There are few theatre festivals I love more than Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver. In its 2012 season, it will bring some of the best classics of Shakespeare. And while Macbeth is probably my favorite this season, I absolutely loved the opportunity of sharing The Taming of the Shrew with JT who came as my Plus One. You’ll see, JT and I have this summer tradition where we go for dinner and then take in a Bard on the Beach performance. It’s very sweet.
Shakespeare’s romantic romp, The Taming of the Shrew, shines a comic spotlight on the pleasures and perils of the search for the perfect mate. Beautiful Bianca has no shortage of admirers, but she can’t marry until her headstrong sister Kate finds a husband. Along comes the fortune-hunting Petruchio, who is determined “to wive it wealthily in Padua” and sets out to capture the heart of the fiery-spirited Kate. Petruchio and Kate face off in a crackling battle of wits, while three enthusiastic suitors launch their own devious campaigns as they vie for Bianca’s affections.
There is something you should know in advance, though. While I have seen The Taming of the Shrew before, and I have seen it with some of the same actors, I did not get to see it in its entirety. Despite being well wrapped in clothes and layered, I found the temperature inside the theatre way too cold and I could just not withstand it. This was too sad because I have never quit a theatre performance.
Much less have I quit mid-way through the performance (I stayed until the end of the first act). But the cold was simply unbearable, so my recommendation is: BRING LOTS OF WARM CLOTHING. This city’s weather is just way too unpredictable.
That aside, I found the play really solid, as it is usually the norm with Bard on the Beach. I did not like the fact that Lois Anderson (Kate) shrieked a little bit too much in the first few scenes, but I think what happened is that she adjusted her “feisty personality” to match the more subdued, subtle tones of her cast. I found it also a bit weird to see my dear friend and admired theatre actor Bob Frazer in a secondary role at The Taming of the Shrew. I know he’s coming in a leading role this summer with Macbeth, but I just found it a bit bizarre. But other than the little minor temperature detail and the intensity of Anderson, I think The Taming of the Shrew was a funny, delightful show.
Bard on the Beach is, without a doubt, the premiere summer theatre festival and I encourage you to come and check it out. Performance run time for The Taming of the Shrew is 2 hrs 45 mins.
Disclosure: My guest and I attended this play on media tickets kindly offered by Bard on the Beach. In any review I write or publish on my site, 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.
When people look at my overall life, they always tell me that they wish they had the kind of life I have. The level of success I enjoy, the amazing friends I am gifted with, the wonderful family I am part of. And I tell them that everything I have, I have earned it. Nobody gave it to me. I worked REALLY HARD for it.
If my friends love me and respect me, it is in great part because I have been a good friend to them. Because I have worked really hard at staying in touch, at being there for them when they needed me, heck, even simply at just being there. No, I am not being immodest. I am being realistic.
If my students respect me and love my teaching, it is in great part because I have put long hours into preparing syllabus, drafting lecture slides, connecting with real-life policy makers who then could give guest lectures, into presenting information in such a way that it empowers my students and makes them feel that they can, in fact, succeed. I spend a great amount of time mentoring my students, and taking a real interest in their lives.
If my colleagues respect my scholarly research and my publications record, it is in great part because I work really hard, really long hours, and I do my very best to investigate interesting research questions, and connecting my research with the policy community at large.
If my social media audiences like what I do, it is in great part because I spend an inordinate amount of time connecting people with opportunities, empowering the poor and disenfranchised, sharing information that could potentially enable folks to get jobs, enjoy the local arts, or taste good food. I focus on building community, and that community answers back to me.
But nothing of the above could be possible if I had given up. If, when heartbroken and fallen, I had stopped. I have, in the past, suffered setbacks and a lot of pain. I have been defeated not once, not twice, not thrice. I have been defeated NUMEROUS TIMES. I have had impersonators online, stalkers and online attackers. I have suffered criticism to my scholarly work. I have had students who didn’t like the fact that I was so strict. I was cheated on once, and betrayed. I have had people talk behind my back even when they show me a friendly face. I have had EVERY REASON to stop, in every single realm.
But I never give up. I NEVER GIVE UP. Because my tenacity and my capacity to move forward despite the challenges is what makes me who I am.
In a way, I kind of feel as though if I should post these on my good friend and book co-author Arieanna Schweber’s blog (Active Mama) as her audience is more on the parental side, and definitely she has a great community and audience as well in North Vancouver (where she lives with her husband, also a very dear friend of mine, and her two sons). But I figure that I should also provide some content for the parental units in Vancouver and the North Shore and surrounding areas who follow me, which I also know are substantial. So for those of you who want to start grooming the next Picasso or Emily Carr in your family, the Summer Art Camps for Kids 2012 organized by the North Vancouver Community Arts Council are a good option.
Art Camps run weekly from July 9 – August 31.
Two classes each day, morning and afternoon.
Camp fees are $125/class or $250/day (full day includes supervised lunch break).
We have lots of different camps to choose from this year: from crafty, to fine art, rock star, animals, mosaics, jungle hunt, wizardry, recycling into art and improv, drama and dance.
I don’t think I write about North Vancouver enough, so when I went to see Arieanna and Ianiv for a quick visit and to meet Damien and see Aiden, I stopped by the Seabus and saw a little advertisement for the 7th Annual Teddy Bear Picnic that will take place at St. Andrew’s United Church Park in North Vancouver, in Lower Lonsdale, near Lonsdale Quay. More information from their website:
Join us for our 7th annual “Teddy Bear Picnic” from 10:30 am -2pm. It will take place rain or shine with gym and park facilities. Children of all ages are welcome. There will be free entrance, cookies, tea and coffee. Each child will receive a hand made scarf for its teddy bear. There will be a bouncy castle and a clown that will perform at 11:30am. There will also be a parade that takes place at noon. Don’t forget your teddy bear!
Here’s some of the fun things we’ll have at the picnic:
Teddy Bear “Paw Reading”
Teddy Bear Wellness Clinic
Cookie Decorating
Bouncy Castle
BBQ and Concession
Face painting
Story time
Arts and Crafts
Raffle
Cake Auction
This sounds like a lot of fun and I’m a big supporter of community activities. Hope some of you can join! It’s this coming Saturday (e.g. tomorrow, June 16th).
For obvious reasons (Main Street/Mount Pleasant is my neighbourhood, and I always use a sustainable mode of transportation), Car Free Vancouver (now in its 2012 edition) is one of my favorite events, and I am always keen to support it. There is also a lot of good memories associated with it. JT and I would text from one Car Free Vancouver event to the other (his on the West End, mine on Main Street).
The first annual Car-Free Vancouver Day, on Sunday June 15, 2008 ushered in the next phase in this bold experiment that had been gradually happening in Vancouver for many years. It took the car-free meme to the whole city, and represented the next level in our evolution toward healthy communities, authentic cultural celebrations, and car-free streets. On that day, FOUR communities presented their own Car-Free Festivals: Kitsilano, West End, Main Street, and Commercial Drive. Each Festival was envisioned and organized by the local core organizers, and each had a unique flavour.
Car Free Vancouver is on Facebook and on Twitter @carfreeyvr. Use hashtags #CFDrive #CFKits #CFMain #CFWest when tweeting about your Car-Free neighbourhood. In my case, I will be following #CFMain (click on this link for real time Twitter search through the hashtag).
Enjoy Car Free Day Vancouver 2012 on Main Street on June 17th, 2012 (which also coincides with Father’s Day).
Date: Sunday, June 17th, 2012 (Father’s Day) Location: From 12th to 29th on Main St. Time: Festival runs from noon to 8 p.m. and the street is closed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
My love for Paris is well known all across my personal and professional circles. I love anything Paris-related. This song, by the way, is perhaps the most romantic songs I have heard that have any sort of connection with Paris. English-band The Style Council did a version of their song The Paris Match with Tracey Thorn. For your listening pleasure, check the video below.
Empty hours
Spent combing the street
In daytime showers
They’ve become my beat;
As I walk from cafe to bar
I wish I knew where you are;
Because you’ve clouded my mind
And now I’m all out of time
Empty skies say try to forget
Better advice is to have no regrets;
As I tread the boulevard floor
Will I see once more;
Because you’ve clouded my mind
‘Till then I’m biding my time
I’m only sad in a natural way
And I enjoy sometimes feeling this way
The gift you gave is desire
The match that started my fire
Empty nights with nothing to do
I sit and think, every thought is for you;
I get so restless and bored
So I go out once more;
I hate to feel so confined
I feel like I’m wasting my time
Rarely do I wing a talk, but since this was supposed to be a facilitated discussion, I ended up sharing what I think are some of my top 10 tips to build a robust online community using a variety of platforms. Thanks Mia for capturing them for me to reshare!
1. Share others’ content
If you want others to pay attention to you, show them that you are paying attention to them. Being generous first usually leads to others’ reciprocity.
2. Tell a good story – Make sure that that story is interactive and multimedia
A community is built around interesting content. Storytelling in social media, and in particular interactive, multimedia storytelling is a really powerful tool.
3. Be authentic
This is pretty self-explanatory. Nobody likes fake.
4. Follow etiquette rules
In other words: NEVER send an automated Direct Message “Thank you for following me. Read more of my content here”.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask
Social media is an evolving medium. Ask if you don’t know if the route you are going is the best.
6. Go where your community/conversation goes
I try to garden all of my social outlets, but the vast majority of conversation for me happens on Twitter, so that’s where I focus and where I channel redirected content.
7. Crosspost so there’s value
If you are going to use my method of gardening all your outlets by crossposting, make sure that what you crosspost has meaning in BOTH platforms.
8. ALWAYS credit
In photos, disclose your material connections, be ethical.
9. Follow hashtags
Specific communities like Mental Health and Social Media emerge around hashtags (#mhsm is the particular one for this)
10. You set your own privacy levels.
Nobody has the right to tell you how open you should be on social media. Only you can decide that.
I have had a number of discussions with friends on how they think I am online all the time. Do you really think I would have the time to write 3 academic books, teach, do research, write journal articles, and do my academic service if I was online all the time? Of course not. I schedule some of my updates, mostly to re-promote my own content or to promote others’ contents. Here are my tips to Managing Yourself on how I schedule my social media updates.
My first rule: I only schedule updates that are reshares
– reposts of a blog entry that I have already published
– reshares of other friends’ tweets or posts
– links to my other social media platforms (I’ve talked before on how I treat my social media outlets like “gardens” that I “water” all the time)
My second rule: I never schedule an update that is a response to people (e.g. an “@ reply” or a mention). That would just take the interactivity out of social media. I respond in real time, when I make the time to answer tweets (that’s when you see a barrage of responses to people on my stream).
My third rule: I try hard to not repeat the same blog post through all 3 social media managers. This one is hard because sometimes I need to re-promote the same contest twice, and obviously it’s hard to keep track. But trust me, it’s even harder scheduling 20 tweets!
My fourth rule: I try to mix-and-match through all three social media managers. I find it much easier to mix-and-match by using HootSuite to schedule retweets of people, and Buffer and Timely to repost my own content.
Here is how I use Buffer:
Buffer is a social media manager that auto-shrinks links (I have it connected to bit.ly so that all my analytics come from the same source) and fills a certain “buffer” (e.g. a “tank” of updates”). It’s hard sometimes to keep that tank filled, even with however much content I produce. I use Buffer for about 10-15 tweets a day. Buffer also has a Chrome extension that allows you to auto-shrink and prepare a tweet by including the title of the blog post. The only annoyance is that you need to keep your buffer “topped up”. And sometimes I just don’t have the time to choose posts to “top up” my Buffer.
Here is how I use Timely by Demand Force
Timely functions pretty much like Buffer does, with the auto-shrinking and including the title of the blog post. I also have it linked to bit.ly. But the thing with Timely, it supposedly tweets at only the best times in the day (e.g. when your tweet will have the most impact/be the most read). Timely by Demandforce only allows you to schedule 9 tweets, so combined Buffer and Timely I pretty much have anything I need (25 tweets a day is A LOT).
Here is how I use HootSuite
I have always had a soft spot for HootSuite. Right now HootSuite is a pretty large company with more than 100 employees and what feels like a completely different corporate culture. But at the time I met Ryan Holmes (whom I consider a dear friend), HootSuite was still in its infancy and just emerging. My feedback, I think, helped shape some of the features now you all get to enjoy (and I do have a paid HootSuite Pro account). There’s a ton of features I love, but the one I get more giddy about is the scheduling part. HootSuite lets me control when a tweet is posted. And as a result, I can use it extensively to schedule retweets from content I see on my stream.
So, as you can see, the reality is – I’m not always online. That’s one of the reasons I hate DMs. People send me a DM thinking that I’m going to read it. I NEVER do. There is only 3 people in the entire world whose DMs I read and that’s because I know that this is their only means of communications because they’re incredibly private. Everyone else, I make them email me or @ reply to me. And when I have a moment (e.g. when I commute) I respond directly online.
I am in some ways, a child of the 80s and the 90s. I am always keen to listen to old songs that I used to love, and this song by Alan Parsons Project (one of my most favorite bands, originators of Time and Eye in the Sky amongst other gems). For your listening pleasure, I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You by Alan Parsons Project.
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t feature a Travel Tuesday post. After all, a vast majority of my blog is dedicated to travel. And even though my academic life is keeping me crazy busy, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the little area that made my week the past week when I attended the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress (#Congress2012). If you check the hashtag, it’s still going strong. I think that there was a lot of good that came out from Congress 2012. But I digress…
While I and other 7,000 scholars were at Congress 2012, we were welcomed by the people of the twin cities Kitchener and Waterloo. Organizing a conference is A LOT OF HARD WORK (so kudos to the organizers of Congress 2012). But taking care of a mega conference like Congress 2012, “taking care” understood as providing lodging and accommodations, meals, drinks and entertainment, for over 7,000 scholars, is not a small feat. And while I didn’t have a chance to visit Kitchener, I think I speak for my fellow delegates in giving a thunderous round of applause to Waterloo and Kitchener, because if there’s something we felt was WELCOME.
Photo credit: Area256 on Flickr
I stayed within Waterloo primarily because I gave 4 talks in 3 days and chaired a session the 4th day, so I was completely exhausted and jet-lagged. Both host universities (Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo) are highly-reputed universities and within a few blocks from each other. The last day of the conference I had a chance to enjoy myself so I went down to Uptown Waterloo for a walk and a few drinks.
Photo credit: Area256 on Flickr
Welcome to UpTown Waterloo, the urban heart of Waterloo. We are home to over 400 businesses offering a vibrant lifestyle that includes living, working and enjoying the exceptional services we have to offer. We boast critically acclaimed dining, exceptional and unique shopping experiences and cultural amenities that must be seen and in many cases, attended! UpTown Waterloo has the world renown Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Canadian Clay and Glass Museum, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and The Balsillie School of International Affairs to name just a few. We invite you to enjoy all that UpTown Waterloo has to offer; shopping, dining, multiple services or a visit to Waterloo Public Square where there is always something exciting happening.
Photo credit: Area256 on Flickr
I really enjoyed walking down the streets of UpTown Waterloo. My long-time online friend (and now actually in-person friend, since we met at Congress) Melonie Fullick, a PhD candidate in Higher Education, organized a Tweetup at the Huether Hotel which was an absolute success. I got to meet fellow scholars and now friends in real life Dr. Lenore Newman, Katherine Burnett and Dr. Roger Keil, all with similar research interests of mine.
Photo credit: Area256
While walking down King Street I realized how much like some of the smaller, but vibrant cities, the Uptown Waterloo area is. It reminded me in some ways of downtown Montréal, and in some other ways, of downtown Victoria. Uptown Waterloo is a happening area, and if you are ever in these twins cities, I strongly recommend that you drop by. Heck, they even have a branch of my favorite Toronto lounge: The Embassy.
Thanks, Waterloo folks, for being the sweetest and nicest hosts to the hordes of academics who flew in and invaded your town. We salute you.
The worst thing about having a huge collection of CDs is that you then need to rip them into your iTunes library. So, I was burning my latest CD I bought from Cher and I ended up listening to Strong Enough. I have always loved Cher, but Strong Enough just makes me feel so happy. It also came out at the time when I had just made the decision to leave Mexico and come to Canada, so it was sort of an anthem for me. For your listening pleasure.
It has definitely NOT been the kind of weather for summer sunshine in Vancouver but I have to admit that I had a lovely time in Waterloo, Ontario, and thus in celebration of the brief 2 or 3 days of sunshine we had, hereby I introduce to you even more The Corrs music: Summer Sunshine. For your listening pleasure.
In more than 6 years I have been blogging (and 6 years, coincidentally that I’ve been teaching at the university level), I don’t think I have ever been busier than these past two weeks. Normally I would have written about the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation Miracle Weekend (in their 2012 edition happening this weekend) ages ago. Usually they send me a beautiful card usually written by one of the children at BC Children’s Hospital and a few other lovely items, but since I haven’t been to my office in weeks I have no clue if I received that reminder or not. But I never forget BC Children’s Hospital. Ever.
Date: Saturday, June 2 from 7pm until 6pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012 Where: Taking place at BC Children’s Hospital and broadcast live on Global BC Who: Patient families, hospital staff and folks from all across BC who have fundraised for the hospital.
$17,886,339 was raised for BC Children’s Hospital during the 2011 Miracle Weekend, hosted by Global BC, setting a new record. I have never been able to participate live in BCCHF’s Miracle Weekend as it coincides, rather unfortunately, with the academic conference speaking circuit season, but I always have non-profits in my mind, and especially BCCHF. Tune in to Global BC live all day today until 6pm, and please find a way to donate and help. Thank you in advance.
This is one of the songs of the summer when I fell in love for the very first time. I fell in love not only with the one I thought I would spend the rest of my life with, but also with The Corrs, an Irish group who had the best harmonies I had ever listened to. This song made me always tingly. For your listening pleasure, Say by The Corrs
Gone are the days when I was young and free
The future I can’t see
Gone are the days of precious love
Relied on, and leaned on
So many days of sleepless nights
By your side
And why oh why
I never thought that it would be like this
My first love the last time
But if he say say says that he loves me
(say that you love me) I can cry, I can smile
But if he say say says that he needs me
(say that you need me)
There’s a light, there’s a light
A light for me
Say…
So many things that I would like to say
But He took you, took you away
So many things I’d like to ask
It’s no good, ‘cos you’re not here
I hear your voice (I hear your voice…) I see you laugh
And if only you were here
You see the night and I the day
But sometime we’ll walk away
But if he say say says that he loves me (say that you love me) I can cry, I can smile
But if he say say says that he needs me (say that you need me)
There’s a light, there’s a light
A light for me
(Never want to feel that way again
That again
Never wanna feel that again
Lean on, gonna rely on
Don’t leave me, don’t leave me
Lean on (lean on), gonna rely on (rely on)
Don’t leave me (leave me), don’t leave me (leave me)
Lean on (lean on)) Gone are the days when (gonna rely on (rely on)) I was young and free
(Don’t leave me (leave me), don’t leave me (leave me))
(Lean on (lean on) Gone are the days of (gonna rely on (rely on)) precious love
Relied on (don’t leave me (leave me)), and leaned on (don’t leave me (leave me))
But if he say say says that he loves me (say that you love me) I can cry, I can smile
But if he say say says that he needs me (say that you need me)
There’s a light, there’s a light
Yeah,if he say say says that he loves me (say that you love me) I can smile
But if he say say says that he needs me (say that you need me)
There’s a light, there’s a light
A light for me (say…)
(So many things I would like to say but he took you away, took you away
So many things I would like to add, he took you away, took you away
Say…
Say…
Say…)
I remember I used to get depressed with this song. Well, not depressed, but you know what I mean. Really down. Not sure why. But I did get to see it first hand when I attended a Garbage concert in Manchester when I was doing my MBA. I will never forget this song, nor will I forget England. For your listening pleasure, Garbage’s You Look So Fine.
You look so fine
I want to break your heart
And give you mine
You’re taking me over
It’s so insane
You’ve got me tethered and chained
I hear your name
And I’m falling over
I’m not like all the other girls
I can’t take it like the other girls
I won’t share it like the other girls
That you used to know
You look so fine
Knocked down
Cried out
Been down just to find out
I’m through
Bleeding for you
I’m open wide
I want to take you home
We’ll waste some time
You’re the only one for me
You look so fine
I’m like the desert tonight
Leave her behind
If you want to show me
I’m not like all the other girls
I won’t take it like the other girls
I won’t fake it like the other girls
That you used to know
You’re taking me over
Over and over
I’m falling over
Over and over
You’re taking me over
Drown in me one more time
Hide inside me tonight
Do what you want to do
Just pretend happy end
Let me know let it show
I am very lucky in that I have always had the means to afford myself with clean, dress clothes (the photo here is me with a suit, courtesy of Stacie Bee). Not every male is this fortunate, and as I see unemployment rise, I have been even more concerned with finding ways to support non-profits that help people who are unemployed. I am doing my spring/summer cleaning and I am getting rid of many of my dress clothes. As a result, I was looking for a non-profit charitable cause to donate my clothes to and heard about Working Gear.
Working Gear Clothing Society is a group of individuals dedicated to improving the lives of others in our community. Many work-ready men have difficulty in accessing paid employment because they lack appropriate attire. Our goal is to reduce or eliminate this barrier. We provide low income men with industry appropriate clothing at no cost, which greatly assists them in returning to full time employment. Working closely with employment service providers ensures recipients are work ready and have the support available to keep a job. Working Gear is entirely volunteer managed and run. We rely on committed volunteers to ensure that we keep our doors open. Please contact us if you would like to get involved.
I will be donating many of my clothes to Working Gear. But as I know that not only men but also women read my blog, I figured I would find out about the female equivalent. Two organizations come to mind: Dressed for Success and The Cinderella Project (thanks everyone who chimed in).
The Cinderella Project affords graduating girls to wear a lovely dress for their graduation/prom.
The Cinderella Project was started to help encourage youth to stay in school and achieve the milestone of high school graduation, giving young people the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families.
Dressed for Success is a non-profit that affords disadvantaged women to wear suits appropriate for job interviews. But they do more than that, they also help with job retention and job seeking.
The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Founded in New York City in 1997, Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help our clients find jobs and remain employed. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work.
I don’t think I ever want to do this, ever again. Particularly in Canada, and particularly in Eastern Canada, where the weather can change within hours, let alone days. So you may ask what is THAT, exactly, Raul? Well, THAT means: travelling for a week with only a backpack and a carry-on laptop knapsack bag. Theoretically, one should be able to do it. My friend Rebecca did it last year.
That’s why I attempted it too.
The last time Rebecca and I went on a media trip together to Quebec, she told me that when she went to Africa she literally packed only one bag and her laptop bag. Thinking that I could do the same this week that I am in Toronto-Kitchener-Waterloo, I packed just one week’s worth of clothes. Actually, scratch that. I packed 4 days. And even then, I wasn’t ready for what happened to me.
On the first day, the temperature was unbearably hot (32 oC feeling like 39 oC). The second, really hot. The third, it was nice. Yesterday was cold and breezy, and today? It’s RAINING. It’s raining in Toronto and in Kitchener-Waterloo. When I am trying REALLY hard to get away from the rainy weather.
Seriously, I think I did something wrong in my previous life, because this can only happen to me. Geez.
In this Power Session, we will discuss the various ways in which you can grow a robust online community using multiple social platforms. In the Power Session we will talk about newer platforms (Instagram, Pinterest) as well as more established tools (Facebook, Twitter). We will also touch on blogs and blogging platforms.
If you are at Social Media Camp Victoria 2012, you probably want to join the discussion. I won’t be giving a presentation itself, but I’ll be sharing some basic thoughts on how to use multiple social platforms to enhance your online community. I will also share my thoughts on best practices.
I have always supported the arts in Vancouver (and beyond). And one of the organizations I have always had a soft spot for is The Goh Ballet. You may remember I have written about several of their productions, including obviously The Nutcracker. I was recently informed about Coppelia and even though I really don’t have time to, I felt compelled to write about it because of the great work Goh Ballet does with young kids.
The Goh Ballet production will showcase students ranging from ages eight to 24, many of whom have won awards and honours at top international competitions, including second prize at the Tanzolymp International Competition in Berlin Germany. Several students being featured in Coppelia have also been selected to participate in prestigious, international competitions over the coming months, including the 4th Beijing International Ballet Invitational (China), the Seoul International Dance Competition (South Korea), the Helsinki International Ballet Competition (Finland), the Varna International Ballet Competition (Bulgaria) and the Yokosuka International Ballet Competition (Japan). Other students being showcased have recently been selected as representatives at the upcoming BC Dance Provincials for their awards earned at the Surrey Festival of Dance and PacWest competitions.
This summer, for only 2 nights, the Goh Ballet is presenting Coppelia.
A playful fairy-tale revealing a comedic test of true love. This full-length classical ballet in three acts is a delight for the entire family. Featuring award winning dancers from international ballet competitions and festivals!
Choreography by Goh Ballet faculty after Marius Petipa.
Tickets: $52.25
($45.00 + $2.50 FF + $4.75 s/c)
Order online on Tickets Tonight.
Order By Phone: 604.684-2787
Additional $5.00 per order for phone orders.
While it is true that I work really long hours and that I get a lot of stuff accomplished (as I keep two inextricably intertwined lives, the academic and the socialite), I know for a fact that I could get more done. There is always more work, there is always something else that needs to be done. And what I have found makes me feel better, in addition to ALWAYS doing something, every day, that moves me forward, is to work by the task, not by the hour.
This tip works differently depending on the environment I am working on. If I am travelling, I use what I called the Minimum Travel Work Unit method: I plan and choose the tasks that I can complete within the period that it takes me from point A to point B. For example, on a ferry ride from Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Victoria (Swartz Bay), I can easily answer 40 emails, or write 5 paragraphs of a research paper, or prepare 2 blog posts, or approve comment on my blog, etc.
If I am NOT working at my desk (either at the university or at my office at The Network Hub) and say, I’m working at a coffee shop, I only bring enough work with me to complete a certain number of tasks in a specific block of hours. For example, 2 hours working at a coffee shop can mean editing 10 pages of my wastewater governance book. Or reading 10 journal articles to prepare for a lecture, or in a literature review. Or writing 20 slides for a talk.
If I am doing work on a regular schedule and at my desk, I do try to follow Tanya Golash-Boza’s suggestion of dividing my work week and my schedule and insert regular writing (scholarly writing, not social media writing) in my planning for the week. And if I am just doing work on the go, I just try to cross off tasks that can take little time. For example, I recently revised a draft document during the wait time between when I checked in to a flight and when I sat on the plane. Not exactly a MTU of work, but still, a task had been accomplished and gotten off my sometimes endless list of to-do’s.
Do you work by the hour or do you find that you work by the task?
This morning I was talking to one of my best friends about how I have finally fallen into a yearly routine where I can recognize things happening in a cyclical way. It’s June, and it’s Bard on the Beach season. It’s also the summer media trips season too. A couple of major social media conferences are coming up (Northern Voice, Social Media Camp, both of which I’ll be speaking at). But at the same time, the academic conference circuit is also beginning and I have to follow through with my own commitments to my scholarly career. So, I’m hereby announcing a hiatus for new pitches until June 22nd. If I already committed to writing something (as I did with Bard on the Beach) or to run/announce a contest (as I’m doing right now), that still stands. Anything new, I will not be accepting until the middle of June, once my schedule has cleared up a little bit. If your pitch is not time-sensitive, do feel free to send it my way. But if it is, I am sorry but I can’t take it. I’m up to my eyeballs.
It IS definitely patio weather right now. So I figured I’d share with you some good spots maybe not for drinks but just for food, in general. I am not sure if you remember that last summer my Mom came for a month to hang out with me. I took her to Steveston Village for the day and we had an opportunity to eat Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt (Steveston Village is located in Richmond, BC, and has a lot of Japanese-related history).
I love Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt. For some reason, In Steveston calls the area where Timothy’s is Garry Point (why is that, if a reader knows I would appreciate knowing).
Disclosure: I paid for both my Mom and my gelato’s on my own dime. I have no financial connection, nor was a post expected.
I have been meaning to write this blog post for a while, but for one very important reason (my academic research is my priority) I hadn’t been able to. But the more requests I’ve had in the past few months (something which is kind of bizarre because I have taken in the last 12 months more than 2 hiatuses) the more I realize people in social media need someone to teach them manners. And this need for manners is for experimented social media folks and for newbies alike. It’s kind of ironic that I write this post, because some of my own friends have complained that it’s kind of annoying when somebody blogs about blogging or tweets about tweeting. But since I don’t really care to be criticized, even by my own friends, and my blog is mine for my opinion to be posted, here goes what I think (or here goes nothing, as you were).
Social media word cloud. Credit: Jason Rhode
You’ll see, the way I see it, rules in social media are for the most part, crowdsourced. I scold, you scold, we all scold. People on Twitter see me scolding PR folks and people in general for having poor manners. I can’t help it, I was raised in a household where good manners were important. Apparently, in social media, it’s bad form to correct someone and teach them some manners. I have no problem doing that, though. Let me backtrack for a bit. In 2009 I organized a panel at the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup on etiquette in social media, and people thought I was crazy. How could I ask folks to follow certain rules or etiquette in social media? That was heresy. But ironically, now I think people realize how important it is to actually have good manners and etiquette.
I am about to give one of Canada’s biggest PR firms a piece of my mind and a lesson in blogger relations.
Ironically, in the past four years, the number of social media consultants has grown exponentially. As my friend Lorraine aptly put it, there is about 4 social media consultants per potential client. But the reality is, some of the practices that some of these social media consultants share are actually pretty bad ones and reflect poorly on their clients and by extension, on them.
I have done a lot of social media training, ironically, not because I’m a social media specialist but because I am a social media power user. I use social media to advance my research, to promote non-profits, to build online communities in the academic and educational realms. So, for me, building standards and best practices is actually quite relevant and I take pride in the work I do, in the training I do, and in teaching people to have good social media manners. I also showcase some best practices.
Photo credit: Mark Smiciklas
So when people ask me what is right and what is wrong in social media, I really don’t like pin-pointing specific practices too much because I know that there is a broad spectrum of what people consider right and wrong. So when I was thinking about writing this post I figured I could share the reasons why I don’t blog or share something on social media. By sharing how I react to negative stimuli, I am hoping people can learn how to better relate to me online, and by extension, to their peers. So here are some reasons why I am not doing what you ask me for on social media.
1. You are a complete stranger
I get lots of requests via Twitter “hi @hummingbird604 can you RT my post”? (RT means retweet, or share the post with my Twitter followers). It looks simple and easy enough, no? I hit the RT button and BOOM, your post is shared. The only problem with that is that you are a complete stranger. You don’t follow me on Twitter, you have never engaged with me. You don’t retweet my own stuff, and all your stream is all about self-promotion. You know what happens the first time you ask me for a retweet as a complete stranger? I ignore. The sixth, I block you and report you to Twitter. Simple as that.
2. You are an egotistic self-promoter
These are my favorite requests. The first time a self-promoter asks me to share their stuff in my social platforms, I politely ignore it. The third, I promise I will share it and then completely forget about it. By the sixth, I give them an earful. Social media, and web 2.0 are all about reciprocity. You’re supposed to be bidirectional. If it’s all about you, then you can’t ask me NOT to be all about me.
3. I have already helped you once and you have taken me as your free ride for promotion.
These are tough ones. I make it my objective and my policy (and my interns can tell you this is true) to help people at least once. But then I publish something about a worthy cause and the next communication is to ask me AGAIN to help. Without any actual reciprocation. No, a thank you is not enough. If I contribute to the community, and if I do something for you for “free”, the least I expect is that YOU promote others’ stuff the same way you want your own stuff to be reshared and promoted. But if you are always JUST promoting your own stuff, and I already gave you exposure once, and you keep bombarding me with requests, it’s clear that you did not appreciate the effort I made for you and thus I have every right to ignore you. Which I often do.
4. You violate my rules.
While I haven’t published a Policy page, I do have a very clear Pitch Me page, which includes comments about how I like pitches that value my time, that are important and relevant to the community, that include incentives for me and for my readers (and more importantly, for my readers rather than for me). You send me un-adressed, non-solicited press releases. I ignore them for a few times and send them to my spam folders. After a few times, I simply feel that you need a refresher in blogger relations and I send you a terse email. You asked for it.
5. Your practices are shady or unethical.
I don’t need to follow everyone on Twitter to realize when their blogging/tweeting/Facebooking/Pinteresting practices are shady. I am pretty smart, and keep my eye on the online pulse of Vancouver. So, if I see you violating the terms of reference on Facebook, if I see you asking for freebies online, if I see you being a DB, in general, I make a point to NEVER help you. No matter how much you ask me for a favor, if your practices are shady or unethical, I will NOT help you.
These are some of my viewpoints. These are, in writing, some of the reasons why I scold people. Why I send those reminder tweets about how people should mind their manners. Because, as I said on my personal Facebook:
I know I’m one of the most secretly hated bloggers in Vancouver precisely because I tell off my fellow bloggers when they engage in shady social media practices. But I do it because, in my family, in Spanish we have a saying (well, in fact only my Dad was the one who taught me that): “del majadero y del patan, cualquiera es su padre” (exact translation: anybody can be the father of the asshole and douchebag). What he meant by that is: if somebody is an asshole, your (mine and my four brothers’) duty is to set them straight, to correct them when they’re doing wrong, to right the wrongs. Some people may think it’s wrong to self-appoint as the social media police, but in reality, if nobody sets the rules and/or everybody violates the rules, somebody needs to put things into place and set a ruling order. I have no problem being that person, however much hate I get directed towards me.
Washington State Capitol Legislative Building. Photo credit: Math Teacher Guy on Flickr
While I do a lot of travel writing, it is actually quite rare that I write about Washington State, despite the fact that I live in Vancouver (relatively close to Bellingham, Blaine, Seattle/Tacoma and in general, all things Washington State). I used to go down way more often when I was doing my PhD simply because I had a brother who traveled through the Seattle and Bellingham airports quite often. I would rent a car and drive down for the day to pick him up, and then drive back.
It’s been a while since I’ve visited Washington State (despite the proximity), but with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and a reminder from my Closeted Canuck and good friend Sue Frause (who lives in Washington State) I figured I’d do a reversal of roles. Sue gets invited by Canadian destination marketing organizations in British Columbia as she loves to promote Canada, and BC destinations especially. So I figured I should also promote, in reciprocation to her, Washington State, a little bit more often.
Sue shared with me a list of Memorial Day Weekend Destinations from the Washington Trails Association, and you can read it here.
If you are Canadian, do you come down to Washington State during the weekend of Memorial Day? Or if you are American and live in Washington State, where do you usually go for Memorial Day Weekend?
It occurs to me that it’s almost been a year and a half since my friends at The Network Hub and I sat down to talk about The Network Hub expanding to New Westminster. We had been looking around and because of Mayor Wright’s and Mark Shieh’s invites, the decision to settle in New Westminster was taken. And it’s been a wonderful year.
Through a partnership with The Salient Group (who are promoting their neighbourhood residential complex, Trapp+Holbrook, which is literally 2 minutes away from where The Network Hub Campus New Westminster is) The Network Hub is offering one day of working space AND, all the participants who tweet from the T+H viewing show, one will be drawn for a contest for 3 months worth of work space at The Network Hub Campus New Westminster. Check out their contest.
Photo rendering courtesy of The Salient Group
Robert Fung’s Salient Group is merging the old and the new with Trapp+Holbrook, waterfront homes in the heart of rejuvenated downtown New Westminster.
The Edwardian facades of the Trapp and Holbrook buildings will be reconstructed to face Columbia Street for another hundred years. The new Trapp+Holbrook will stand 20 storeys with panoramic views of the Fraser River. In this evolving neighbourhood, buyers will find excellent value with new homes starting at $219,900, with 100 homes priced under $299,900. Trapp+Holbrook’s 196 homes offer a range of sizes from 500 to 1,261 square feet, most of them with view balconies.
Located on Columbia Street — formerly known as the Golden Mile for its reputation as the shopping centre for the Lower Mainland — and backing on to Front Street, Trapp+Holbrook is in the heart of New Westminster’s downtown, an area that is fast attracting hip new businesses as well as earning a reputation as a cultural centre.
A convenient transit hub, downtown New Westminster is located in the centre of Metro Vancouver, just blocks away from two SkyTrain stations and accessible to both the Millennium and Expo lines to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey. Trapp + Holbrook homeowners will also be steps away from shops and amenities including the River Market, Westminster Pier Park, and the new civic centre.
Completing in 2014, Trapp+Holbrook reinforces Salient’s commitment to the restoration of vibrant, walkable communities where residents will also be one block from SkyTrain. Previews begin Saturday, April 28th, 2012.
There is something you should know in advance, though. While I have seen The Taming of the Shrew before, and I have seen it with some of the same actors, I did not get to see it in its entirety. Despite being well wrapped in clothes and layered, I found the temperature inside the theatre way too cold and I could just not withstand it. This was too sad because I have never quit a theatre performance.
