about
hi! i’m suggie
And I want to explore life as fully as I can, while I still can.
I know it’s a hugely broad idea that encompasses…well, pretty much everything, but I find the idea of tackling life head-on exciting. Good and bad, ups and downs, we get to pen our own adventure. How cool is that?
Alright, enough of the heartwarming feel-good message. So what’s my story?
I would love to call myself a Renaissance woman, but I’ll get real and settle for Jack Suggie-of-all-trades.
I have a wide variety of interests that range from “jock stuff” like fitness and sports to “geek stuff” like comic conventions and jigsaw puzzles. And while physically seeing the world is a passion, sitting home traveling through the world of books is important as well. You will find that this blog covers them all.
stuff i like
Physical Activities
- martial arts
- fitness (HIIT circuit training, dance fitness, weightlifting, CrossFit)
- hiking
- shooting pool (decent), bowling (disastrous)
- trying new adventurous physical activities that are a little scary but not truly life-threatening (unless something goes really wrong with the equipment)
Sedate Activities
- eating, eating, and more eating (hence the need for the physical activities)
- reading (mostly audiobooks)
- watching films/tv (favs: animation, martial arts/action, fantasy/sci-fi)
- attending concerts, plays, theater
- karaoke/noraebang
Geeky Activities
- comic/pop culture cons
- jigsaw puzzles
- video/mobile games
- making and wearing (not-very-professional) costumes
- crossword puzzles & sudoku
Taking a Break or Retired From
- mountain biking
- volleyball (yes, I’m 4’11″…and your point is…?)
- snowboarding
- figure skating
- skateboarding
- rollerblading
- wasting money on my collection of pop culture doodads
hobby much?
Perhaps, but allow me to explain. I grew up as a child athlete with only one focus: figure skating. I trained hard core for 10 years from the age of 5 with Olympics as my goal. I even won Novice Ladies Nationals back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but 5 hours of training a day + school + ballet + tiger mom = not exactly a playful childhood. I don’t cry about it – I simply make up for all the lost play time now, while I still can.
You can catch a quick reel of some of my skating here, but keep in mind the source material is VHS tape (yes! really!), so it’s not exactly 4K – or even widescreen…
Familiar with that Asian American overachiever kid stereotype? Yup, I was one of ’em. So when my “champion” skating career was cut short, my next goal became “champion” student, and I ended up with a bachelor’s from Yale University.
welcome to the jungle
“Watch it bring you to your shun n-n-n-n-n knees, knees!” – Guns N’ Roses
Then I stepped into the jungle (aka “the real world”) and life wasn’t so black & white anymore. I didn’t have a next “champion” goal to strive for, and at the same time, the very idea of being a champion began to lose its luster. I often found myself surrounded by folks concerned with moving “upward” in life, while I much preferred to move “outward.” What followed: Years of struggle, struggle before getting cozy with myself.
One of those struggles was fighting the inertia that many of us fall prey to – we stumble (or willingly jump) into life’s ruts and then find it damn hard to crawl out. Sometimes we don’t even realize we can crawl out because we’re told we’re supposed to stay there.
My last career was as a manager in video game publishing – a nice steady job that paid well. And while it was great fun at times, 9 years sitting in a cubicle with the goal of moving up that corporate ladder to land that corner office is just not as fulfilling as they’d have you believe. It was years in the making, but I finally worked up the courage to crawl out of my rut. I kicked the cube life, moved to a new city to join my boyfriend at the time, and searched for something new that didn’t leave me feeling wanting. That something new is this here site.
So here we are. Thank you for sticking around to the end of my bio, and I invite you to explore this labor of love at your leisure. While I have many interests, travel is my biggest passion. You’ll find that it dominates much of this site, but if that’s not your thing, I’m sure you can find something else to dig your teeth into. Happy reading!
Bio update! I’ve embarked on a few life adventures: two new careers and a hobby that may have potential to become a career. I know, I know. Can’t even pick one!
Being active with sports and exercise has always been a thing, so I became a certified personal trainer (NASM-CPT). I’ve also come full circle with skating and started coaching figure skating and hockey. Then COVID-19 quarantine hit, gyms shut down and so did the rink. Awesome. You just never know what life’s gonna throw at you. So in the meanwhile, I’m making workout videos and exploring the world of voice acting in hopes that it may turn into a career one day. Wish me luck!
You can’t tell me life ain’t full of adventures!
what’s in a name?
The most common question I get about the website: Where did the name “The Gassy Squirrel” come from?
The short story: Easily distracted, occasionally squealing when startled, and always nibbling on munchies, I was dubbed “the squirrel.” I’m also lactose intolerant but won’t give up the dairy. ‘Nuff said.
The slightly longer story is that Alex (bf at the time) and I were in Patagonia, Argentina, walking at night in the rain. My hair was up in Leia buns and the hood of my rain jacket was up, making me look a bit like a creature with ears sticking out. I also had a small bundle of clean laundry we had just picked up, and I was hunched over, hugging it close to my body to keep it dry from the rain.
Tired from a long hike and not paying attention, I stepped off the curb right into a deep puddle, which caused me to involuntarily squeal. On top of all that, I am also quite easily distracted and I do love me some crunchy munchies.
All of this combined to form the image of a squirrel in Alex’s mind, and thus, on that fated night in Argentina the nickname was born.
And while lactose intolerance was the initial root of the Gassy part of the name, I’ve always had a thing for flatulence. (Hmm…I question the wisdom of admitting this to the world…) I remember when I was around 5 years old that I used to burst into giggles whenever I heard my brother or sister utter the word “bangoo” (fart in Korean). Even now, it gets a chuckle or two out of me.
Farts are my destiny! The gas was just waiting for a squirrel to pair up with, and now I am complete. 
hi! i’m suggie
And I want to explore life as fully as I can, while I still can.
I know it’s a hugely broad idea that encompasses…well, pretty much everything, but I find the idea of tackling life head-on exciting. Good and bad, ups and downs, we get to pen our own adventure. How cool is that?
Alright, enough of the heartwarming feel-good message. So what’s my story?
I would love to call myself a Renaissance woman, but I’ll get real and settle for Jack Suggie-of-all-trades.
I have a wide variety of interests that range from “jock stuff” like fitness and sports to “geek stuff” like comic conventions and jigsaw puzzles. And while physically seeing the world is a passion, sitting home traveling through the world of books is important as well. You will find that this blog covers them all.
stuff i like
Physical Activities
- martial arts
- fitness (HIIT circuit training, dance fitness, weightlifting, CrossFit)
- hiking
- shooting pool (decent), bowling (disastrous)
- trying new adventurous physical activities that are a little scary but not truly life-threatening (unless something goes really wrong with the equipment)
Sedate Activities
- eating, eating, and more eating (hence the need for the physical activities)
- reading (mostly audiobooks)
- watching films/tv (favs: animation, martial arts/action, fantasy/sci-fi)
- attending concerts, plays, theater
- karaoke/noraebang
Geeky Activities
- comic/pop culture cons
- jigsaw puzzles
- video/mobile games
- making and wearing (not-very-professional) costumes
- crossword puzzles & sudoku
Taking a Break or Retired From
- mountain biking
- volleyball (yes, I’m 4’11″…and your point is…?)
- snowboarding
- figure skating
- skateboarding
- rollerblading
- wasting money on my collection of pop culture doodads
hobby much?
Perhaps, but allow me to explain. I grew up as a child athlete with only one focus: figure skating. I trained hard core for 10 years from the age of 5 with Olympics as my goal. I even won Novice Ladies Nationals back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but 5 hours of training a day + school + ballet + tiger mom = not exactly a playful childhood. I don’t cry about it – I simply make up for all the lost play time now, while I still can.
You can catch a quick reel of some of my skating here, but keep in mind the source material is VHS tape (yes! really!), so it’s not exactly 4K – or even widescreen…
Familiar with that Asian American overachiever kid stereotype? Yup, I was one of ’em. So when my “champion” skating career was cut short, my next goal became “champion” student, and I ended up with a bachelor’s from Yale University.
welcome to the jungle
“Watch it bring you to your shun n-n-n-n-n knees, knees!” – Guns N’ Roses
Then I stepped into the jungle (aka “the real world”) and life wasn’t so black & white anymore. I didn’t have a next “champion” goal to strive for, and at the same time, the very idea of being a champion began to lose its luster. I often found myself surrounded by folks concerned with moving “upward” in life, while I much preferred to move “outward.” What followed: Years of struggle, struggle before getting cozy with myself.
One of those struggles was fighting the inertia that many of us fall prey to – we stumble (or willingly jump) into life’s ruts and then find it damn hard to crawl out. Sometimes we don’t even realize we can crawl out because we’re told we’re supposed to stay there.
My last career was as a manager in video game publishing – a nice steady job that paid well. And while it was great fun at times, 9 years sitting in a cubicle with the goal of moving up that corporate ladder to land that corner office is just not as fulfilling as they’d have you believe. It was years in the making, but I finally worked up the courage to crawl out of my rut. I kicked the cube life, moved to a new city to join my boyfriend at the time, and searched for something new that didn’t leave me feeling wanting. That something new is this here site.
So here we are. Thank you for sticking around to the end of my bio, and I invite you to explore this labor of love at your leisure. While I have many interests, travel is my biggest passion. You’ll find that it dominates much of this site, but if that’s not your thing, I’m sure you can find something else to dig your teeth into. Happy reading!
Bio update! I’ve embarked on a few life adventures: two new careers and a hobby that may have potential to become a career. I know, I know. Can’t even pick one!
Being active with sports and exercise has always been a thing, so I became a certified personal trainer (NASM-CPT). I’ve also come full circle with skating and started coaching figure skating and hockey. Then COVID-19 quarantine hit, gyms shut down and so did the rink. Awesome. You just never know what life’s gonna throw at you. So in the meanwhile, I’m making workout videos and exploring the world of voice acting in hopes that it may turn into a career one day. Wish me luck!
You can’t tell me life ain’t full of adventures!
what’s in a name?
The most common question I get about the website: Where did the name “The Gassy Squirrel” come from?
The short story: Easily distracted, occasionally squealing when startled, and always nibbling on munchies, I was dubbed “the squirrel.” I’m also lactose intolerant but won’t give up the dairy. ‘Nuff said.
The slightly longer story is that Alex (bf at the time) and I were in Patagonia, Argentina, walking at night in the rain. My hair was up in Leia buns and the hood of my rain jacket was up, making me look a bit like a creature with ears sticking out. I also had a small bundle of clean laundry we had just picked up, and I was hunched over, hugging it close to my body to keep it dry from the rain.
Tired from a long hike and not paying attention, I stepped off the curb right into a deep puddle, which caused me to involuntarily squeal. On top of all that, I am also quite easily distracted and I do love me some crunchy munchies.
All of this combined to form the image of a squirrel in Alex’s mind, and thus, on that fated night in Argentina the nickname was born.
And while lactose intolerance was the initial root of the Gassy part of the name, I’ve always had a thing for flatulence. (Hmm…I question the wisdom of admitting this to the world…) I remember when I was around 5 years old that I used to burst into giggles whenever I heard my brother or sister utter the word “bangoo” (fart in Korean). Even now, it gets a chuckle or two out of me.
Farts are my destiny! The gas was just waiting for a squirrel to pair up with, and now I am complete.
by The Gassy Squirrel using WordPress, Elementor, and a bunch of plugins.