian Tire in Invermere the next day. I still have not dipped in the hot spring yet at this point. 
    \
    \
    Once my tire was repaired, I headed off to Fairmont hot spring instead. Might as well check it out while I am here right?
    I spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hot spring fueled pools before enjoying a bit of reading on the library book I loaned out for the trip. 
    I filmed a part of the sunset before ending my night with a bit of planning on my exciting drive to Banff.
    \
    \
    Finally, I am crossing into Alberta! Little did I know that the next few days will be the last I see of any slopes for a while. 
    I first met up with Sophia in Lake Louise where she recommended me on a few nearby hikes and attractions to check out, I quickly left to fulfill my unmet hiking urges and tackled the Plain of Six Glaciers near the end of the day.
    When I got up to the tea house, I was once again just a few minutes too late to enjoy a cup of tea as the owner has already closed up shop. 
    I then tackled the end of the upper trail where I was greeted with rain, hail, and a lot of snow before finally arriving at the view point to see where early explorers and mountaineers could access the [Abbot Pass](https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/web/ACCMember/Huts/Abbot_Pass_Hut.aspx) before returning back to base for the night.
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/ProvincialRoadTrip2022/Via Ferrata 1- Mt Norquay.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    Having yet to satisfy my craving for nature, I started the morning tackling the Tower of Babel at Lake Morraine which ended up being more than what I bargained for (*shocker!*).
    After a 2hr long scramble up fallen rocks, I headed down right before the snow storm hit.
    \
    \
    The rest of the day was spent exploring much of Canmore and Banff, where I got to check out many of the artisan galleries, and learned about how Ammonite is created from the Ammonite Factory.
    I tried to tackle the East end of Rundle before realizing that the area was under construction and that I was in no mood to bush wack my way through another unfamiliar hike deep in the mountains.
    I quickly explored the cave and basin national historic site, and drove back to Johnston Canyon, another waterfall filled trail that I was excited to tackle, before sprinting throgh all the waterfalls.
    To end off the day, I treated myself to the Grizzly House where I got to grill a variety of interesting meat selections. MMMMM yum yum thicc steak cubes.
    \
    \
    After multiple days of hiking, I decide to round off the mountain experience by tackling the longest guided tour offered at Mt. Norquay's Via Ferrata with Sophia, 8hrs of climbing route where our group was latched to the side of cliffs by two dangly rope around our waist, super cool experience!.
    I then started my drive towards Calgary, had dinner, before heading to Sylvan Lake to meet up with Marmar and visit her cutest cat friend and spending the next day catching up and exploring downtown. And off to Edmonton I go
    \
    \
    The next two weeks were spent at Allura's place, and even though I haven't went clubbing or drinking in years, she took me out four times that week, and we even went to a Sullivan King show!
    I got to check out the West Edmonton Mall, the Royal Alberta Museum, as well as the Muttart Conservatory during my time there while getting back in shape and catching up on my pet projects. I even got to witness the Northern lights in the middle of summer!
    In the end I checked out Elk Island National Park before heading back to Calgary in anticipation for the Calgary Stampede.
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/ProvincialRoadTrip2022/Summer northern lights - Edmonton.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    Ah to finally be in Calgary, the sunniest city in Canada, was a refreshing experience in comparison to the raincity of Vancouver that I have become accomodated to.
    I took a week to try out the amazing local coffee shops such as the Roasterie, as well as amazing food from the likes of YYC Pasta Bar.
    I had the opportunity to learn about the wonderful history of music in Studio Bell, as well as walked the Peace Bridge (who's construction was apparently frowned upon by some of the locals?).
    Last but not least, I was able to attend the Calgary Stampede! An annual event which showcases the Western heritage and culture where I witnessed a variety of yeehaw-eries like barrrel racing and calf wrangling.
    It was also at the Stampede where I got to see Whipped Cream, Kaskade, and the New Pornographers perform live along with many other artists throughout the night while I chugged ice coffee as a diet to keep myself fueled throughout the day.
    Little did I know or expect, that I would be obliterated with many shots of picklebacks and tequila pounded back with people I have only met that day, along with Valerie who was also visiting from Vancouver.
    I was happy to be able to catch up with Valerie, whom I have not seen since my early university days, as well as Carney who invited me along for floor hockey, and also showed me how unfit I have become cardio-wise.
    And with the festivities coming to an end, I departed for the final third of my journey. But first, a quick detour towards Drumheller! Although I had little expectation for what Drumheller would be like when I set out on this detour, hoping to catch a few quick hikes and sights along the way,
    I soon became awed at the surrounding landscape. As I drove through the dark and woke up to see the view from Orkney viewpoint, I was overtaken by the majestic atmosphere that surrounded me. 
    The rest of the day was just as unique as I traversed from site to site looking at the educational displays of dinosaurs from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the breath taking views from Horseshoe Canyon, as well as the tales of hardships told by the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site.
    This stark contrast between the city life of Calgary and the preserved landscape of Drumheller was only a tease at the journey I had ahead of me.
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/ProvincialRoadTrip2022/Orkney Viewpoint - Drumheller.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    After departing Drumheller, I began the last leg of my journey: the way home. Having promised my best friend Hamid that I would make it back to Vancouver to go clubbing with him one last time before he departs for Europe, I abstracted my return trip to only a week and a half through the states.
    I spent a hasted afternoon in Lethbridge where I got to check out the Lethbridge Viaduct, before leaving bright and early in the morning to head towards Montana for Yellowstone park. Along the way I was able to make time for a half day at West Glacier National Park where I was greeted with hail and rain in the middle of July while tackling the Hidden Lake Trail.
    When I finally arrived in Montana, I discovered the super sized Iced Breve latte, a heart attack made up of 6 shots of espresso with at least 10 shots of half & half, and it was love on first sight. Before finally arriving at Yellowstone National Park.
    One of my biggest regret on this entire trip was only spending 1.5 days at Yellowstone National Park. From a lake front view, to mountains, to plains, Yellowstone had it all. I drove shoulder to shoulder with Bisons, and even walked right into a few, often by accident because they are usually so darn quiet and chill, while being able to see beautiful natural phenomenons such as the Grand Canyon and the Grand Prismatic Spring.
    My time at Yellowstone was over in a blink of an eye, and before I know it I was heading towards home. I visited the Garnet Ghost Town, and almost destroyed my car for the second time, before crossing Spokane and Seattle off my quick visit list and finally crossing back across the border to home.
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/ProvincialRoadTrip2022/Grand Prismatic Spring - Yellowstone National Park.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    After a whole two months spent on this journey, I felt rejuvenated and more learnt as an individual. But even though I felt a little wiser, I was definitely not much maturer as I immediately went out clubbing the night I got back.
    All in all, this was a fun experience and I would be interested in going on more road trips in the future. I hope to make time to plan in more details for a visit of Northern Vancouver Island, a trip following the Juan de Fuca trail, as well as a cross Canada road trip to cross off my bucket list.
    To future me: listen to the wise gentleman from the island, and enjoy your present a little more. Smell the roses as you past them because there is no opportunity better than the present. That is why its called the present!
  </div>
---
</div>

BC, AB, MT


import Image from "next/image";

`Bro it actully rains more in Vancouver (Unless you're in tofino)` - LiamW

<div>
  <div>
    # Greetings after a weekend getaway in Tofino with papa Huang 
    I have never felt as *moist* as I have in the past two days as I could swear it only
    stop raining for two hours throughout the duration of our
    stay. It was quite unforunate that we did not get to enjoy the full glory of
    the many beaches offered, but the experience was still very much worth the
    6hr journey from Surrey > Nanaimo > Tofino.
    \
    \
    Getting off the ferry in Nanaimo, we took a stroll around Pipers Lagoon Park with multiple stop for photo ops before heading towards Tofino. 
    We stopped by the Smokin' George's BBQ restaurant to check out their speciality nanaimo bars as part of the Nanaimo trail, before checking out the Old Country Market where we were greeted by goats chilling on the roof top.
    After a final stop at Coombs Country Candy to stock up on munchies, we arrived at Tofino for the night.
    \
    \
    As we parked at our reserved camping spot, I quickly realized that my tent bag did not in fact carry the 3-man tent I assumed was inside, 
    and therefore I made the decision to sleep in the front passenger seat while Papa Huang took the makeshift bed in the back.
    The next morning was spent exploring the small town of Tofino, where we checked out many galleries and First Nations craft stores before snacking on some local fish and chips, yum!
    In the afternoon I took up surfing lessons and swallowed many mouthfuls of salt water while banging my head on the beach bottom, but hey at least I made an SFU acquaintance and caught a few small waves.
    After cleaning up, we made a quick trip to Ucluelet and visited the Amphitrite Point light house before retiring back to our camp site for the night.
  </div>
  <div>
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/VanIsland/Papa Huang @ Tofino Port.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    \
    The final day of our shared trip is here, and we headed out bright and early in the morning for our drive back towards Victoria where I was to drop off Papa Huang.
    We went on a small hike to see the Hole in the Wall near Port Alberni before having lunch and snacks and then taking one last stroll throught the Kinsol Trestle, 
    where we saw the historical wooden rail bridges before heading back to the Victoria ferry terminal and said our goodbyes.
    \

  </div>
  <div>
    # Let the solo car trip begin! To Victoria, and islands beyond
    Freedom at last! I arrived in Victoria and had dinner with Raymond before spending the night catching up.
    Early in the morning, I began my exploration of Victoria at Glencoe Cove as per Raymond's recommendation.
    I then visited the University of Victoria where I took a break from traveling and reminisce the student life by working on my blog website.
    I checked out the Fishermans Wharf for lunch and got myself some delicious oysters and fish & chips from a pier shop, before grabbing coffee from a nearby local coffee shop.
    To alleviate myself from my food coma, I went for a stroll around the government house before departing for my ferry ride to Galiano island, one of the souther gulf islands near Victroia.
    I severely overestimated the size of Galiano island as I completed a quick hike and drove the length of the island all within a few hours.  
    It was here that I was able to catch sight of the many beautiful ocean front properties, beaches, the fascinating sandstone caves, as well as have the pleasure of acquaintaing myself with this older gentleman whom I had the pleasure of discussing a variety of interesting topics throughout the night with, and advised me to know when to take it slow in life without rushing through the importance of the present.
    Looking back now, I can honestly say that I wish I allocated more time on this journey to some of these locations, where I found serenity and peace in the environemnt and lovely company to spend my time with.
    And it is also here, after half a day spent on this lovely secluded island, that I ferried back towards Victoria.
    \
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/VanIsland/Sandstone Cave - Galiano Island.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
  </div>
  <div>
    # The Pacific Marine Circle Route
    Upon arrival back in Victoria, I immediately departed on one of the most beautiful ocean front drives I have experienced. 
    I made a few detours to check out Whiffin Spit at Sooke, Sheringham Point Lighthouse, as well as spend much of the afternoon at the Botanic Beach in Juan De Fuca Provincial Park.
    While the weather and time of day wasn't optimal for my visit throughout this portion of the journey, I was still able to witness the amazingness of nature in our provincial backyard, and be inspired to one day take on the Juan De Fuca trail to spend more time exploring the beauty offered here.
    Before you know it, I was heading back towards Nanaimo to decide on the last leg of my Vancouver Island journey.
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/VanIsland/Botanic Beach - Port Renfrew.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    </div>
  <div>
    # Southern island explored... What now?
    I woke up in the morning by checking out the Abyss... which was a lot more anticlimatic than I imagined it to be after scrambling along the cliff side being off trail for most of my ascend.
    Arriving back in Nanaimo, I visited the White Rabbit Coffee Co. to work on my website a little more while deciding ultimately to visit Gabriola Island before heading back to Vancouver due to the uncertainty in how well my little old Corolla would tackle the conditions of the Northern island.   
    I quickly departed for Gabriola Island, the island of artists, where I traveled across the island to visit many of the scenic beach fronts that inspired many of the local artists there, such as the awe-inspiring Malaspina Galleries.
    Although I arrived on a Wednesday, a rest day for the local artists, I was granted a tour by an artist of her workshop and gallery and was amazed by the variety available in art.
    My last planned visit on the island would be the premium ciders farm but unfortunately they were closed for business that day. And so I ferried back to Victoria, and then back to home to rest up and recuperate before the next leg of my journey.
    <Image
      src={"/posts/adventure/VanIsland/Glasses @ Malaspina Galleries - Gabriola Island.jpg"}
      layout="responsive"
    />
    </div>
---
</div>

A week's experience on the island with more islands

Hello Van Island


import Image from "next/image";

import * as styles from "../pages/posts/slug.module.css";

`A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step` - Laozi

<div>
    After years of procastinating on learning web development with more *convenient*
  site making methods such as
  [Wix](https://chengjiemichaelhua.wixsite.com/sibulus/), I have finally pulled
  the trigger on creating my own static website with
  [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/ "title") and [MDX](https://mdxjs.com/ "title").
  \
  \
    Will this be a blog page dedicated to technical know-hows on my personal
  struggle with software development? Or perhaps used to showcase my traveling
  adventures? Stay tuned to find out, because I haven't decided that for myself
  yet. In the meantime, here is a stock image of one of my favorite meme
  templates! 
  {/* {fileName} */}

<div>
  <Image
    src={"/posts/adventure/unsettledTomTemplate.jpg"}
    height="1%"
    width="1%"
    quality = {100}
    alt="thumbnail"
    layout="responsive"
/>

###### Unsettled Tom Meme Template

</div>

</div>


Hello World!!!!!!!!!!!!!


import Image from "next/image";
import * as styles from "../pages/posts/slug.module.css";

<div>
  <div>
    ### Project Workflow
    1. Collaborated with manager and senior developer on functionality and feature metrics, and established critical timeline
    2. Researched and incorporated relevant third party open source implementations
    3. Designed front-end mobile app appearance based on hypothesized user flow
    4. Implemented functionality and integrated with back-end wirelessly
    5. Performed unit, functional, and integrated testing to confirm software consistency
    </div>
  
  ---
  Soon after graduation, I took my first step into the software industry as a developer.
  My job was to create a fully functioning mobile app that provides users an interface to visualize the status of the company's proprietary autonomous robot; spoiler alert: that is exactly what I delivered!
  \
  \
  With only a few weeks of experience in the main development language, Javascript, I quickly set out to construct a functional prototype to gather feedback from my manager. 
  As the old saying goes, "fail fast, learn fast", the project evolved quickly from the initial design through the frequent feedback and consistent mentorship from members of my team.
  \
  \
  6 months was over in a blink of an eye, and the two page app that is currently versioned in the company's repository is unrecognizable from the scrappy and clonky initial design.
  The final design went above and beyond the original specification set out in the user story, providing the end user the ability to track, direct, and control the robot in real time.
  Regrettably, I was unable to implement autonomous testing of the front-end codebase, but I am happy with my contribution to this company and to software that improves accessibility.
</div>

Android app for interfacing with autonomous robot

Robot Mobile App


import Image from "next/image";
import * as styles from "../pages/posts/slug.module.css";

<div>
  <div>
    ### Project Workflow
    1. Find playlist of Youtube videos to download
    2. Fetch playlist video links in CSV format
    3. Run script, Python function flow:
        * Create download folder in specified directory
        * Download all video urls from playlist
    4. Congrats! You just got yourself a bunch of online videos!
    </div>
  
  ---

  Digital media is a core part of my every day life, and I intended for it to remain that way while journeying on my summer road trip through two provinces (BC > AB).
  As my foresight is 2020, I began to research ways to provide offline digital media consumption due to my rationing of purchased data. 
  While Youtube Premium and some other subscription services attracted my attention, their monthly payments turned me away.
  From older torrenting days, I knew of the existence of free online resources that can help download certain media, and upon further research I discovered [Pytube](https://pytube.io/en/latest/): A Pythonic library for downloading YouTube videos. 
  Having some Python knowledge, I quickly implemented a prototype that can download a public Youtube video using the link provided. But why stop there? 
  There is no limitation to convenience, as I quickly found a [website](http://www.williamsportwebdeveloper.com/FavBackUp.aspx) that can provide the links of every video in a playlist, thanks @Williamsport Web Developer!
  All thats left is to throw together a little quick and dirty Python magic and voila: a video playlist downloader is born!
  Check out the script for yourself @ [Py Vid Scraper](https://github.com/sibulus13/Scraper/blob/master/vidScraper/vidScraper.py)!
</div>