Something New; The End of The Big Blog Exchange

If you take a gander at the top of the blog, you might see something new.

That's right! There is a new page called "The Big Blog Exchange". There you will find the complete collection of blog entries I wrote on Chee Ching's blog during my trip to Malaysia.

Check it out: The Big Blog Exchange Page

The Things I Miss

Hi all,

It has been a long time, I know, but I’m back into reality.  It has been about 6 weeks since I got back from Eastern Asia. You’re probably wondering what I have been up to cause I haven’t been blogging.

Well, long story short; I’ve been reading and working a lot.

And of course I’ve been spending the most time I can with Nellie.

So I have been keeping pretty busy. I have also been thinking a lot about my trip. I put together a list of a couple things I miss about my trip, things I don’t miss about my trip, things I missed about home, and thing I didn’t miss about home. Enjoy!

Things I miss about Malaysia

The animals

The kindness of HI

Sky Bar

Things I don’t miss about Malaysia

Public Transportation

The Traffic

This is an 'Ice Cream' on a Stick.
Durian ice cream.
That is why it is on the plate and not in my mouth. 

Durian

Things I miss about Singapore

The Flyer

The architects

Josephine

Things I don’t miss about Singapore

Not being allowed to chew gum

The lack of sleep

Carrying my backpack

Things I missed about home

Mum’s cooking

The pool

Nellie

My Bunk Beds

Things I didn’t miss about home

The weather

Texting

Bills

Like I said earlier, it has been a while since I’ve been back home, but I am already itching to get back on the road...

Keep an eye out for more articles, stories and photos!

Lake Louise and Banff!

Just a quick run down on what I did in Lake Louise and Banff! Comprehensive post on each activity will come when I'm back in Malaysia okay!!

Checked into HI Lake Louise! Lovely place!

Greeneries surround the hostel, and the staff at the front desk were the best ever! Ever so friendly! :D In fact, the same goes to the staffs at HI Downtown Vancouver and Banff! I believe future hostels that I will be staying at will have the same friendly people. :')

Antony from Hosteling International then took me out for canoeing!

THIS IS MORAINE LAKE!! So pretty! T______T

After a short hike and canoeing, I was then on my own again. HI Lake Louise gave me complimentary meal vouchers so I was able to have dinner at the cafe in the hostel called Bill Peyto!

Every meal I had in Canada I was trouble having trouble finishing it. So sorry I am wasting food. T______T 

But, I still had space for desserts haha wtf. This is like the best apple pie I had!! :D

The next, we followed the hostel on a hike at Lake Louise! There were a total of 10 people in the hike!

The hike starts easy, just flat ground along the lake.

But as you venture further, there were many uphills! I sweated for the first time in Canada haha.

Snow were still around as well!! :D My shoe was not made for snow, so it tend to get a little slippery for me when we had to hike through the snow. It was scary but worth it!

The hike lasted for 5 hours both ways, and I am going to dedicate one whole post at my blog about the hike yo!

After checking out from HI Lake Louise, Antony brought me to Banff Gondola! :D

Let's go up the hill!

And when I arrived at the top, this is what I see. WHY SO GORGEOUS? T________T

I then checked in at HI Banff and I was given a cabin to stay in! So comfortableeeeeeee and I am actually blogging in my own cabin now. :')

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Summary: Vancouver and Victoria! :D

I'm heading off to Calgary, Alberta tomorrow morning, and this wraps up my trip here in Vancouver and Victoria! Here some highlights of what happened in this 4 days. I will blog in detail when I get back to Malaysia.

I'm not having much time to illustrate as much as I can but please enjoy the pictures ya? Will go into every trip thoroughly once I get back to Malaysia!

Complimentary Breakfast

I had wonderful complimentary breakfast by HI-Downtown! :D HI-Downtown is currently giving free breakfast till end of September!

Ceri, from Hostelling Canada picked me up from the front desk and off we went to the other hostel located in Central. I feel that this hostel is more quaint as it was refurbished from an older hotel. I still prefer Downtown as it has more space hehe.

Terence's Hollywood North Tour

Basically, this tour brings us to iconic locations where it has been used as filming locations. And thanks to this tour, I managed to see other parts of Vancouver that I might not stumble if I was doing it alone. Terence was very accommodating and tried his best to make the tour less boring ahaha.

Marine Building, and this was the Daily Planet in Smallville!

National Library of Vancouver, where it has been used in various movies such as The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus!

Victoria



 I went whale watching! Sailed out to the ocean on a speed boat!

My life, is sorta complete. T____T I saw Free Willy up close. T___T

Tuna Tacones from Red Fish, Blue Fish in Victoria. Super yums!

The Grand Hotel Exhibition

This is the latest exhibition in the Vancouver Art Gallery where it documents the birth of great hotels in the world. I loved the 'Design' section the most.

When I Have Free Time

I explored on my own most of the days, and even reached a dodgier street of Downtown Vancouver, which sort of freaked me out haha.

I also stumbled upon King & Maxwell shooting! :D

The good news is, my jet lag is gone, and I no longer need naps! :D My flight is at 7.00am tomorrow, so good night everyone! Byebye!

Signing off, cheeChingy.

[Chee Ching] I'm in Vancouver now! :D

Hello! I am now in Vancouver, Canada after a 20 hour travelling time.

It was my first time travelling alone, and to such a country so far away.

Ceri and Grant from Hostelling Canada picked me up from the airport!

Checked in at Hostelling VA: Downtown where I will be staying for 3 nights! There's a total of 3 hostels from Hostelling International in Vancouver.

My first day as spent walking around the city, and I randomly took the sky train from Burrard Station to Metrotown!

The moment I stepped out from the train station, I fell in love with the city already. People from all walks of life were walking and jogging under the beautiful weather. I love walking and I walked for hours without sweating at all. <3

I then walked to English Bay as suggested by Grant, and boy it was so beautiful!! 

Got a cozy spot under the tree and waited for the sun to set. I think the sun sets around 8pm here in Vancouver and I was too tired to wait.

Finally found out what does jet lag do to a person I fell asleep straight away once I reached the hostel. Haha. That's all for my first day in Canada. Keeping it slow and steady cause I believe there will be more adventures coming right up!

Please follow my instant #bigblogx updates in Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page ya? :D

Hello! I Am Chee Ching from Malaysia! :D

Hello everyone! My name is Chee Ching from Malaysia, and I am currently swapping blogs with Jeremy. My flight is in 10 hours time and I am super excited! I am currently a designer and illustrator and I love drawing!

I am pretty sure Canada has many things in store for me, and if you have any suggestions on where I should go or eat, please leave some comments for me! :)

You can read about Jeremy's adventure in Malaysia at http://cheechingy.com!

Cool Cool Cool!

This just in!

And this!

Thank you Big Blog Exchange!

A Big Blog Update!

I LEAVE ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!

I mean, hello!

Thanks for finding me here on www.jeremyfowler.ca. Nice of you to drop in. Actually, it is nice of me to drop in. I know it has been awhile since my last post and there is good reason for that I swear. 

Life.

Since becoming one of the 16 winners of the Big Blog Exchange my life has become a crazy ball of stress. Well, that good kind of stress where you are really busy; not the bad kind of stress where you are backed into a cave about to become a yeti's bride. Anyway, let me tell you about it.

On April 29th they announced the winners of the Big Blog Exchange and lucky for me, my name was one of them and I found out I'm going to Malaysia. Then I was contacted by the media. All the media. CBC television, the Saint John Telegraph-Journal, the Kings County Record, and HI Canada. It was pretty overwhelming, but a lot of fun. Honestly though, I understand why famous people do like to have their privacy.

From there on out, I had to get my travel plans together. I was contacted by Hostel International and given some details about my trip. I had to get some vaccinations and I have been reading everything I can about Malaysia. Also, a very sweet woman named Betty P (I won't use her full name as I'm not sure if she'd want it to be published) reached out to me because she read my story and heard I needed a backpack for my trip. Thanks again Betty! 

Also, I have started a summer job which has kept me busy. In the summers I run the Hampton Pool. I love that job; I've been working there for 9 years and it is awesome! But, it is a lot of work. So far, we don't have water in the pool, but I have been working to set up swimming lessons, staff training sessions, organizing the office, instructing first aid classes, hiring a staff, etc. Long story short, it is a lot of work and little swimming. It is still really fun though and I suggest you should get a job like it.

Also, the blog's editor/my girlfriend decided to take a vacation. So I haven't had anyone to edit my work.

Plus, NHL playoffs have started and I am super excited.

Plus, I have a friend who runs a website call, Honk If You're Nerdy, and he would like me to write for that site as well. (Which I'm super pumped to do and I really have just fallen behind. Sorry Pat, my work is on the way).

Anyway, things are good and busy here. I am still very excited about the trip and getting back to regular blogging.

Thanks for staying with me!

If you haven't had the chance to check out these links, they are pretty fun!

Jeremy's Big Blog Interview

Chee Chingy's Big Blog Interview

Top 100!

Please take a look at this:

That is right folks! If you haven't been watching the Facebook page or my Twitter feed, I have made the TOP 100!

And!

It is because of you!

Thank you from the very bottom of my heart. I have never felt so welcomed and humbled in my entire life.

I can't say enough good things about y'all!

Stay tuned for results. Also check out the other Finalist.

A Big Blog Thank You

On the eve of the last day of the Big Blog Exchange voting, I am fill with so many emotions.

I'd like to continue to keep pushing all my supporters to keep voting and getting friends to vote, but I think there is a more import item I must bring up.

To you, all of you who have reached out with your support; to you who have taken the time to vote and encouraged others to vote; to you who have followed my media coverage and read the blog...

Thank You.

This contest has truly been life changing. I signed up for this contest with the hopes of winning a free trip, a truly selfish endeavor; however, the outrageous support I have gotten from you has been so overwhelming and humbling.

Time and time again, I have been promoted as being so deserving of this contest and I still have no idea why. But, I do have some theories so if you will allow me to rant for only a moment, I will share with you my thoughts:

• People are people and should be treated as such. My folks always taught me that you don't have to like everyone; however, you must respect everyone. We need to start treating each other correctly; we have no idea what someone has been through or what's going on in there life so smile at each other knowing that we're all human.
• You are important. Some days you can feel low and that is okay, but don't forget that.
• Take opportunities. It can be as simple as striking up a conversation with some you don't know, just don't let life pass you by.
• And most importantly; love each other. Show the people you love that you love them. It is hard sometimes to express your feelings from time to time but it is so important to show them that you care. And don't take advantage of these people! Lean on them when you need to, but also let them lean on you.

These are things I try to live by and so far they seem to be working. 

Now, I really want to win. I don't want to win just for me anymore; I think we have all worked too hard. But I'd really love to win for all you guys.

One way or another, I just want to say that this has been such an eye-opening experience and really I can't thank you all enough. I will be keeping up the blog regardless, so stay in touch! 

Outside The Classroom

Some people have asked me why I want to win this contest so dang bad. I first signed up because I thought it was a totally cool contest and I thought it would be fun. But, then I started getting votes and realized that I actually have a shot at this. And that got me thinking...

And more thinking...


And more thinking...











(So much thinking that I am trying to represent it through some empty space)





Anyway, lots of thinking.

I figured out that the Big Blog Exchange is more than a travel opportunity; it is a big learning experience. I have heard of universities where international travel is part of the curriculum. I could be learning about other cultures and the world and I really hope to learn about myself.

I realized today with a funny tweet I posted...

Thought about making coffee to get me through this all nighter... Then I realized I graduated last year... No all nighters for me!
— Jeremy Fowler (@fowlerjeremy) April 12, 2013

...I really value my education. I really like learning.

I wasn't the best student and I spent most of my time putting things off to enjoy some day time t.v. But I learned a lot. I spent a lot of time with people and trying to figure things out. What I am trying to say is that I did most of my learning outside of the classroom.

***

I have been lucky enough to have a lot of people supporting me in this contest and I'd really like to give back. I guess the best way to start that is to help other kids out with their education.

I heard about this contest:

http://www.majestatreesofknowledge.ca/

The prize is a bunch of money to go towards an outdoor classroom.

I realize these kids will still be technically in a classroom, but at least they will still get to enjoy the outdoors while being there.

Please go on and vote for Island View School in Saint John, NB. Go Eagles!

Were Everybody Knows Your Name

I took a trip over this Easter weekend back to my hometown of Hampton, NB.

So on Saturday, I cleaned the house and packed up the car.  Nellie and I picked up Sarah from work and we were on the road. Sarah took the wrong purse from work and didn't notice till we were 20 minutes outside of Fredericton so we had to turn around and go back but after she got her own purse, we were on our way to a relaxing weekend away.

I love the drive home. I love hitting the road about 20 minutes before sunset. See, when I drive home, I make a trip of it. I take the back road and follow the Saint John River all the way to Jemseg then drive into the woods. When you leave Fredericton, heading south along the Saint John River just before sunset, the water sparkles and the whole world seems still. Everything moves slow on the back roads, everything except the cars on the highway. We drove into Cambridge-Narrows by dark. That far out into the country there is no light pollution and the view of the stars is spectacular. We followed the stars all the way back to my parents house.

While we were out and about in Hampton, I was stopped multiple times to talk about The Big Blog Exchange. As it turns out, the support is huge down there!

Monday afternoon, Sarah, Nellie and I made our way back up through the country to Fredericton.  Sarah had a bunch of school work to do so she got right to work while I unpacked.  She yelled to me when she found an Article on the St. Thomas University Website about the contest. As it turns out, THERE IS HUGE SUPPORT IN FREDDY TOO!

What I guess I'm trying to say is that there is a lot of support for this contest. Both my hometown and my adopted town, my university, my family and friends and friends of friends and complete strangers are just throwing support my way.

Incredible.

Thank you.

Please Vote Here

Read STU article Here

Big Blog Exchange!

I need your help!

I am taking part in Hostel International's Big Blog Exchange and I need YOUR VOTES! Click on the link below to see my contest motivation and to VOTE. Be sure to check your email to confirm those votes as well!

http://www.bigblogexchange.org/blog/426001

As of noon today (March 21, 2013) I was ranked #3 in the Americas and #10 overall!

PLEASE VOTE! Get your friends to VOTE! Get your mail person to VOTE! Get your pets to VOTE!

Thanks for the support!

For more articles by me, be sure to check out the different PAGES linked at the top of the page and blog entries under the LABELS header at the bottom of the page!

Cheers!

#1

I took a look at the members page of the Send Jer Around the World group. It is astounding how many people I don't recognize. It is an incredible experience to see how many people are giving their support although we may have never met or they are in a different part of the country or around the world.

Today, I landed in top spot in the Americas region.  I couldn't have done it without the help of all your support!

But! The contest is not over!

Three weeks from today will be the most stressful day of the competition as it will be the last day for votes. I am planning on spending the day sending out pleas for votes and refreshing the Big Blog Home Page.

If you know me well, you probably know that it is really hard for me to ask for help. But, if there is one time that I can't act alone, it is now.

Please Vote!

Please Share the Facebook Group.

And of course, keep reading.

Thanks so much for everything. Your support does not go unnoticed.

Jer In the Telegraph-Journal

If you are in the province of New Brunswick today, you will probably be able to buy a copy of this paper:

Wait a second. What does that say at the bottom there?

Holy Smokes that's me!

Head on out and grab The Telegraph-Journal from today (March 22, 2013). I'm on the front page!

Also be sure to VOTE!

And check out the Facebook Page!

Special thanks to Erin Dwyer for the beautifully written article and Andrew Meade for making me look so good in his photograph.

And thanks to all for the support!

Replying to the Big Blog... blog.

On March 21, the Big Blog Exchange asked on their blog "What Blog-Inspires You?" They wanted to know what parts of your country you would suggest for someone on this exchange. Here is my reply to their post:

Jeremy Fowler on March 21, 2013 at 2:57 pm said:

Canada is a big, beautiful country filled with landmarks and historical sites. So, what do you need to see to get the true Canadian experience? First, lets take a look at what Canadians are known for. We have hockey, beer, moose, poutine, lumberjacks, maple syrup, Tim Hortons, and of course the beaver. Lets go from east to west looking at the must see symbols and landmarks.

-Newfoundland and Labrador
The first European contact to the west was believed to be in Newfoundland by the Norwedian Vikings. The ruins of their villages can still be found in L’Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the island. Also, check out George St. in St. John’s for night life like no other in Canada. Kiss the Cod while you get screeched in as an honorary Newfoundlander. Watch out for the Moose! Known for their large population on the island.

-New Brunswick
Check out my part of the country! Saint John was the first city in Canada to incorporate (1785). It is filled with historical landmarks, public art, and has a beautiful boardwalk along the harbour. Have a coffee in Moncton, where it is widely believed they have the most Tim Hortons per capita in Canada. Swing by the Picaroons Brewtique in Fredericton for a Growler of beer brewed right in the city (one of my favorites). Chop down some lumber with the worlds largest axe found in Nackawic. Also, take a swim in the Hampton Pool where I have spent my summers for the past… well since I was born.

-Québec
This is Canada’s only official French speaking province, home of the prettiest city in my opinion and Canada’s largest producer of Maple Syrup. I fell in love with Québec City when I first visited there ten years ago and take every opportunity to go back and walk the streets of Old Quebéc. Montréal is a hub for arts and culture. Somewhere along the road, stop for a poutine.

-Ontario
Check out the capital city of Ottawa. Skate on Rideau Canal and walk on Parliament Hill. Drive down the 401 to Toronto. Take a tour of Fort York and climb to the top of the CN Tower. Also explore the different cultural districts of the city.

Drive a zamboni across the prairies.

-Alberta
Spend the night at the Beaverlodge with the world’s largest beaver. Explore the Canadian Badlands and drive through the foothills of the Rockies to Banff National Park just to watch the scenery.

-British Columbia
My last stop would be Vancouver at Rogers Arena. This is the place where Canada won Olympic Gold in Ice Hockey during the 2010 Winter Games. I swear I could hear the cheers from the arena out here on the East Coast when Sidney Crosby scored that overtime goal against the Americans.

That is only a surface look at what my great country has to offer visitors. Good luck and have fun!

I did leave out one special spot that I thought I’d save for last. The proudest moment I have ever experienced as a Canadian happened when I was on a road trip across the country a couple years ago. On a cliff in Thunder Bay, over looking the sparking Lake Superior, is the Terry Fox Memorial. Terry Fox is a Canadian icon who ran across the country to raise funds and awareness for cancer. His journey ended in Thunder Bay when the cancer came back, forcing him to stop. His story has inspired millions and makes me, along many other Canadians, proud to be from here.

What You Writing?

So, some people may be thinking, "why should we vote for this Jeremy guy? It doesn't seem like he blogs that much."

It is true that this blog is very young and I am still developing as a blogger. It is also true that my biggest motivation for getting the blog put together is The Big Blog Exchange; however, it would simply be untrue to say that I have a blog strictly because of the contest. I bought the domain months ago and I have been learning about formatting and blog building and layout ever since. When I found out about the contest, it put a rush on getting the blog up.

Also!

I have been blogging for a couple years on and off.

Check Out My Travel Blog from when I traveled across Canada.

Also you can see a photo blog of Misused Quotation Marks I made for my brother for Christmas.

So you see, I have been blogging. And I intend to keep blogging so long as there are things to blog about. Keep your eyes open for more blogs/posts and different tags.

This Whole Being on the Internet Thing.

A couple months ago, I thought it was a good idea to purchase www.jeremyfowler.ca. A couple months later, after learning how to link blogger to a personal domain, the blog was born. I guess that only really happened a couple days ago with the rush to enter The Big Blog Exchange Contents.

So, I got a blog and joined this contest.

Then something extraordinary happened.

I posted the contest to Facebook and people took notice. A lot of people took notice. Before I knew it, I was within the top 100 people in the Americas. That was the first sign that I actually had a shot in this contest. I ran with this momentum.

I started a Facebook group and added as many people as I could. Then something extraordinary happened again; more people started to take notice and not only were people voting, they we sharing with their friends and families and sending all their support.

Watching this is so amazing. It all started happening so quick and I have never been so humbled. I know it is really annoying to be assigned into a group where people are asking something from you so it was really hard to ask this of all these people, but I am so overwhelmed with the support.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to support in any way.

Please keep your votes coming! Please keep sharing my campaign!

Thanks!

Check Out the Facebook Page

Vote Here