Recently, Lorraine suggested that I write down what I’ve done for the day, as an exercise in productivity. If you recall my Top Ten Productivity Tips I always have suggested to write down what you’re going to do the next day and prepare that way for the work day. I will fully plead guilty that I sometimes keep that list in my head. Most of the times, though, I add it to Tasks either on GMail or on my iGoogle page.
I think Lorraine’s idea is actually a very good one. It helps people who do freelance work and/or consulting projects (as I do) maintain a record that allows to track productivity in a meaningful way. For example, this past Sunday I cleaned up my apartment. I live in a fairly modest/small place that doesn’t have a full-fledged home office (contrary to, for example, my home-office in Mexico). I don’t actually need a home office since I have one at The Network Hub, but it’s kind of important to me to sometimes bring work home and thus I need a clean space to work on.
I grew frustrated with my apartment’s messiness (I recognize that for a cleanliness freak like me – I’m a Virgo – the range of clutter that can be considered messy is substantially different from that of other people) and started cleaning, most of Sunday. I did write a bit, and dealt with stuff that I had promised Mom I would help her deal with, but for the most part, I cleaned my place. And it feels now way more livable than it did before.
Would that considered be productive? I believe it should. Once I wrote down ALL the stuff I did (including dealing with emails from people who ask me to review their products, attend and write about their events, startups, etc.) I almost went “phew – and this is even BEFORE I get into my research work!”
My good friend Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) is a social media powerhouse, a fantastic website coder (I had a chance to see some of her most recent websites for Sixty4Media clients – awesome!), and a wonderful human being with a great capacity to love and give. Rebecca has organized numerous events, but one that is becoming her signature event is Vancouver Twestival, taking place on September 12th, 2009.
Tickets are on sale ($ 20) now through the Amiando system. I always like to thank the people who support my friends’ causes so thanks to the generous sponsors who are supporting Rebecca’s efforts for Twestival. You can donate as well even if you can’t make the event. Please come, join us and support this fantastic fundraiser for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
I hadn’t been to The Keg in a long while, primarily because the last time I went there was for dinner with my Auntie M, who passed away in August of last year, so it really doesn’t bring good memories to go back to any of The Kegs. But recently, Colleen called for a meeting at The Keg Yaletown and those of us who attended had a really good time. I’ll admit that I find this particular location incredibly pretentious and that I was substantially annoyed by the fact that it had a waiting time of about 45 mins to an hour for a table in the rooftop. Admittedly, it’s one of the best rooftops in Yaletown and I don’t blame them for the popularity. The Keg is a really good restaurant, I just think that the atmosphere is pretentious. But then again, I’m an East Vancouver boy (alright, marginally – I live on Main, so I’m sort of near Hipsterville).
Nadia ordered a martini while I ordered first a caipirinha and then a blended mango margarita. The margarita was sensational, although the caipirinha was middle-of-the-road. I had to return it because it was incredibly sour (caipirinhas are supposed to be somewhat sour but that was almost undrinkable). Our waitress was incredibly accommodating and quickly fixed my drink. The company and conversations were fantastic. I will probably go back to The Keg Yaletown sometime with this same group of friends. Hopefully the next time I show up there’ll be enough free space in the rooftop to seat us all.
I think I’ve brought up my Mom every single time I have written about opera, but it’s hard not to. Being the son of a trained opera singer has meant for me that I have built very strong associations with arias. Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” will be on stage under the tents in Vanier Park on September 7th and 8th, 2009 as part of the excellent Bard on the Beach productions.
Tickets are $ 32 and $ 35 (pre-sale and at the door). You can buy tickets online by following this link. The performances take place on September 7th at 1pm and at 8pm, and on September 8th at 8pm. The kind folks of Bard on the Beach have again, sponsored a pair of tickets to give away for the September 8th performance, and I’ll be drawing the winner on Thursday at 2pm. As usual, you can enter the contest by dropping a comment on this post. More information on the opera is excerpted from the website and shown below.
Fresh from their performance of Mozart’s Così fan tutte in Prague and Ontario, UBC Opera Ensemble, directed by Nancy Hermiston, will perform an in-concert staging of this fun-filled romantic opera. Members of Vancouver Opera Orchestra, conducted by Leslie Dala, will accompany this talented cast of rising opera stars.
A few weeks back, The Arts Club invited me to attend Altar Boyz. I really appreciated the invite, first because they kindly sponsored my Les Miserables contest (remember the covert mission to Paris post? it was one of the most fun to read!) and second, because at the time they invited me to attend Altar Boyz, I was under a lot of stress and really needed some comic relief. The show is now over and I feel really bad because I wanted to post a review way earlier for my friends and loyal readers to peruse. But even though this particular show is over, The Arts Club has lots of other events going on.
I was really pleasantly impressed when I heard from MJ and from my friend AF that they had gone to see Altar Boyz and that they had loved it. I think that those comments enhance my own review (which, as you can imagine, is definitely positive). The premise of Altar Boyz is simple, a young group of Catholic singers (much a-la NSync or New Kids on the Block) and their journey. I took JT along with me, and we attended a preliminary lecture by Sara Bartok (where I had a chance to show off my knowledge of Latin American pop culture by answering questions about Puerto Rican group Menudo). I also really liked the fact that at the lecture, finger food was served (honestly, I can’t emphasize this – seminars/events with complimentary food = awesome). Sara provided really good insights into the culture of pop young groups. I still, however, don’t understand how people love The Jonas Brothers so much 😉
I do hope that Altar Boyz will return to Vancouver and when they do, I’ll make sure to invite several of my friends along to make it a group outing. Thanks again to The Arts Club for their support of my contest giveaways and for the complimentary tickets.
Disclosure: The tickets to attend the musical were sponsored very generously by The Arts Club. They have made it explicit that I have no obligation nor commitment to write a review at all. I am not paid to write the review. In any review I write, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
18 years ago, I held in my arms the first-born of my eldest brother and my sister-in-law. That day, I remember clearly, I really felt an urge to come back to where our family lived as I had a hunch my niece was on her way. My eldest niece, naturally, has a special place in my heart (all my nieces and nephews do, but each one of them is different). Naturally, I am an over-protective uncle, you can tell.
There’s also the fact that my nieces and I communicate with each other on Facebook. I would like to believe I’m an accessible uncle and the one every one of my nieces and nephews can come to talk if they need advice.
Thus, on your first day of college, sweetheart, my advice is threefold: (1) study hard (2) make lots of friends (3) enjoy! I don’t think I need to tell you “not to get into trouble” because that’s not something that worries me. You make me proud every day.
Make us all proud and become one hell of an architect! Much love to you from Uncle Rolex.
I was invited to join GigPark by Tanya Davis a few months ago. I am a social media junkie, Tanya is my friend and therefore I figured “what the heck, I’ll give it a try”. So I set up my personal profile on GigPark (quite incomplete I would say, because as I mentioned to the GigPark folks, I find the interface incredibly clunky – I still maintain it’s not very friendly). I still have to set up a business profile (and I guess I’d have to set separate for my academic work, my consulting work in environmental policy and my consulting work in social media – three accounts? phew).
Truth be told, I am pretty sure some people think I’m just annoying and I don’t provide real feedback. So here’s my specific feedback to both GigPark and GigPark users.
GigPark – the interface
I tried to recommend The Network Hub (full disclaimer – my office is located there, hence the reason for the recommendation – I really enjoy having my office space there!) and I hit what in GigPark they called a technical snag. Awesome feedback and very quick, fast and positive response from the folks from GigPark on Twitter (clearly they’re monitoring their social media outlets). You can read our conversation here.
GigPark – the process of recommending
It would be much more useful for me to recommend if there was a database to search from. I know The Network Hub is in the GigPark database, and there is no easy way to go, search/browse and then add the recommendation. So I have to go and type the information directly. Grrrr.
GigPark – the correct use and the (wrong) usage by other entities
I would say that the right way to use GigPark would be to recommend someone whose services you’ve already used (or whose services AT LEAST you know are solid). I know that Tanya recommended MJ Ankenman (a close friend of the both of us, who also happens to be a real estate agent). MJ was the buyer agent for Tanya and did a phenomenal job. Tanya recommended MJ on GigPark and I think that’s the RIGHT way to use it.
I’m going to be very politically correct and not do a screenshot of a company that appears to be recommending its own businesses, but I think that’s the wrong way to use it. Recommending your own businesses doesn’t seem to be very fitting with the purposes of GigPark.
Who gets recommended on GigPark?
I’m in a bit of a conundrum myself with GigPark. Getting recommended for services I’ve provided to my peers? That’s going to be kind of difficult since we are sort of in a relatively similar field. I mean, admittedly I’ve written a few guest posts on several different sites, and I’ve started to write more on TechVibes. I’ve helped some of my friends with some editing work, etc. Seriously though, in the social media community, who would really recommend the kind of stuff I do (in the same space)? I’d say that the social media community could potentially recommend me on the other aspects of my work (my research, policy analytical work, teaching, speaking engagements, etc.)
I would hazard a guess that I might need to email my clients (former and current) and ask them to throw a recommendation on GigPark on the environmental work I’ve done. Same deal for the social media stuff I’ve worked on. I would like that by the time I make that request, the GigPark framework interface becomes friendlier. I’m also excited by the fact that they’ve been acquired by CanPages.
Question to my readers – do you use GigPark and if so, what’s your take on the interface?
Like any good academic geek, I have a gazillion plus more books in my personal library (at home). I have read all of them and I think it’s important for me to give back to the community as well. I bought pretty much all these books with my own cash, so I feel perfectly comfortable giving them away (i.e. I’m not re-gifting books that have been gifts to me). Others may have come to me for book reviews for journals or as sample books for review for my undergraduate courses. I do feel that it’s ok for me to give those away as well for libraries (grossly underfunded).
Laura recommended looking at non-profits and it occurred to me that perhaps I should distribute my book donations as well to charitable organizations. I am a firm believer in reading rooms. Even if the non-profit can’t afford a huge amount of money for reading materials, I am pretty sure many of them have a dedicated area (however small) for books/magazines/etc.
I ask Vancouver/Lower Mainland readers of my blog – do you know of any local non-profits that have reading rooms/libraries that could benefit from my books donations? If so, please drop a comment on this post. Thanks! (PS – hat tips to Patricia and Laura who recommended VPL and the non-profits).
I had a chance to meet this week with Gus Fosarolli, Nadia Nascimento and Shane Gibson. We had a couple of drinks at The Keg in Yaletown and, amongst other topics, we mentioned the need for higher-level, more philosophical/ethical/larger scale discussions in the social media world, and about topics on internet and society. I caught a Twitter conversation amongst Chris Mathieson, Tris Hussey, Cathy Browne and Steff Cameron along the same vein.
I’ve been invited to each and every one of the Gastown Dialogues on the Future of the Web (an event that Evan Leeson and Kevin Grandia have been organizing every few months), and I’m delighted to have been a participant, because at those events, we’ve had exactly those types of discussions – the large-scale, broad, questions. What are the ethics behind social media? Where are the ethical boundaries drawn? What type of best practices are taking place and how can we avoid faux pas? There are, I’m sure lots of other questions that can be thought of (the impact of Twitter on society, who will benefit from early adoption, the role of social networks in society).
Only caveat – I am NOT doing it on a Sunday. Nor a Saturday for that matter. For someone like me who is immersed in the social media space pretty much every day, at least one day should be dedicated to other things. In all seriousness these discussions should probably be hosted by local events (of the Meetup.com type, perhaps). And clearly, you all can go ahead and have these discussions over Sunday brunch. Give me a call when you take over the world 😉
One of my closest friends got married yesterday, in what I’d say was one of the happiest days of my own life too. She and I have been very good friends for over 12 years (man, does time ever go fast) and I wanted to attend her . I took my friend AF along as my date, and I don’t think I could have made a better choice for a date for this evening. As my good friend KG mentioned, AF and I have a fantastic personal chemistry (no wonder why we are such good friends), in particular when we dance. We’ve been dance partners before and gave several exhibitions where we’ve showcased our salsa chops.
My good friend who got married looked absolutely beautiful, the wedding was perfect, and I had an absolute blast. I was telling her that it was interesting how my life is intertwined not only with that of hers but also her family and closest friends. Her two best female friends and I had a chat about the fact that I knew about them (and I knew one of them as we had chances to hang out) because we were part of our friend’s storyline. Same with her brother (whom I hadn’t met in person, but it was like we’d been good friends from day one).
It was such a nice wedding, I danced for 6 hours straight and in general we were so happy for her, for the groom and in general, because we are part of each other’s stories. That’s something I realized lately. I like being part of every single one of my friends’ story, and I love the fact that their stories are also interwoven with mine.
I wrote notes about the three wines which I share with you. Note – I am not a wine connoisseur so I am just sharing my notes as I tasted them. I liked The Wine Room, although the service could always use some improvement (Erin was there and she really took care of us, but the other waitresses were a bit lacking). All my wines were white
– See Ya Later Gewuztraminer – I found this wine light, slightly sour but with sweet smell. I think it could be used as wine for a chicken-based dish (for dinner)
– Blasted Church Pinot Gris – I thought that this wine was more full-bodied and that it could be independently drunk. It has no fruit taste. It seemed to me (and I think Lorraine agreed) boring, but safe (middle of the road).
– Monster Rose – I lied, not every single one was a white wine. I tasted a Rose. I found this one to be the most flavorful, a bit of floral aroma, can be drunk on its own, although I would probably love to use it to accompany a jambalaya.
Overall, I liked The Wine Room and I would probably come back. I saw some of the delights they had for dinner and for appetizers and I would definitely want to sample them another night. The event itself was a resounding success for Michael, and I was happy to see him and Erin.
I’m happy to have friends who (like me) are both passionate in the social media space and in their own careers. Alex Lee Behan is one of them. Currently Alex is the co-host of the morning show “Shore Mornings with Moose and Alex” from 6am to 10am every weekday on the local radio station Shore 104 FM. Last night (Thursday), on Alex’s invite, I attended their official launch party. While they’ve been on the air for a couple of months already, they waited a bit to do the official launch and it coincidde with the worldwide release of the Vancouver Adapted Music Society (VAMS) Music Saves Project.
The VAMS Music Saves Video Project was developed to create awareness of VAMS and the wonderful work it does to help create a level playing field for the disabled. This video is an example of how we believe that music can have an incredible positive influence in peoples lives therapeutically and creatively. Programs such as this are important to recognize and support. We believe that music makes a difference and can heal, enrich and inspire positivity and creativity.
Vancouver Adapted Music Society (VAMS) was founded in the late 1980s to support and promote musicians with physical disabilities in the Metro Vancouver area.
In my opinion, the event was a total success. I had a blast not only because the event was very well executed but also because it highlighted the important work that the VAMS Music Saves project entails. My dear friends Emme Rogers and Lorraine Murphy were also in attendance. I think Emme took a few photos, and I’ll link to them as soon as she uploads them.
I was given a tour of the excellent studio facilities. Honestly, I was really pleased by the fact that every single one of the members of the Shore 104 FM team were incredibly nice and down-to-Earth. I had wonderful conversations with the Creative Director and most of the production folks. For me, the station’s motto Roots, Rock and Rhythm really rings true. I am excited by the work that they’re doing. Their premise is to pay especial attention to roots music and emerging artists from Vancouver and British Columbia. I hope they feature my friends from the local band Mojave on their show at some point.
It’s great to see local radio stations like Shore 104 FM support the great work of VAMS. You can learn more about the initiative by clicking on this hyperlink. Thanks to Alex and the folks of Shore 104 FM for making my evening last night so wonderful, and for the excellent programming they’re offering. I’ve been paying much more attention to radio lately, that’s for sure!
I have been reflecting on this topic lately, as I had a long conversation about why some people won’t say “love you” or “love you too“. For a large majority of my offline friends (and a few of my online friends), saying “love you lots“, or “love you” or “miss you” seems very easy to say and flows very freely. For others, it would seem as though it stumps them when I say that.
I love my friends, no question about it. And I feel loved by them too. That’s not even a question. I am privileged because I have so many people who care about me. But maybe I’m just too extroverted and too warm. I enjoy saying it, because I mean it. Sometimes I do feel uncomfortable saying it when I can see that my friends may also experience some discomfort.
If I say “I love you” I mean it, and 99.99% of the time, I mean it in the non-romantic, friendly, warm-and-fuzzy, “I really like you in a non-stalkerish kind of way and I value your friendship and the time we spend together (online and offline)“.
I was working at Waves the other night along with my friend Minna and we were listening to music from the 80s era. I recognized this song but I didn’t remember who sang it. Thompson Twins (the creators of the always lovely song ‘Hold Me Now’, one of the most romantic songs I’ve heard) also sing “Love On Your Side” (which was one of the songs in their Best of Thompson Twins compilation, titled Love On Your Side too). If you know my musical tastes, you can understand why I love it so much. It’s dance-able, it’s fun, and makes you want to work (which is the reason why I blogged about it, so that I could put it on repeat and listen while I worked)
What is your favorite 80’s song? Have you listened to Thompson Twins? I just realized that I also love the song “Lies”!
I will admit that I was one of the thousands of Vancouverites who took the Canada Line on the first day it operated (August 17th, 2009). Since it opened, I have had a chance to take a few quick trips back and forth, mostly from downtown (Waterfront to Broadway/City Hall Station). Within 45 minutes, I had gone from my office downtown to Sushi Boy on Broadway and Cambie for lunch and back. This includes wait time at the Japanese restaurant.
I took some video with my Flip camera of the trip on the way there.
A few weeks back, Lorraine and I were walking along Robson Street and chatting about the possibility of starting an interview series with local celebrities. Both Lorraine and I love asking questions, learning more about people and more importantly, enjoying the opportunity to experience unique local attractions and amenities. Both Lorraine and I have had an opportunity to visit the Opus Hotel when we attended the first-ever Twestival Vancouver, as Opus hosted it. We both really liked the service and support we received from Opus so we pitched them the idea of having a hosted series of interviews that would take place over a meal.
For our inaugural “Out to Lunch with…”, we chose local celebrity and all-around sexy darling Emme Rogers. Emme writes from the perspective of a thirty-something gal and her day-to-day escapades. Lorraine has more detailed notes on the interview itself, although I did get to ask a few questions. I was particularly interested in learning what does the perfect boy look like for Emme Rogers”.
For my own post, I’ll be focusing a bit more on the food, the brunch itself and the ambiance. We purposefully decided that we’d do the Sunday jazz brunch that Elixir offers. All three of us really enjoy jazz and we found it a very nice feature that would go well with our interview series. We arrived at Elixir at 11.30am and were greeted by the hostess and taken to our table.
You can read the brunch menu of Elixir Bistro by clicking on this hyperlink. I ordered the caesar salad with smoked chicken ($ 15), while Emme ordered Elixir’s brunch feature, poached eggs and smoked salmon on scallion waffles with pesto hollandaise ($ 15). Lorraine feasted on a tuna nicoise salad with seared albacore tuna, olive tapenade, tomato, green beans ($ 14.5). A few photos of the brunch can be seen below. We were provided a small sampler of desserts courtesy of the chef.
For more photos, check Emme’s Flickr set (hyperlinked here). We were simply delighted when we overheard an elderly lady say that she had just come to Vancouver from Victoria overnight (clearly, she had stayed at the Opus) and that she wanted to treat her granddaughter so she brought her to a nice brunch with jazz music in the background.
I am a lover of jazz, no question about it. Thus, I was even more excited about checking Elixir’s jazz brunch (every Sunday from 11am to 2pm). The jazz musicians at Elixir (Jillian Lebeck on voice, Adam Thomas on bass) are simply outstanding. You should definitely check them out. For the price you would pay (our meals were courtesy of Elixir this time) it’s a really good deal. The music is not overpowering at all, and provides a nice ambiance element. I would more than gladly pay the price of this brunch to bring JT here as a treat – come to think about it, perhaps that’s what I’ll do for his birthday this year.
As for the interview, I’m sure Lorraine will post the full juicy details, but I really wanted to include the video of my asking Emme the question – what does the perfect guy look like. Hyperlinked here is the YouTube video with Emme’s response. I can’t wait to read the rest of the responses! Thanks Emme for the interview and Lorraine for a wonderful co-piloting (we were both co-pilots, as you mentioned).
This post and review of Elixir’s brunch is part of my interview series “Out to Lunch With…” co-hosted with Lorraine Murphy and hosted by Elixir at The Opus Hotel. I am not paid to write the review. However, our brunch, and that of our guest is compliments of Elixir. In any review I write, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
Julie Wright invited me to the launch of Wavefront (which took place on August 18th, 2009) and I had an opportunity to attend the event. The concept of Wavefront’s wireless facility is somewhat similar to that of other launching pads (like the one I have my office in, The Network Hub, or like BootUp Labs). You can read more about Wavefront here (an excerpt of their About Page can be read below)
Wavefront is the commercialization centre accelerating the growth of British Columbia’s growing cluster of more than 1,000 wireless and new media developer companies. Wavefront improves speed-to-market and delivery of mobile applications and devices by providing emerging companies with a suite of WaveGuideâ„¢ training, mobile industry advisory, testing and incubation services that facilitate commercial engagement with mobile network operators and enterprise companies around the world.
I liked the fact that Wavefront has wireless testing facilities. I had a chance to talk to some of the people who have offices there, like Aaron Hilton from CellMap, and with other providers of wireless platforms like Brian Leroux from Nitobi. I also had an opportunity to chat with Rochelle Grayson (interim president of New Media BC) and learn more about the wireless industry.
Thanks to Julie for inviting me to this event, I had a lot of fun and learned quite a bit about a space that I am not really too familiar with (the mobile and wireless industry) given that, well, I’m not really using a smart phone. Now, if somebody wanted to send me an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android for testing…
For our Sunday evenings, JT and I always try to search for fun adventures within the Greater Vancouver – Lower Mainland area. One of the regions we have explored but rarely to any degree of depth is the District of North Vancouver. We thus went on an afternoon adventure to see the Cleveland Dam and the Capilano Reservoir, one of three watersheds that provide drinking water to the Greater Vancouver area.
North Vancouver’s Capilano Reservoir supplies 33 per cent of the region’s drinking water and is contained by the Cleveland Dam (also operated by Metro Vancouver). Visitors can view the reservoir from Cleveland Dam at the north end of Capilano River Regional Park. [Metro Vancouver drinking water supply website]
Despite the fact that this area is actually quite accessible by car, I didn’t see the parking lot fully packed. We walked around and took a few photos, which you can look at below. I also found out that you can tour the Capilano Reservoir (a program by the Metro Vancouver authority).
I am subscribed to the Metro Vancouver list-serve and they just informed me about the next Sustainability Breakfast, with the topic: Building Community Through Social Housing, on September 9th, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the downtown campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) at 555 Seymour Street.
More from the media release:
What role does social housing play in building and sustaining local communities? For residents in the Downtown Eastside, how might housing provide a starting point for citizens to regain a sense of social inclusion?
Our presenters will speak about the value of establishing innovative programs and tenant associations in social housing complexes throughout the region, and will share their first-hand experiences with successful projects at the Somerset Gardens complex in Surrey and through the PHS Community Services Society in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside.
Featured speakers include:
* Ulryke Weissgerber, Tenant Programs & Services Supervisor, Metro Vancouver Housing Corp
* Amy Margison, Vice-Chair, Tenant Association, Somerset Gardens, Surrey
* Liz Evans, Founder and Executive Director, PHS Community Services Society
Via Robert Ballantyne (a good friend of mine and local resident of Bowen Island) I found out about Bowfest 2009, a day-long celebration and community fair that takes place on this beautiful area (one that I still haven’t explored, despite my interest in organizing a Geek Road Trip to Bowen).
It looks like I could have organized the road trip for this coming Saturday, but my very best friend from the MBA program is getting married this coming Saturday and I have no intention whatsoever of missing her wedding, so I am going to ask my readers to go and visit Bowen Island this coming Saturday (August 29th). The Bowfest parade starts at 10:30am. Check the event’s website for more information.
This weekend I had to shift my usual Sunday with JT for the Saturday (which sort of overbooked me, but also allowed me to spend time with my best friend, his parents, his wife and daughter and some of our common closest friends on the Sunday). JT knows for a fact that Ethiopian food is my choice of comfort food when I feel overwhelmed, stressed or simply when I need a pick-me-up. He also knows that I absolutely adore The Red Sea Cafe so he took me there for dinner on Saturday evening.
I’ve visited numerous local restaurants who serve Ethiopian food – I know for a fact that Degan loves Fassil, I personally adore The Red Sea Cafe, I like Axum and Gojo Little Africa but not to the same extent as the Red Sea Cafe.
Do you eat Ethiopian food? If so, what’s your favorite restaurant?
I gave a talk on the top 10 plugins I use to maximize the reader’s experience. Here is the SlideShare of the talk. For more of my presentations on SlideShare you can click on the link.
I know it’s grey out there, but just wanted to remind you of how pretty our city is when it’s sunny
I just came home after a great business meeting. Normally, I would go back to my office at The Network Hub. However, I realized that since I’ve been putting in really long hours and been at the office most of the time, I hadn’t even done laundry. I hadn’t washed a lot of dishes. Seriously, I already have a list of all the groceries I need to buy because I’ve been so focused on work, work, work.
I know it sounds crazy, but working from home actually is working for me. My apartment was messy, needed to do laundry and dishes. Obviously, messy for me is different to messy for others. I’m a Virgo, so I’m obsessively cleaning and I like my apartment, however small it is, to be comfortable and nice. Thus, I decided to throw laundry and work from home for a few hours.
I have to go and visit friends this afternoon and evening so I decided to do all the work I could from home, then head for these visits and do a night-cap at the office. The great thing about working from home is that (a) I can do some multi-tasking like writing/analyzing data while my laundry is washing and/or drying and (b) I have a desktop computer and a mini-home office set up here. Finally, there is nobody around so I’ve got some jazz music playing and comfortably working.
I’ll go back to the office after dinner, most likely. Now, how is YOUR Friday going?
I am rarely confused when it comes to fragrances, but clearly, Issey Miyake has the ability to blindside me without much trouble. I walked into a retail store recently browsing the spectrum of Miyake colognes (I own L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme) and came across the Summer Glimmer version. However, on the Miyake site, I couldn’t find it.
I am a big fan of Issey Miyake fragrances because I find that they suit my epidermal chemistry, as I have mentioned before. Recognizing the high and medium notes for Summer Glimmer is not that difficult as you can smell a hint of lavender, a substantial component of floral and aquatic, and some citrus notes (green). The beef I have with Summer Glimmer is that it doesn’t really differentiate itself much from say, a Kenzo Pour Homme, or a summery Colors by Bennetton even. Surely, L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme does have the Miyake touch (strong base notes with some wood and substantial freshness in the middle notes) but I wasn’t delighted.
If I were to choose a Miyake cologne, I would still go back to my trusty L’Eau D’Issey (the traditional edition). I grew more and more frustrated with Summer Glimmer as the hours went through because the weather was a tad too hot and I felt my nose overpowered. If I want an all-day cologne, I can always trust any of the Miyake scents but I am slightly wary of using Summer Glimmer again. I had a similar reaction to the Intense version of L’Eau D’Issey.
Disclosure: This review is in no way, shape or form commissioned by Issey Miyake nor any of its affiliates. I love all Miyake scents and I love reviewing products and in particular fragrances that I own or have used. I did not get paid for the review, nor did I get any free samples of the cologne
