orryan

I manage websites. Into web businesses and languages. Previously at Shopify & UBC.𝕏 @DoorToRiches β€’ IG @orryano

Hello

A little bit about my background... I was born to a family of entrepreneurs of Hokkien Chinese ancestry. Most of my adult life has been in Canada, but I spent my growing up years in Indonesia and Singapore.At 25, I graduated from The University of British Columbia with high distinction and went onto working with Shopify. I then operated my own online business, primarily as a web designer and a web administrator. Previously, I had also completed education in business and digital design when I lived in Singapore.To me, business is an act of serviceβ€”it is about helping people by bringing value to solve a specific problem. I enjoy it.

Languages & Family

Having received education in English since I was 5, I would say I speak English rather fluently. I speak Hokkien Chinese primarily to my family, and a mix of both languages with my younger brother, who currently resides in Western Australia and works as a mining engineer.In descending order of fluency, I also speak some Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and French. I learned some Mandarin Chinese from my grandmother, but I would say my Hokkien Chinese remains comparably better.In 2009, I started listening to Younha, a South-Korean singer-songwriter whom I still listen to until this day. Her music prompted me to learn some Korean over the years, and right now, I would say I can get around with it despite my limited skills. Later around 2013, I also began listening to French songs. Although I am not fluent in these two languages, I've practiced my pronunciation through music for the most part to a point where they are easily understandable to native speakers.

Award & Projects

I like to create.In 2014, I was awarded Bronze in Print/Press Media Design by The Crowbar Awards, organized by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore.Fast forward few years after moving to Canada, I had the opportunity to work with researchers at The University of British Columbia, BC Children's Hospital, and Sunny Hill Health Centre to publish a website for a research project featured in Michael Smith Health Research BC.Currently, I work with an international organization in the health industry by taking care of their website needs. I also work with a few other businesses, along with building a language/travel and a finance/entrepreneurship micro-blogs that are still works in progress, but could potentially open up more opportunities in my journey.

What I'm Looking For

Whenever I meet new people, one of the first icebreaker questions people would ask is my background. It's no big deal, I would just take a little longer to answer it because one word isn't quite enough. But what I find is that when people can't quite grasp the gist of who you are, it creates a wall that makes building a connection difficult.Personal or professional, I think it's really all about relationships. Good relationships are built on sincerity, and it's easier to do that when I can represent myself with clarity. I'm looking to connect with people, and hopefully this little snippet about myself would be of help.