Hello, my name is Jasmine, and welcome to my blog! This started out as a travel blog for fun, but I had a feeling it would evolve with me over time. Don’t get me wrong, I still plan to share my travel tips and tricks so you can better plan yours! 
But as life has been changing for me, the biggest transition for me has been becoming a mother.
I always knew I wanted children, and after going through an emotional conceiving journey, my husband and I were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. But then the worst thing of all happened. I developed postpartum depression and anxiety…a severe case of it. I had no history and no real risk factors, and yet I was the 1 in 5 women who had it after delivery.
As a clinical pharmacist by trade, I had learned my fair share about mental health and did several rotations in psychiatry as a student and resident. I really, truly thought “[postpartum depression] can’t possibly happen to me.” But even the most well-educated and hyperaware women could develop it. Since recovering (and it took months), I have decided to use my blog platform to help educate others and destigmatize postpartum mental disorders. (Click here for some of my resources.) I was so lucky to have the support I did and get the treatment at the most crucial time.
I couldn’t help but think that there was a reason I was put through that darkness and since I was able to survive it, I have more purpose to help other new moms. And thus, my blog now encompasses more on topics of motherhood as well as travel. I hope to combine the two as well and share family-friendly travel hacks!
What are Pearls of Jasmine?
In pharmacy school, we called little snippets of real world advice “clinical pearls.” These were really the valuable things that you wanted to learn because they were details you could only glean from an experienced pharmacist that you couldn’t learn from the books. So I hope to throw in some of my “travel pearls” and “mommy pearls” in this blog–hence, pearls of Jasmine! *lightbulb* Maybe there will be other types of pearls in the future…I purposely created this domain with that in mind because I have MANY interests! Oh, and doesn’t it just sound kind of pretty? 🙂
What kind of traveler am I?
I love good food, good views, and luxurious hotels, especially with deep sunken tubs! My husband and I like to mix a variety of luxury stays and fine dining in juxtaposition with local hole-in-the-wall gems down to camping in the wild. We sometimes splurge on a fancier hotel or dinner, but we also love taking advantage of travel points and free nights! He plans most of the accommodations, flights, and gear. I plan most of the daily itinerary, excursions, and meals! And I document a lot of it!
Now that we have a kiddo, we’re learning to adjust our travel style to be more kid-friendly and less packed to allowed for flexibility. So far we have taken her to 3 of the Hawaiian Islands and next year we’re going to try international travel!
Why travel blog?
My husband and I decided to cram as many vacations (or “honeymoons”) as we could in the years following our marriage because we knew life would definitely be different when we became parents. Lo and behold, it definitely did change–but we wouldn’t change it for the world.
We started with a cruise to Alaska, then a blissful stay at the Ritz Carlton in Maui where we also got into a hit and run on the Road to Hana. We “island hopped” from Singapore to Taiwan to Hong Kong, and then we tropical island hopped from Mo’orea to Bora Bora. We researched and trained so we could backpack into the Grand Canyon to visit the stunning waterfalls of Havasupai! Then we flew to Paris for 2 sweet days before taking the train through Italy, starting from Milan all the way down to the Amalfi Coast. It was busy, blissful, and not perfect by any means, but we made it better by doing it all together!
After a phenomenal trip to Bora Bora, I got a lot of inquiries about my travel tips to the Pearl of the Pacific. I had the absolute worst post-vacation depression upon returning, and the thought of our next trip was the only thing keeping me sane. So I thought, why not channel my vacation memories into somewhere? Why not have a place to document everything to refer people to when they need more tips or want to glean their own pearls from my experiences? I did all this research already, so why not make it easier on someone else?
I will admit that my Bora Bora posts are really just mediocre, but my Havasupai posts have been some of the most popular ones on this blog! Now, I am by no means a professional travel or mommy blogger, nor do I have any intention of quitting my job. (MAJOR kudos to those of you who can do it!) I’m very lucky that I have a job I love, helping patients understand their medications and adjusting their doses when therapy is not working. But I love being helpful, and that’s what I hope this blog will do for you!
Some other random facts about me:
- I co-host a podcast called Healing the Tigress! It’s focused on Asian American Pacific Islander Maternal Mental Health stories and conversation, and I do it with my co-host who is a therapist. Check it out on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and more! You can also follow it on Instagram for updates–@healingthetigress. We drop episodes every 2 weeks and have just finished season 1!
- I am decently fluent in Mandarin Chinese (speaking, reading, writing) thanks to 12 years of Saturday Chinese School. And thanks mom and dad for making me go!
- I hate cilantro. Just can’t do it. Tastes like soap. I swear I’m Asian though.
- I used to be an editor for 2 newspapers in high school. I’m a little bit of a spelling and grammar Nazi…ha!
- I am a proud daughter of immigrant parents from Taiwan who were the first of their entire families to move to the U.S. so I could have a better life.
Thanks for dropping by, and please sign up for my Substack Newsletter for more! I update that way more than the blog and will be sure to include any new blog writings in the newsletter too. Best way to reach me for collaborations is to DM on my Instagram @pearlsofjasmine 🙂
Love to all,
Jasmine
[Note: All photos are original and my own unless otherwise noted. You are always welcome to share! However, I only humbly ask that you give due credit to my site. Thank you!]