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Helping those in need – John Chow’s matching donations for UGM’s Thanksgiving Dinner and Rebecca Bollwitt’s Third Tuesday Food Drive

Raul — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:50:32 +0000

John Chow does know very well that I don’t blog for money, but that I’m always up for joining forces when it comes to social media for charity and social change. Thus, I was very happy when I saw that John was engaging in raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission ’s upcoming Thanksgiving Dinner on October 13th, 2008 (which by the way is a kick-off for Homelessness Action Week). John is going to match every donation made to the UGM dollar per dollar up to $ 1,000.

As you may all recall, Rebecca and Duane Blogathoned for the UGM, and their campaign received a big boost at the end of the campaign thanks to Matt Good. Their collective all helped raise thousands of dollars for the UGM during Blogathon 2008. The UGM is a really worthy cause and it’s great that all these awesome bloggers have raised funds for them, so I’d encourage you to do the same.

And while we are at it, please also consider contributing to Rebecca’s Third Tuesday Food Drive. She is doing this for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society , and I’d like to encourage my readers to donate non-perishable items (you can bring them to Third Tuesday).

I’ve been thinking of what can I contribute (in addition to highlighting the events and contributing with as little or as much money/non-perishable goods as I can) and I thought of throwing in a little something.

I haven’t yet thought of what else I can contribute, but I am guessing I could throw in a free, beginners, 2-hr salsa lesson for the largest contributor to both fundraising efforts — how’s that? Would people be interested in learning how to salsa dance? (I’ve taught this stuff already, so trust me, you’re in good hands). Or I could enter all participants who contribute to any of the two causes in a draw for the lesson?

At any rate, I would encourage you to contribute, remember, every bit helps.

Thank you all for your efforts

Raul — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:00:15 +0000

I would like to use this last post to thank everyone who contributed to my Blogathon 2008, both in kind, with comments, encouragement and sponsorship.

First of all, thank you SO much to everyone who agreed to guest-post on my blog. Coming up with content is always hard, and I am really, really grateful that you agreed to do so. The following individuals contributed guest posts (all of them are acknowledged in each post, but here is a list – so please join me in thanking them for doing this for me!)

I would also like to thank my friends and fellow bloggers who participated in the Blogathon 2008, for their commendable efforts.

Finally, in a more important note, thanks to my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt for organizing Blogathon Vancouver 2008, in a completely self-less manner, and investing countless hours of her own time. You are a role model, an example and a great friend. Thank you.

Transportation as a life – Guest post by Karen Quinn Fung

Raul — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:49 +0000

This post was contributed by Karen Quinn Fung, who blogs at Countably Infinite. Karen recently completed her Honors Thesis and is considered an expert in transportation. She single-handedly organized TransitCamp in Vancouver and was included in Raincity Studio’s 2008 Women in Tech to Watch. She also happens to be a friend of mine

Raul and I were talking today when I told him I couldn’t think of something to write about for his blogathon, and he called me an expert in transportation. I, of course, now feel obligated to repay his generous compliment…however, I will do this with a blog post about why I am not an expert in transportation – at least, not the way that most people think of experts, and not in the way that most people think of transportation. (Much of this post is indebted to a book by Fiona Rajé called Negotiating the Transport System. I am currently crafting a blog post for my site with more on this book.)

When people think of transportation, they think of traffic engineers, people designing lane markings and curbs, thinking about where to put stop signs, bike lanes and pedestrian crossings, the headways (i.e. amount of time between buses) on bus routes and the logistics of a complicated transit system like the SkyTrain. Alternately, they may think of transportation planners, who study the number of people going where at what times of day, weighing land use with development goals, who make forecasts in the future about what people will be doing 30 years from now to get around.

In almost all of the above activities, I am, at best, a casual observer. My degree was in Communication, so I am ill-suited to comment on urban growth or community development. Instead, I am much more interested in the intricacies of how the act of getting around shapes what you can do, who you are, and who you can be; and, conversely, how not being able to get you are also keeps you from certain things. And finally, what people or organizations can do quickly and cheaply to overcome those obstacles and do what they want to, in the absence of solutions that might take a long time to implement. Funny enough, a lot of those tools tend to involve providing information to people – hence my hanging-on with the web and mobile communities in Vancouver.

Along this vein, one of the neatest concepts I’ve learned about recently is that of the “forced car.” It is exactly what it sounds like, and everyone knows what it is: it is when public transport is so lacking that people on low incomes have to put their money towards owning and running a car, which diverts valuable resources away from other parts of their lives. I have a friend living this very reality in Winnipeg. Yet as a society, do we collectively – through our representative in municipal or regional governments – take responsibility for precipitating these situations through the design of our cities? It’s hard to take responsibility for something that’s not directly someone’s fault, yet all too often it seems that the forethought that would enable these situations to be avoided is bypassed completely.

I’m certainly not the only one thinking about this sort of thing in Vancouver, either – the Vancouver Public Space Network is doing some great work, and Toronto’s Spacing Magazine is very prolific in bringing these issues to a human and emotional scale. If we think of cities as living, breathing organisms, then our transportation system is like our circulatory system, moving things around to where they are needed. That experience of moving around, perhaps not for the majority but for no small minority of people, is traumatic, wrought with difficulty and frustration, leading to (again with a loosely-defined academic term) social exclusion, that prevents them from taking full advantage of their potential or living their dreams. It’s this human element that I work towards…and I’m feeling
up to the challenge!

Now, does anyone know a Master’s Program where I can study this *and* hang out with bloggers and web geeks?

My experience as the wife of a cancer patient – Guest post by Air

Raul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:00:12 +0000

This guest post was written and contributed by Airdrie who blogs at Talking to Air and co-hosts the Lipgloss and Laptops podcast

When I woke up this morning my husband was already in the kitchen feeding the kids. I noticed some small spots of blood on his pillow. My stomach sank — the sight of his blood always makes me queasy and worried. I’m guessing some of the pus-filled pimples on his face must have broken last night, and perhaps started bleeding.

My husband was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic colorectal cancer 19 months ago. Since then he has spent over a month in the hospital, had several operations, and endured months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. You can follow his story over at his blog, penmachine.com.

The pimples on his face and torso are the side effects of an experimental drug treatment he is currently receiving through a clinical trial at the BC Cancer Agency. He has “used up” all his government-approved treatments, but there are still small tumors growing in his lungs. If this does not work, then I don’t know what is next – nobody talks about it. The future is uncertain. The only thing that is certain in my life is uncertainty. Thankfully, I have a great therapist who helps me, but that is another story.

When Raul asked me to guest post on his Blogathon, I had no idea what to blog about. Then I noticed that his charity of choice is the BC Cancer Foundation and I immediately knew that I wanted to write about: my experience as the wife of a cancer patient.

Let’s start with the good. They say every cloud has a silver lining. I have learned to enjoy each day with Derek. I now know what it means to live “one day at a time.” Each day is a gift, as they say. I have also realized that I am a strong person. I have inner strength. I take on the role of caregiver begrudgingly. But in the end, I am here for the long ride, through sickness and health.

I’ve learned that I need to ask for help, and that it really does take a “village” to raise a child, in this case, an adult child. My parents and his parents have played important roles in keeping him well, and keeping me sane. My children are flourishing, as kids do, despite the fact that their dad is sick. I have a huge support network, and it took Derek’s illness for me to see it, as though it was invisible before. For that I am grateful.

Now the bad. Cancer is not very sexy. Ileostomy bags, chronic pain, midnight runs to the Emergency room, multiple surgeries, medications and vomiting do not exactly fit into what I had pictured for our future together. There is a lot we can no longer do. He can’t get medical insurance to cover him for travels out of Canada. So I had to leave him at home during our family vacation to California earlier this month.

I was happy to leave him at home, close to his doctors. The truth is, I worry about him way more than I ever did before. It is almost at the point that I feel better when he is in the hospital, because when he is at home, I am always asking him, “how do you feel?” Not only is this very draining, but allowing myself to imagine a reprieve at some point in the future makes me think the unthinkable: only in his death will this pain, this cancer, stop controlling our lives. So I don’t think about it. But repressed feelings tend to build up and spurt out at inopportune times. And rather than keep it all to myself, I’m writing about it here for the world to see.

Truth time. It is most likely that my husband will die from this cancer. Even worse, nobody wants to talk about it. Everyone keeps saying to me that I need to stay positive. But what they are really saying is, “it is not helpful to think about the worst-case scenario.” Well, let me tell you right now, it is necessary for a wife and mother to think about the worst-case scenario.

Derek does not talk about it with me. His parents do not talk about it with us. But I have to think about it. I have two little girls to look after. So if I seem suddenly hard or selfish, I am. But it is not Derek’s fault. It is the cancer’s fault: the cancer that was not supposed to strike a young father at age 37.

Even the doctors don’t like to talk about it. I finally asked his oncologist the big question that everyone asks in the movies: “How long does he have to live?” The doctor said his cancer has a 30% five-year survival rate, with an average survival rate of two years.

So here I am, 19 months in to this role as wife of a cancer patient, and my husband is still alive. I am grateful for that. I honestly think I might fall apart if he were to die. But I am strong. I am realistic. We have put our “affairs in order.” I am drinking more margaritas than usual. I worry about blood stains.

I don’t understand what it means that patients only get 12-16 chemo treatments covered under the BC Medical Services Plan (what about Universal Health Care?). Who can answer that one?

I’m living life one day at a time. It seems some days to be getting worse, and other days to be getting better. I’ve never run a marathon, but I’m guessing it has to be easier than this.

Airdrie blogs at TalkingToAir.com and co-hosts the Lip Gloss and Laptops podcast.

Effective advertising or blatant mysogyny? – Guest post by Anya

Raul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:00:14 +0000

This guest post was written and contributed by Anya from Structured Moments and Beyond Robson

Ahh yes, some people bike across Canada, some run for insane distances, and others… blog. YEP. Welcome me to Blogathon. My name is Anya (or Anna, if you like to be formal) and you probably don’t know who I am. I’m actually quite surprised that Raul offered me to guest blog (thanks! -EDITOR’S NOTE – I like your writing, Anya, that’s why I invited you!) and I’m not too sure how long or thought-out these things are supposed to be. If this is anything like the entries on my own blog, it will be neither long nor thought-out. That’s partly because in about 4 hours I am supposed to be in a car (perhaps driving that car) and on my way to the Pemberton Music Festival.

I’m pretending to be excited about it, but to be honest I am thinking about all the atrocities we’ll have to go through to a) drive there b) get into the venue c) set up our tents and d) somehow get out on Sunday night. 40,000 people are expected to attend. I don’t like Vancouverites enough to spend three days in close proximity with that many of them. But I digress… the other reason why my blog entries aren’t generally accessible is that when I blog for pleasure, it’s really a stream-of-consciousness kind of deal, where I just let my thoughts roam in the jungle (or more like the attic that’s stacked with old creepy dolls) that is my brain.

Oh god. I just did it. I promised that I wouldn’t talk about my blog here because, as numerous people have articulated, talking about your blog is kind of like talking about your dog or your kids. Blah, blah, it’s great, but nobody cares.

So here we go, I’ll talk about something I’ve been meaning to write about myself but haven’t gotten around to. Recently, I saw this ad for BMW on ffffound (have you seen ffffound? It’s like crack cocaine), and it got me thinking a lot about advertising.

Here’s the deal: I am on my way to getting a liberal arts degree, and I’ve loved the little bit of Women’s Studies I have taken. I’m critical, supposedly socially aware, cynical, all that good stuff. But at the same time, I currently work in marketing and I really like my job. Marketing is fascinating and it can be a lot of fun. So when I saw this ad, two parts of me reacted. The feminist me is angry at the use of women’s sexuality in a blatantly demeaning way to sell used cars. USED CARS.

Hold on there a minute, partner, BWM would say: not just any used cars (women, whatever), used BMWs. Which means quality and sexiness and beauty and everything that that girl represents. Anyways, it’s pretty despicable that BMW is recycling the same stereotypes of male sexual dominance and experience in its campaign, and perpetuating the idea that a man is the judge of a woman’s value, which he bases on her level of sexual experience. All that draws me away from this ad, and pisses me off. But the marketer in me keeps going back to this ad because it’s good. It sticks in your mind, and it works. It’s simple and effective, especially for straight men, I would imagine. So, since my readership is a lot smaller than Raul’s, I thought it might be a good place to ask for reactions about the ad over here. What do you think? Are you enraged or do you love it? Are you running to a BWM dealership with cash or with a protest sign? Let me know, I’d love to hear reactions.

That’s it for me! Happy blogging and reading, Blogathon folk! If you’d like to read more of what I have to say, you can do so at Structured Moments or over at Beyond Robson. Or follow me on Twitter or something. The great thing about Web 2.0 is that it gives you myriad stalking options!

Launching my Blogathon 2008

Raul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:00:16 +0000

First of all, thank you to Rebecca for organizing Blogathon 2008, and thanks to all my fellow Blogathoners (whom I’ll mention in a post very soon). I am really excited, as I just had a really nice afternoon and morning with JT, and now heading to meet HZ, CS and a bunch of other friends for another PhD defense celebration.

I invited a bunch of really great bloggers to contribute with guest blog posts, so you won’t be totally bored with only my content. Again, please remember that you can contribute to my fundraising efforts for the BC Cancer Agency by clicking here and donating online. The site is supposed to track the donations in real time, so I’ll know who has donated.

Thanks again so much to sponsors, fellow Blogathoners – good luck and we’ll see you soon!

Blogathon 2008 – Donations, posts, feeds, etc.

Raul — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:08:00 +0000

Given my current workload (and some personal circumstances) I decided to still do Blogathon to raise funds for the BC Cancer Agency, but instead of doing the Sunshine Shift (5:00am on Saturday to 5:00am on Sunday), I am going to be doing Friday July 25th at 10pm to Saturday July 26th at 10pm. I’ll try to juggle my work commitments with my blogging commitments. We’ll see whether I succeed or not.

The BC Cancer Agency was kind enough to include me in their Calendar of Events!

A number of local blogger friends of mine are also doing Blogathon (see Rebecca’s wonderful Blogathon page). If you want to pledge and support my efforts, you could do one of two things

1) Go to Rebecca’s page and submit the form with your pledge. Once Blogathon is over, I will email you reminding you to submit your donation to BCCA.

2) Go directly to the page that BC Cancer Agency generated for me.

Thanks in advance! Please be aware that no money goes through me, and that all your donations will have a tax receipt issued by BCCA. Also – if you follow me on Twitter or you read my RSS feeds, you should know that you’ll be flooded with 49 posts.

Blogathon 2008: Preparing to launch!

Raul — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:28:26 +0000

It’s amazing how soon things can change in a person’s life. I struggled with the decision whether I would participate in Blogathon or not after a meeting this Friday where I have to finish some stuff before July 31st, 2008. Therefore, I was in risk of dropping from Blogathon. However, I had a conversation with my Mom on Thursday and she reminded me that her sister is currently afflicted with metastatic cancer.

Therefore, I have decided that I’m not dropping from Blogathon 2008, and I’ll have to be extremely efficient with my time. I have also decided to implement a great suggestion that Rebecca got on her blog (hat tips to Shane Gibson) – if you are a business enterprise, you could pledge to donate $50 towards my cause (the BC Cancer Agency) and I could either write a blog post about your business or simply add a footer indicating “This post was sponsored by Company X“.

I am also trying to harness the fact that I’m currently Vancouver UrbanSpoon’s top restaurant review blogger (see my sidebar). I’m not 100% sure of how to do that, but I’m also accepting suggestions. And speaking of accepting, I’m currently wondering if people would be willing and able to write guest posts on my blog as part of Blogathon. I will also be e-mailing some close friends of mine who are also bloggers to request their help specifically (but also, feel free to drop a comment and say that you’re willing/able to write a guest post!)

This page explains pretty much everything you might want to know about my Blogathon 2008 efforts. Pleas spread the word, and thank you all in advance.

Blogging for charity

Raul — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:23:15 +0000

After just having completed our recent Bowling for Big Brothers event (where some local Vancouver bloggers -yours truly included – participated), and still feeling a bit physically weak because of my week-long illness, I didn’t really feel much like I wanted to blog. However, I figured I would start getting a feel for what will be my next (and last, for the year 2008) charity event.

Phaedra asked me about the format of Blogathon, and about my experience. If you want to read all my Blogathon posts, feel free to do so. The short story is: you blog every 30 mins for 24 hours, and it is a gruelling experience. Both Rebecca (aka Miss604) and I Blogathoned last year, and I was really out-of-whack for a solid week and a half afterwards. But it was a good experience altogether, for many reasons. Many of my friends sponsored me, a lot of people accessed my blog while doing Blogathon and it provided a worthy charity with much-needed funding. Sharing this experience with Rebecca was also extremely fun and I thank her for tipping me over the edge after I had been sitting on the fence on whether I should Blogathon or not.

This year, I am much better prepared I think. I know what I’m going to do to fill the Blogathon with enough interesting content (one of my strategies – I will recruit guest-bloggers – most likely I will be guest-blogging for others too). I also plan to advertise widely about my Blogathoning. Furthermore, I have a much stronger platform (WordPress) and thus can plant trackbacks and link back to other bloggers with much more ease. And overall, I think I’m a more resilient person than I was last year, so I am hoping it will be fun. Phaedra is thinking of doing it, I think Rebecca is planning on doing it so the question is – who else will be Blogathoning?

To read a re-cap of the bowling for Big Brothers event, read Keira-Anne’s related post.

Update Blogathon 2007 – $ 151.63 USD raised! :-)

Raul — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:19:00 +0000

Dear supporters of “Random Thoughts of a Student of the Environment”’s Blogathon 2007 for “A Loving Spoonful“, thank you very, very much for donating! We raised $ 151.63 USD that I am sure will go a long way to help people in Vancouver living with HIV/AIDS that really need a meal. By now, most of you have been receiving reminder e-mails. You can donate via A Loving Spoonful’s online form (I contacted them re: the security, http instead of https, I still haven’t heard back from them) or through other means (e.g. a cheque). You don’t necessarily need to do this ASAP, you can do this at your earliest convenience. Your support during the Blogathon meant the world to me. To those of you who donated (you know who you are). THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Read all of my Blogathon posts here.

I survived Blogathon 2007

Raul — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:30:00 +0000

You can still sponsor me using the link at the right of the screen (”Sponsor Me”). So far I’ve raised around $85.00 USD!!! Thanks to all sponsors so far, and if you haven’t pledged, you still have until Tuesday night (9pm PST) to do so.

My last Blogathon post. I did it!

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:01:00 +0000

Updates for late sponsors! Calling all sponsors! And this is my last post for Blogathon 2007!

I just read that pledges can be submitted by sponsors up to 48 hours after Schedule B is over (which means, 48 hours after Sunday at 9 pm Pacific Standard Time – therefore, you guys have up until Tuesday night, August 1^st, 2007 at 9pm PST to make a pledge and sponsor me! I will be forever grateful, you’ll get positive karma and A Loving Spoonful will receive a few more donations!)

Sponsor me… you know you want to! You have almost three full days!

I felt a lot of pressure when I saw that someone was looking forward to Rebecca’s last post. Since this is my last, I thought I should make the most of it and call for donations. I’ll post the winners of my “pledge as much as you can” contest in the next few days.

Thanks to Rebecca and Jeff for contributing commentary, to H for suggesting the theme, to all my friends who kept encouraging me, to my sponsors (you know who you are) for donating to this worthy cause, and now I should also announce that I am going to turn my phones (both land line and cell) off. Actually I probably shouldn’t, come to think about it. I think I can sleep through anything!

It’s amazing how my body is shutting down at an astonishingly fast rate. I already took my contact lenses off, and am counting the minutes until I actually post this last entry. I have read in other blogs that they plan to stick it up until 9 am, or whatever. Sorry, can’t do. My body can only take so much pain.

The last 5 minutes (from 5:55am to 6:00am) have been painfully excruciating. My body is claiming “hey you started blogging at 5:40am, you should get some credit minutes”. So I am trying to brainwash myself into hanging on to 6:00am sharp. I’ve already congratulated Miss604 for completing the task. I survived too. Yowza!

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Ahh…. the pressure … and the excitement!

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:28:00 +0000

I’m starting to feel the pressure and the excitement at the same time. On the one hand, I feel pressured to post something significant instead of just dropping words and trying to scramble to finish Blogathon. Incredibly, I managed to actually go all the way. To be fair, I have pulled my share of all-nighters. This one was not the first time I’ve done it. I usually recover quite well with a few naps. The first one is (strategically) only an hour long. The others usually are a few hours. And within 24 hours, I am back to normal.

The excitement is that I have accumulated a total of about $ 66 dollars for my charity, which isn’t bad. It was very encouraging to have Jeff and Miss604 drop by and have them comment on my site. I have had some sad things happen throughout the day but I’ve done my best to counter them. And finally, I have done this for a good cause: A Loving Spoonful.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Wonder Woman – Lynda Carter – More thoughts

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:01:00 +0000

The most beautiful woman in the world, Lynda Carter, as Wonder Woman. Boy, she sure loved to jump!

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The video is here.

More randomness

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:29:00 +0000

My blog is entitled “Random thoughts of a student of the environment” basically because I am interested in environmental issues, but that’s not all I blog about. I normally write about life in general, things that happen around Vancouver, I do a fair number of restaurant reviews, movie reviews, coffee shop reviews. And hopefully I’ll start to do some more Vancouver-centric content.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

A darker version of Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle main battle

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:00:00 +0000

I loved their first movie (Charlie’s Angels – Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz), but this video of their second movie’s main battle is a little too dark. Nevertheless, worth seeing

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The video starts here.

What’s in a name? Hummingbird604

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:34:00 +0000

I know I promised H that I would blog according to a theme, but frankly, I was starting to go too technical. My next environmental post was going to be on the environmental kuznets curve (a theory that argues that as countries increase their GDP, their level of environmental protection also increases) but I thought “ok, you’re going a little bit too far”. I’ve tried to keep the environmental posts as general as possible, but this was going a bit beyond easy conceptual descriptions.

So, I’ve decided to continue with the somewhat personal journey. Some people have asked me if I have basically opened up my soul 48 times throughout the Blogathon. I wouldn’t say that, at all. I think anybody who knows me even a little bit knows that whatever is visible here, is visible everywhere else. I like house music, I love cooking, I tend to be sensitive, and sweet (but not fragile).

So H asked me why hummingbird604. Well, 604 is the area code for Vancouver (although now we also have 778). And hummingbird is a nickname I got a few years back (2003 to be exact). Hummingbirds fly at amazing speeds from flower to flower. I have tended to do many things really fast (I type fast, I speak fast, I think fast). So that’s why I am Hummingbird604.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Overpopulation and the environment – A thorny issue

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 09:31:00 +0000

I am so baked that even within my own specialty (environmental issues) I needed to go and ask for ideas. So I went over to Wikipedia and typed “list of environmental issues”. And voilá! There is a list. In the list, one of the topics that is touched upon is increasing population.

If we assume that the number of people that the Earth can sustain is a limited number, when population grows at high rates, increasingly our resource based becomes more taxed and stressed. Therefore, it sounds like a good idea to try and curb overpopulation. However, just like any other environmental issue, the linkages between population and environment are still hotly debated and contested.

I won’t enter into this debate, I just thought it was important to mention that we ought to think about population control when we try to reduce the pressures on ecosystems.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Hybrid cars – Are they worth it?

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 08:31:00 +0000

A good friend of mine studied hybrid cars for her Masters of Science project, and I have always been curious about their health impacts (she is defending soon so I’ll find out soon enough). But more importantly, I wonder if they really are worth the hype. These vehicles are predicated on their fuel efficiency and reduced air pollutant emissions. I just Googled a few pages and found this report, which sounds interesting.

A friend of mine owns a hybrid car, and paid a premium because he wanted to reduce the amount of air pollutants released by his car (if he had to have a car, at least it was a less-polluting one). He is not the only one to have done so, though. Leonardo DiCaprio, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are amongst the celebrities who are said to own hybrids (in the case of DiCaprio, apparently he owns a hybrid Prius)

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Blim Gallery – For the artsy folks

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 08:01:00 +0000

The Main Street area (South Main or SoMa as some people tend to call it, extending from Main and 1^st Avenue south up until about 33^rd) is considered home to many artsy folks. It has a few funky art galleries, and one of the funkiest I think is Blim. Located on 17th Avenue, near Main, this is a great place and worth checking out. Now, bear in mind that it’s in my neighbourhood, so I am all for visiting my stomping grounds.

Blim organizes a number of movie showings, button-making workshops, and all sorts of really fun stuff. I remember that recently they organized a Mexican-themed event. But I declined to participate in this one because I actually think I know how to make tacos, quesadillas and a few other items. Yummy… now I am hungry!

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The World Urban Forum: Urban Sustainability Redux

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 07:43:00 +0000

Last year, Vancouver was host to the United Nations – Habitat World Urban Forum. This unique event brought thousands of delegates to Vancouver’s own Convention Centre to discuss how to best implement urban sustainability. I had the opportunity to attend a few sessions, and it was really interesting.

Now, there were thousands of discussions. My question is – what happened after those discussions? Where are we, one year after WUF3? I haven’t read the WUF3 report but I’m curious to know what progress have we made 12 months after the event was held here.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

UPDATE – Again, WiFi issues. Blogging from Waves Coffee on Broadway and Oak. Phew!

Making margaritas :)

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 07:04:00 +0000

At S’s going away party, held at B’s place in the West End of Vancouver, I was in charge of feeding everyone their alcoholic beverage of choice. Of course, everyone drank responsibly. However, the most fun part was that I got to make frozen margaritas. People kept coming for them. As soon as my (professional) blender started, I could see their ears perk up and they’d flood the kitchen to have me pour them another cold one.

This was really fun, as it was S’s going away party and we wanted to bid her farewell in style. B was a very gracious host, and A kept me company all evening in the kitchen. I did not get to hang out, but I really didn’t care because I was having a blast. I think I’m a pretty damn good bartender, and it’s fun to feel like I can help my friends when they’re throwing a party and they need someone to mix the drinks.

I’ve had this conversation with other friends, and out of all of them, only one feels strongly against me mixing the drinks for his friends. I have told him that there’s no issue there, and that I’d gladly do it because I think that as a friend, we ought it to our closest ones to be available and help, be it assembling a new desk, carrying a new TV or mixing margaritas. That’s what friends are for!

Here you’ll find a nice recipe for frozen margaritas. Drink responsibly. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drink too much.

UPDATE – I am late because I was trying to find WiFi. I am in Point Grey, so I’ll post this and I might be late for the next one.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Environmental disaster preparedness

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 06:32:00 +0000

People tend to ask me challenging questions and a very good friend of mine mentioned the local (Burnaby) oil spill as a suggestion. What should have been done? Was it properly handled? There’s a whole line of research in environmental studies that looks at disaster preparedness and vulnerability. The challenge really I think is to be prepared for everything. Can we really be ready to face any environmental disaster?

The November 2006 boil water advisory in Vancouver and this week’s oil spill in Burnaby are just two reminders that we need to be seriously prepared for contingencies. What do you do to prepare yourself against any potential environmental disasters?

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The quality of blog posts

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 06:01:00 +0000

Do people believe that our blogging ability goes down as the day progresses? I’m starting to think that they do think that way. And I wonder if it’s a reality. I remember that earlier today I posted a (quite thoughtful, I think) blog entry on the meaning of ‘forever’. And now I am blogging about how we are going downhill because we’re tired and exhausted.

I would argue that this is always the case. In my case, I work better at night than during the day. But the only problem is that I started blogging at 6:00am, so right now my brain is sort of fried. Next year, I’ll ask for shared duties (e.g. guest bloggers). I am keeping up with the pace, and as it stands I think I’m going to have to leave my office fairly soon. That means, at least one stop in Kitsilano and one stop in either the Cambie area or the Main Street area. Since I’m commuting by bus, I would think I’m going to need to make the two pit stops.

If I think about it, I start getting tired. But when I don’t and just keep both working and blogging, I don’t feel it. Right now I have been blogging for almost 14 hours, which isn’t all that bad. As long as I don’t listen to any more depressing songs (I can’t get the Jann Arden tune out of my head), I ought to be ok.

UPDATE – I just got my second wind, I don’t know how. It’s about 11 pm and I’m suddenly feeling good again. Strange how this thing works.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Eco-labeling: Putting a green label on things

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:32:00 +0000

I blogged about OceanWise earlier and I know that some people wonder if this is some eco-certification system. My friend J is doing her entire PhD thesis on eco-certification and corporate social responsibility, and if she was here, I would probably ask her to do a guest post for me. But alas, she is not, so I’ll re-direct you to a paper on the Environmental Protection Agency website that will explain a little bit about the Canadian eco-label version, Environmental Choice [Eco-Logo] which could be considered a variation on the eco-certification theme. Eco-certified products are (allegedly) less harmful to the environment.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

More salsa :)

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:02:00 +0000

I should have chosen this as my second thread or overall theme. I am a salsa dancer, it’s in my veins and I can’t stop myself when I listen to tunes such as “La Vida es un Carnaval” (by the late Celia Cruz) or Micaela (by La Sonora Carruseles). Thus, I thought I should show an instructional video from Addicted2Salsa. My skill may have dropped a bit but I’m pretty sure I can still do these combinations. And my very qualified salsa partners (A, L, S and L) would look amazing too!

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Here’s the video

The 100 Mile Diet – eat local, source local

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 04:30:00 +0000

While we are on the topic of greener restaurants, some people have switched over to what is called the 100-mile diet. The creators of this diet indicated that they wanted to drink and buy food from suppliers within a 100 mile radius. It’s a good idea, I think, if you want to really act and support local farmers. As the authors James and Alisa indicate, it’s a challenge mostly because it’s hard to find where to source everything. But it’s not impossible to do, though.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The Bionic Woman (original 70s show)

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0000

If you were like me, you liked TV shows like “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman”. Interpreted by Lindsay Wagner, the bionic woman (Jaime Sommers) became an icon of the 70s and early 80s. To this day, I love their rendition of the bionic powers (chichichichiching). This video shows the Bionic Woman in various episodes.

There’s a ‘reinvention’ of the Bionic Woman coming this fall, and it’s being filmed in… guess where… yes! Vancouver. It’s definitely not a remake.

Greener restaurants

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 03:17:00 +0000

Ok, so I’ll have to show J this post so that he can believe that I wasn’t joking when I mentioned that I wanted to make a career in restaurant sustainability (down the road, perhaps not now). Well, I found out that there is such a thing as the Green Restaurant Association. While still a US organization, I am hoping that we’ll be doing the same here in Canada very soon. And to be fair, I eat out enough that I can say I know a lot of Vancouver’s local restaurants (make sure to check my posts on places to dine out by reading through the 58 posts that have ‘dining out’ as the tag).

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

UPDATED – It is annoying that the time stamp doesn’t show correctly. I posted this at 8.30pm sharp. Grrr… not funny. Anyhow, needed to add the link for sponsorship anyways.

Vancouver bloggers – building a community?

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:56:00 +0000

I’ve had these discussions on community-building over, and over, and over… (”do you feel part of a community?” is a question I often ask, and I am often posed this question). Throughout the Blogathon, I’ve actually felt part of an online community (those of us who are blogging for charities, being a small sub-community, and we the three Vancouver representatives are like the mini-mini-community). I’ve felt supported throughout the endeavour not only by my close friends (who are probably reading all the stuff I’ve posted) but also by the Blogathon community (very special thanks to Miss604, who in the end was the one who convinced me to join the Blogathon, has linked to me and who has kept the comments flowing).

I have kept a very low profile with my blog, and I’m even blogging sort-of-anonymously, but I wonder if down the road, I might join the community of Vancouver bloggers. I read some of them quite religiously, and I guess this effort will help me gain some additional readership. Perhaps then I’ll feel as though I am part of a Vancouver-blogger community.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

More environmentally friendly churches?

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:31:00 +0000

It’s not the first time I see religion associated with environmental issues, but I found it fascinating that reports indicate that the “Holy See is seeking to become the first ‘carbon neutral’ sovereign state” (the phrase is taken directly from the source, the Winston-Salem Journal). What are your thoughts on the matter?

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Prizes, prizes and more prizes

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:59:00 +0000

Ok, so the owner of Curry Point (two locations: one on the UBC campus and one at Broadway and Cambie) offered very graciously 5 (five) coupons for a one meat + one veggie combo with bottled water (total value ~ $6.50 CND). Of course, since I have to try and make it fun, I had to wonder how to do a contest. So anyhow, this would be a VERY local contest (since both locations are on the West Side of Vancouver). Hmmm… let’s say I’ll give one of the gift certificated to the reader who can answer one of the questions I’ll be posting throughout the evening.

I think I’ll also have a gift certificate for another restaurant (I just need to confirm details). So, all in all, not bad for a day’s work. And all for a good cause:

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

UPDATE – Feeling incredibly lethargic. I wonder if it’s the food or the fact that I’ve been blogging for more than 12 hours straight. I’ve often wandered to other blogs, particularly Miss604 and OpenUp (both local Vancouver blogathoners) but even so, I am exhausted. I am really hoping I can go the distance.

I have also noticed a dramatic drop in blogs. The first time I checked we were at over 500 blogs. Now we’re at 394 (6.51pm). WOW. But they’re right – if you can’t do it, you can’t do it. It’s not worth over-doing it.

I am just running out of ideas for environmentally-related posts!

An eco-friendly vodka?

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:30:00 +0000

Well, since I do enjoy one vodka tonic sporadically (e.g. every few weeks), a friend of mine suggested that I looked into Vodka 360. The creators of this beverage indicate on their website their commitment to “eco-awareness and corporate social responsibility”. Of course, all disclaimers apply here (e.g. drink responsibly, don’t drink and drive, etc.) And full disclosure – I have nothing to do with this company. I just like vodka-based drinks once in a while. It’s exciting to see that environmental issues are gaining more visibility.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Music review – Running in the Family by Level 42

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:58:00 +0000

Considered by many the best bass of the 80’s, Mark King was the leader of a great British band, Level 42. This is one of their best tunes, in my humble opinion. Makes you want to stand up and dance. Or at least, it has that effect on me.

UPDATE: I made it through the first 12 hours!!!! I can’t believe it. I’ve commuted from home to the office, stopped 3 times, almost didn’t get my post on time 3 times, and I’m still standing.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The video starts here.

Ocean Wise and eco-certification of seafood

Raul — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:32:00 +0000

Ocean Wise is a program initiated by the Vancouver Aquarium and it is intended to encourage the consumption of seafood that comes from certified (presumably sustainable fisheries). It’s a great idea, I think, and lots of Vancouver restaurants have adopted Ocean Wise. I’d encourage you to check out their webpage.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Living in Yaletown and rental prices

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 23:58:00 +0000

I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t enjoy living in Yaletown. There are plenty of good restaurants near by (Nu, El Patio and La Terrazza are just a few of them), a beautiful park (David Lam Park) and an amazing seawall. However, the rental prices are through the roof, and if I wanted to live in YT I would necessarily have to share accommodations and find a roommate (or make A LOT of money). I don’t think I’m ready to go into debt to live in YT. Although it’s a beautiful neighbourhood.

All these years of living alone have given me a newfound freedom. I absolutely enjoy having no issues with regards of who gets to shower first, how clean our apartment is, etc. I have all these conversations with myself. Living in Yaletown would mean to me having great perks (hey who doesn’t enjoy taking the AquaBus for a short trip to Granville Island or Kits Beach?) but also would mean paying much more than I pay now. Unless, of course, I found a really great one-bedroom within my budgetary restrictions , which may be hard to do but definitely not impossible.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

V.I.P. Theme

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Pamela Anderson, from our own beautiful British Columbia, has made a name for herself in many ways, one of them through her formerly syndicated TV show, “VIP”. I loved the music and I always wanted to have the YouTube clip. Managed to find it once, then it was quickly removed. Managed to find it again, though. Don’t you like the music? If I had my own TV show, I’d like this type of music as the theme. Of course, I don’t have my own TV show but hey I still like this tune!

UPDATE – My pledges are up to $ 57.00 already! YAY I thought I would do worse than that, hehe. So keep’em coming… and to those who have donated, many thanks!

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

The video starts here.

Treehugger: An environmentally friendly blog.

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:30:00 +0000

Ok, so I got hooked on to Treehugger thanks to M (who is now way up North undertaking some really exciting archaeological work). And recently I got an e-mail from a friend who suggested that if I used Black Goggle instead of normal Google I would save energy. I am not going to enter the debate (mainly because I don’t have the time to calculate the savings and all that, although it would be fun), but here is the Treehugger post that discusses this particular tool.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

An appreciation of friends

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:00:00 +0000

It would be a gross understatement to say that I love my friends. I think that if there is such a thing, I am friend-addicted. I have a fairly solid bunch of people around me who keep me sane through thick and thin.

They have to put up with phone calls at night when I have to rant and complain about stuff at work (or heartache, as the case might be).
They join me in adventures around town (shopping at IKEA or the Kwik-E-Mart).
They follow my craziness throughout the day (yes I know this Blogathon is a crazy idea, but I’m doing it for a worthy cause that you all know I strongly support).
They sponsor me (thank you guys!!!) at Blogathon 2007.
They are ready to tell me the truth even when it hurts.
They share in our enjoyment of the fine things in life (such as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, taking in a concert, shopping on Main Street, having a home-made dinner, watching movies, and sometimes, they even read my work-related stuff!)

I am grateful for the friends I have. At all times, you know I think the world of y’all !!!!

Note on A Loving Spoonful donations page – I was just informed by one of my friends that there might be an issue with the secure donations at the A Loving Spoonful website (it appears as http instead of https). So maybe you may want to do your donation by cheque or something. A good friend of mine who was kind enough to pledge me has called to inform them of the issue. However, you don’t need to donate today. All you need to do is pledge, and then fulfill your pledge soon-ish!

Keep’em donations coming! And to those who have donated, thank you for your kindness!

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Eco-density: Urban form and sustainability

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:26:00 +0000

Increasing urban density is considered as one of several potential solutions to urban sprawl, and an alternative that would lead to a more sustainable urban form. The phrase Eco-Density has been mentioned several times (some people argue that the term has even been trademarked, but I am not too sure about this). Among the proposed strategies towards ‘Eco-Density’, we can find increasing density around transit routes, reduce single-unit dwellings, to name a couple.

The Vancouver Eco-Density Planning Initiative seems like an interesting idea, and I’d like to learn more about it in the near future.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.