Far from home

The boys are back! What could have made this happen? Was it boredom, loneliness, or just in response to all the rabid fans!? Find out what's happened in the past few months of our lives, as well as where things will be going from here!

Thank you to all our listeners for your continuous support over the past two years. Making the pod has been super fun and interesting, and hearing it made people laugh and smile has brought us tons of joy. We couldn't have done it without you.

In this episode we have Tian back on the podcast, and this time in person! Jason and I have a slew of questions for him and what he's been up to... and he's not some fake homeowner unlike someone on the pod... but anyways! The American housing market is a lot more crazy than we thought, listen more and find out.

We divulge how often (rarely) we voice our appreciation for the people around us. Do you do it often enough? Do I need to journal more and write positive things? And of course, we spin off into a tangent and talk about relationships for ten minutes oops.

Not much of a description but ONE OF US is going to be a... homeowner. This was supposed to be an intro topic but we got totally derailed and ended up talking about this for almost half an hour.

Alex got engaged, Jason learns a new word, and our lives are never going to be the same. Oh and we're fancy boys shopping for suits. That's basically the entire episode ok thanks bye

With the world opening back up, Jason and Alex have been venturing out of their tiny apartments back into... the real world. In this episode, they discuss their worst experiences they've ever had travelling around the world.

We took a loooong break but we're back! In today's instalment we talk not just about our goals in life but some of the general principles we live by, and how those words and ideas have changed over time.

Jason and Alex battle it out to the death discussing which is the better city to move to - Tokyo or Singapore? They also discuss if they think they're making the best use of their limited time in Asia.

Holy crap getting back to asia was rough. Singapore and Japan have clear guidelines on how to re-enter the country, but that does not make it easy to follow. This episode we talk about our wild goose chase about how we dealt with travel restrictions, delayed PCR tests, positive PCR tests, quarantine, and everything else.

It was all fun and games during the cottage episode, then it all went downhill from there. We talk about how we got covid, lived with it, and in general how it made our seemingly long trip to Canada very very short. There's also a part 2 coming up where we discuss the DRAMA of how we got back to Asia.

WE ARE REUNITED FOR THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF FAR FROM HOME... but only for one episode. We talk about coming back to Canada from Asia, and the "reverse culture shock" (term coined by Jason) that we experienced. And sorry about the weird mic quality, our voices definitely leaked into each other's recording.

Since we've been living by ourselves for the better part of two years, we talk about what we're comfortable doing alone... and what we're not comfortable with. And on a side note, we recorded this in November 2021... oops.

At the request of a friend, Jason and Alex discuss their thoughts around life coaches. Are they a service for genuine good, or just unlicensed self-declared psychologists? How do people even become life coaches? And are we all just a few mistakes away from becoming one?

You heard it here folks, don't eat fried chicken near Jason lest you wish to be flamed. Despite the serious sounding title, this episode we take an introspective look into the choices we've made, and the stories that we tell ourselves, and the decisions that got us to where we are.

Alex is extremely slow at editing podcasts and Jason is too lazy to think of a description so.... this took a month. We talk about our hair transformation over the years, skin care routine, and how we take care of ourselves.

Continuation of last episode, we discuss all the places we called home after moving to Asia. Reality-tv style house, camping on someone's couch for weeks on end, and finally to our shoebox homes, we cover everything.

On this episode, Jason and Alex discuss all the places in their pre-Asia lives they ever called home. From all the crazy mishaps to the insane roommate drama, there's a lot to unpack, so lets get started!

Are the Jason and Alex you know really the people you think they are? Listen to them discuss how confident they feel in different settings, and their thoughts on how their Asian-Canadian upbringings may have influenced how they see themselves.

In this 1 year anniversary episode, Alex and Jason revisit their long lost pilot episode the world has never heard before. They will discuss the 'golden path' in their lives, the times they fell off, and how they (somehow) managed to get back on it. Also, WTF its already been a year of this...? - Jason

We've been hinting that the Alex Jason duo is in fact not a duo... but a trio! We reflect about the past 10 years as friends but also, Tian tells us how it is to live in America. *Loads gun* get ready for some freedom stories.

It's the 10 year anniversary of the day Jason and Alex met! In this episode, they reminisce about the past decade of friendship, ask some hard hitting questions, and talk about how it almost all fell apart... Also, when will the mysterious third person make a guest appearance!?

We talk about how we spend our time on a day to day basis

Jason and Alex discuss the things in life that make them feel the most insecure. What quality would Jason love to have from Alex? What keeps Alex up worrying all night? Find out here...

Jason almost had an expensive impulse buy, this episode we talk about real estate! What are the things we look for when buying a house and where do we want to settle down? Aaaaand we also rant out about housing prices in Canada. 

Jason and Alex discuss their "Ikigai"s - a Japanese concept meaning "reason for living" that combines what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Find out if they are living out their best lives, or begrudgingly getting out of bed each morning!

Jason is a wholesome individual looking for a partner in life to share his experiences from. He is not of the “fuckboy” variety, so let's see how it is for someone to explore the online dating scene.

In this episode, Jason and Alex get real open and real vulnerable. Aiming to talk about their passions, the conversation takes a turn and gets real deep into their upbringings, love lives, feelings of inferiority, and just what they want out of life.

Jason and Alex share a side of themselves that perhaps you've never seen...or read. In this episode, we talk about our experiences with writing - from what inspires us to do it, to the lessons we believe it teaches us.

Life is full of choices, and some of them are what we eat. We don't realize it but our diets have a huge impact on us (or at least I like to think so). Today we're gonna dive deep and JUDGE in a constructive way about each other. Also, Alex effed up his mic settings... whoops.

Everyone lives differently in this modern age world, some of us end up chasing the corporate ladder, some of us work to fund out favourite hobbies, and some of us... don't know. And sometimes when you get to the working stage of your life it feels like you're on a schedule so plain that you wonder if it's really right.

Don't hit that snooze button! In this episode, Jason and Alex talk about their ultimate coping mechanism to get them through these hard times - sleep.

Alex and Jason try to brush off their failures and shortcomings from 2020, and talk about what they're looking most forward to in 2021 (hint: there's not much). They also cover the sensitive topic of leaving their jobs in January and the new challenges ahead. If any of you are curious this is the 28 page booklet that we wasted our precious time on: https://yearcompass.com/

Welcome to 2021! In this episode, Jason and Alex catch up on how they spent their holiday season separated from family in Asia. Spoiler alert: it was lonely and sad.

In this episode you've all surely been waiting for - Jason and Alex discuss their personal hygiene habits. Are your podcast hosts clean or dirty boys? How often does Alex wash his bedsheets? Finally, Jason reveals a deep dark secret that may forever change the way you see him...

Listen as we talk about how we waste our lives away when we're not working and sleeping, public facing hobbies and DARK hobbies. What constitutes a hobby and what doesn't? We got some hot takes in this episode.

Neither Jason nor Alex are very good with languages. Here they talk about what it is like to live in Asia as primarily English speakers, and stories of when they were shamed for not speaking their Asian languages better.

Let's face it, 2020 is depressing AF. In order to try and feel slightly better about the never-ending disaster that is 2020, Jason and Alex discuss other times in their lives where they have been depressed and how they got through them. Also, here's that Steve Jobs speech that Jason loves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc. And the books Alex recommended are 'When Breath Becomes Air', 'Tuesdays with Morrie', and 'The Last Lecture'.

Cooped up in their tiny apartments, Jason and Alex discuss the worldwide phenomenon which has swept the globe in 2020 - running. Why do they run? What do they like about running? And is running just an innate part of the human condition? Want to add us on Nike Run Club? Send us an email @ podcast.farfromhome@gmail.com and we'll add you :D

Why did we start a podcast? How was Alex able to convince an unwilling test subject? Jason has an ORIGIN STORY podcast episode?? Alex has a secret youtube channel?? Why is every sentence in this description a question? You will find out in this episode?

Listen to us RANT about the Toronto transit system for literally 20 mins. And then listen to Alex RANT about the stupid weather in Singapore for another 15 mins. This is why this episode is so damn long. We also mention other topics about living in Asian. Ok goodbye

Some things are inevitable in life: death, taxes, and... loneliness? Here we discuss our experiences and how we've coped with this universal feeling

Both of us don't quite "fit in" in Singapore and Japan, but we talk about it. We compare it to what it's like in Canada, and how it wasn't easy fitting in during our childhood.

We talk about money! How we both spend it, what really matters, and what doesn't. Let's just say that the highlight of the episode is that Jason loves living in style, at the highest price point possible.

Join us in this podcast about our lives as two Asian Canadians living pretty far from home. We introduce ourselves and talk about where we're living at the moment and how we got here, because we seem to NEVER remember to bring it up.