Unless you have children of your own or nieces/nephews, I would doubt you’d be aware of this video. Andrea Bocelli (one of the sweetest voices out there) sings Elmo (Sesame Street) to sleep. I couldn’t stop laughing (but in a good way!). Video from YouTube.
A few months back I was talking to my friend Tris about colognes and guest-blogging on one of his sites (Manscaping 101). Ever since, I’ve been mulling over ideas on how to get back into the world of fashion, colognes, etc. Not sure how to do it yet, but my first step was to guest-host on the award-winning podcast Lip Gloss and Laptops, hosted by my good friends Kerry Anne and Airdrie.
When we were recording the show, and knowing my love for colognes and all things Calvin Klein, Kerry Anne gave me a sample of Calvin Klein’s Euphoria. Now, you may not know this unless you listened to the Episode # 124 of Lip Gloss and Laptops, but my parents bought me a new cologne every semester during my whole undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. They knew I loved colognes, and that I had a sense of fashion and style. So, they said “we’ll keep buying you a different one to try every semester (as long as you keep your A+ average) and you’ll end up finding your own trademark fragrance”
They were right. I went through a phase where I used Drakkar Noir, I also went through just about every single Calvin Klein (Obsession, Eternity, Truth) and now my trademark cologne is Herrera for Men by Carolina Herrera. Yes, I did try Minotaure by Paloma Picasso, and no, it didn’t take well with my skin.
So, on to the review. Euphoria is very much a classic Calvin Klein. The citrus-y note that you find in Euphoria makes you feel as though you may have put on one of the fragrances from the summer line of Polo. The latter notes have a feel that almost makes you wonder if you have gone the Oscar de la Renta way (darker notes, a bit woody but not quite).
When I wore Euphoria (which I did for both Best of 604 and Rebecca’s Third Tuesday), I felt a bit “naked” if you know what I mean. I was afraid I was going to lose the scent in a big crowd. Nobody would be able to “feel” I was around. In this case, I would strongly recommend Euphoria for a business meeting, mid-day, a business luncheon or hanging out with friends. I wouldn’t go with Euphoria if you want a night-long, lasting impression of freshness.
Euphoria for Men is a fresh fragrance with some citrus and wooden notes, but in my honest opinion, feels very much like a mid-day, business/casual cologne rather than a night fragrance. I’d buy it for my own personal use, for sure. But I’d probably have a shower and change colognes if I had a night event. It’s definitely NOT a bold and strong fragrance.
It is a tradition in Mexico to have Christmas dinner (usually a big meal, surrounded by a lot of good friends or family, mostly family) and then open presents (if you exchange them). Christmas Day is usually a day to get over the hangover and food coma.
This year, I’m spending Christmas in Calgary and doing half-and-half of the Canadian and Mexican traditions. We are having a really big dinner tonight, but finishing early and then tomorrow morning we are having Christmas Day brunch.
It’s been a challenging 2008 and I am already looking forward to a wonderful 2009. I have told this to several friends of mine in confidence, but I feel now comfortable saying it loud (and no, I’m not saying it because I need a traffic spike. My traffic is quite high as is, thank you very much) – I might not be blogging beyond SxSW. Not sure why that date, but that’s what I’ve been feeling like.
My future is reshaping quite rapidly, and I am very confident next year will be a wonderful one. May, or may not include social media after April 2009, but in case it doesn’t, it’s been such a pleasure to get to know the people I have met through my blog and through my socializing in Vancouver’s tech/social media/PR scene.
To everyone who reads my blog: civilians, bloggers, tech people, PR folks, enviro geeks, all of you are now an intimate part of my life. Thank you, Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009.
I am a very social guy, and I have been lucky in that through social media I’ve managed to create new meaningful friendships. So, while tweeting away with Lorraine, Erica, Monica, Tris, Yam, Colleen, Gregg, Emme and a few others, I came up with the line “party is my name and sexy is my game“. And I loved it.
You’ll see, let me explain the second part. It’s not that I am self-absorbed and I think I’m “oh so hot”. But I am self-confident. And that’s what I think makes for real sexy – someone who can believe in his or herself. I am surrounded with sexy friends. Smart, geeky, sweet. I can actually easily tell you that everyone I hang out with is sexy. But they are sexy in the “I am me” kind of way. Not trying to create a false impression of themselves, but embracing and accepting who they are. Much along the way of what Sexy in VanCity promotes – a very empowering approach.
And the party part? Oh, yes. I love parties. Didn’t you see how many photos I took at the awesome “Best of 604” event that my friend Rebecca organized (and that was a party that was a resounding success, as was the awesome Meetup of Meetups organized by my dear friends Tanya Davis, Steve Jagger, and Shane Gibson? So, yeah – I think that “party is my name and sexy is my game”.
I have NO CLUE how I have managed NOT to write a restaurant review of The Reef (located on almost King Edward and Main Street). A Caribbean hangout, the food is really good (you can find anything with a Jamaican or Caribbean flavor) both for dinner and for brunch. For dinner, I always recommend the jerk chicken AND of course, jugs of mojito.
I’ve been visiting The Reef much more in recent weeks, particularly for brunch. The brunch menu is somewhat exotic, affordable, and tasty. I love their scrambled eggs with chorizo. The service is really good, and it is one of those rare places where you can have brunch on Sunday without having to line up (I damn sure hope I won’t be in a line up, I always have bad luck when I write good reviews for restaurants – they start to pack up!)
I had recently the pleasure of having brunch with Tanya, Gus and MJ one day and another day I went there with H, C, A and D (all of them civilian friends). Both days I had a wonderful time. I hope to be able to visit The Reef more often, since I do live in the neighbourhood.
I would strongly recommend The Reef to anybody who wants good lunch and/or good dinner. In many ways, it’s better positioned simply because it has a nice patio, great and friendly staff and wonderful food.
One of the things I have to be grateful to the world of social media for is getting to know Erica Hargreave and having a chance to become friends with her. Erica and I met at one of the Third Tuesdays, and since then, we’ve had a few opportunities to hang out in social settings outside of just the social media world (I have a review of Alpha Izakaya coming in a few days – I went to Alpha for dinner with Travis and Erica after Mhairi Petrovic’s Third Tuesday talk – which I live-blogged).
Erica has a wonderful sense of humor, is very sweet and shares many of my own values in regards to how we both view friendships and our role in the social media world. So, when she asked me whether I’d be into having a quick drink before meeting J. Karen Parker for dinner, I’d say “BUT, OF COURSE!”. She picked me up at home and we headed down to the West End, where the night life is actually pretty damn good.
I had my heart set on Maxine’s Hideaway not only because it’s close to where I had to head down for dinner, but also because it used to be Balthazar (a formerly queer hangout), and I wondered whether the new owner would have changed the theme. I am glad to report that Maxine’s is a great bar, and the owner has respected the main feel and flavor of the place as much as possible. Located at 1215 Bidwell Street off Davie Street, you can sense that Maxine’s has a very special magic within the building.
In their own words:
Maxine’s Hideaway is a restaurant with exceptional food,
dinner theatre with exceptional live entertainment (New York style)
and lounge with DJ’s and a dance floor.
All this lives in this historical Vancouver heritage building known as Maxine’s.
Both Erica and I had a couple of martinis (VERY good, and VERY strong). Really affordable as well, within the $7-10 range. Special events include Friday and Saturday dinner shows with the Candy Girl Cabaret (which is a sexy Broadway Burlesque song and dance group, the owner indicated that it was led by New York dancer-choreographer, Leigh Torlage).
We were given a virtual tour of Maxine’s and had a chance to talk about the secret life of Madam Maxine, who apparently had a house for ‘working girls’ (bordello, if you want to use that word). Apparently, Mme. Maxine only used to open the bordello when the economic times were tough. You can read up more on the website’s history section.
I had a wonderful time in no small part thanks to Erica, the owner of Maxine’s Hideaway and also, the fact that I had a chance to spend time with a good friend chatting up. I look forward to more chances like this in the New Year! I am sure both Erica and I will be coming back to Maxine’s many more times!
My friend Karen Hamilton put together a last-minute entry to Menu for Hope. Here is more info in her own words:
With the generous and super-quick sponsorships by Annika (Social Bites), Anthony (Farmstead Wines), and Joe (Rouxbe), we were able to churn out a Vancouver-centric prize pack worth approximately $600. Donations to other prizes have already started their collection as early as December 15th, and the deadline for donations is coming fast: the end of Wednesday, December 24th. It would be so great if we can say that Vancouver took part in this worthwhile cause in some way.
Please help her with this worthy cause!
I’ve been thinking about writing “My Year in Review” posts to remind me of what I have accomplished in the past twelve months. The social media one is, of course, rather big, so I’m taking my sweet time to polish it. That, and I don’t have a lot of access to the internet and a laptop, so I’ve got to do it when I actually have enough time and computer resources.
This was a relatively slow year in regards to my research on environmental mobilizations. My co-authors and I wrote a report on a multi-year research project that examines the behavior and strategies of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) across North America (Canada, the US and Mexico).
This year, I didn’t participate in any international meeting where I presented these results. That’s somewhat sad, as I normally get to at least do a talk per year on the topic. I did present the preliminary results of this project to the funding agency in December of 2007, so I guess that should account for something.
I wrote a financial report and a response to comments from the peer-reviewers to this project, and revised our preliminary report and submitted it to a peer-reviewed, edited volume. So, at least I got a publication this year out of the project.
I was invited to contribute an entry to an international volume on civil society (my entry was on NGOs and sustainable development), which I shared with some of my social media friends. This was one of the very few times where I let both my worlds cross-over.
For the coming year, depending on the job search outcome, I might have to put some of my research portfolio on hold, but I would hope that it won’t be the case. I can’t complain about my research output in this area, but I would really have liked if I had published more or given more talks. Oh, well. C’est la vie.
Yes, I’m in Calgary. No, I haven’t frozen. Yes, my laptop died. No, I haven’t bought one. Thinking of setting a Dream Bank dream to pay for my new laptop. Yes, if I get enough money, I may go Mac. No, I won’t do a MacBook Pro. Do I want Santa to get me a new lappy? Hell yeah.
But if YOU want to give me a good Christmas present, then follow suit with all the local efforts like my friends’ Yam, Gillian, Steve, Kye, etc. doing the VancouverTweetupHeatup, what Corinna and Adam did of collecting four bags, Lorraine, DaveO and Kris doing the Phones for Fearless, and everyone who in one way or another has written about, tweeted about or just simply donated to keep the homeless warm this cold winter.
Yes, I probably need a laptop. But I got my preferences and my priorities right. I would much rather have you donate some warm clothing to those people in need (or warm food, or money to the shelters or other similar organizations) than donate to me. I’m self-centric, not self-absorbed nor irresponsible.
And yes, we can talk laptops afterwards. But for now, please give to those in more need. I am sleeping in a dry, warm environment tonight. I am a lucky one for that reason.
And Gregor (yes, Gregor Robertson, I’m talking to you)… less talk, more action. Don’t only tell me what the people from Vancouver can do to help. I want to know what YOU (yes, Mr. Mayor) have done to help, and what you plan to do to help solve the homeless issue. Take things down to the streets.
Much love from the part of Canada where the weather is -27 oC to you all, dear readers, wherever you are.
xoxo
Raul
I would hope that anybody who had read the horrible news about a homeless woman who died burned while trying to keep warm in an unusually cold climate that has afflicted the Metro Vancouver region will feel at least touched enough to try and help.
I had a Twitter conversation about the topic and how I was appalled that so much support had been thrown (millions of dollars) towards rebuilding Stanley Park and yet, the challenge of homelessness is still ways away from being solved. Many (the vast majority) of my Twitter friends agreed with me. I would like to use this opportunity and build some momentum to encourage you all to donate items (blankets, winter jackets, etc.) to help people in need on the streets.
BTW – homeless people aren’t only based in the Downtown East Side. I live in Mount Pleasant and I’ve seen people who need a warm place to sleep and/or warm clothing everywhere in this neighbourhood, even in Kitsilano!
Anything you can do can help. I found an article in The Georgia Straight and on Stephen Rees’ blog that talk about what you can do. Please help. Every bit is important.
Donations can be made to Gather and Give, a non-profit charity that provides a centralized inventory for organizations working with those in need. It is open Tuesday-Saturday, and is located at 105-418 East Kent Avenue South—just east of Main and south of Southwest Marine Drive. www.gatherandgive.org
Also, please forward, link to this post, write a blog post of your own, do something! I would organize a physical drive around, but I’m not in Vancouver at the moment, so all I can do is through Web 2.0
I also remember that Change Everything.ca were organizing a similar effort. Whatever you do, please help. Thank you.
Via Jenn Lowther, I found out that the second annual Chip’s Not Dead Yet Memorial Mile is scheduled to take place on June 20, 2009, with all proceeds going to the BC Children’s Hospital. As you all know, I’m al about supporting charities and this is one event I think would be very fun to participate in.
The one-mile uphill race is run in themed waves. Last June, runners busted up West 10th dressed as rockstars, bridesmaids, in their underwear, and more. This time, memelabs and Chip’s Not Dead Yet want Vancouver to come up with its own idea for a theme wave. Got an urge to run like a cowboy? To join a swiftly moving team of Elvises? To canter in a herd of centaurs? Pull your camera out, and make it happen! We’re holding a video contest—best theme wave idea wins.[ MemeLabs]
You can find more info about this event on the Facebook page. I think I’m going to have to find a way to participate! Registration opens in February 2009. In the meantime, you can submit your idea to win a great prize, visit MemeLab‘s site to vote, and share your favourite videos with your friends.
My friend Andy Peatling is the head developer behind BuddyPress (think Facebook meets WordPress). BuddyPress is a set of plugins that transforms a WordPress MultiUser (WPMU) into a social networking platform.
I signed up for the TestBP site a few weeks ago, but since Andy released the Beta on December 15th, I think I’ll have to learn more about the WPMU and the set of plugins. You can download BuddyPress’ beta here.
Congratulations to Andy and the WordPress community at large! We’ll have to do celebratory beers upon my return.
Via Mike Allison, I learned about the extended deadline for the Vancouver Haiku Invitational 2009.
The Cherry Blossom Festival is inviting participants to submit haikus with this year’s theme of “international friendship and the cherry tree.” The deadline has been extended to January 7th, so your readers might be interested knowing they still have time to write and submit a haiku. The winner will be announced March 28, 2009 and will be displayed on Buses and SkyTrains.
I love cherry blossoms, and even though I’m not really good at writing haiku, I would encourage every one of my readers to enter the competition. Here is the website for more information.
As it turns out, I’m going away (to Calgary) leaving today, for a few days. Since my laptop is pretty much dead, I don’t think I’ll really have internet access, so keeping in touch with me will have to be via SMS if at all. I also don’t expect to be able to Twitter or do anything remotely related to blogging. I have a couple of blog posts queued thanks to WordPress’ brilliant “Schedule” function, but for the most part, I’ll be unavailable.
I am actually looking forward to this break. This is the very first time I spend Christmas in Canada, and the very first time that I am really disconnected. I’m still trying to figure out how to set up the “extended absence” functions in all my email accounts, and I wish Twitter had a similar function. But they don’t, so maybe that’s something that BrightKit could pick up on.
At any rate, I am also very sorry to be missing the Meetup of Meetups tonight. My flight leaves at 7.30pm and I don’t want to miss it, but I’m hoping everyone will have a great time tonight. I know that Shane, Tanya and Steve have worked really hard to make this work and I very firmly support their efforts.
Anybody who knows me a bit, knows that I love my neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant). I’ve extensively written about it, both on my blog and as a guest blogger on Rebecca’s when she has kindly invited me to contribute some stuff on her Vancouver History series. During my time living here (I used to be a Point Grey/Kitsilano boy in my earlier years) I have learned not only to love but also to try and learn about the historical development of my East Vancouver neighbourhood.
I remember a couple of years back, reading an article in The Georgia Straight about how Fraser is quickly becoming the new Main (quoted in this article in Mountain View).
Fraser Street is considered one of the main North-South corridors (although once you reach Broadway, you really can’t go North anymore). When I first moved to the Mount Pleasant area, I noticed a bit of a divide between Main (which, some people tell me, about 10-20 years was plagued with prostitution, drug dealing, etc) and Fraser. Both streets are parallel but despite being only divided by 6 blocks, you could tell the difference in the flavor of the neighbourhood. Fraser still does (at some point) feel somewhat sketchy. But I have not feel in danger, myself, whenever I walk around at night.
Heck, this difference was even showcased in the movie Mount Pleasant (excellent Canadian/Vancouver-based movie, you should watch it). Nevertheless, recent developments have begun a gentrification process between Kingsway and King Edward. Whether this is positive or negative, we’ll see.
People who diss the areas around Broadway and Fraser (which had in the past, admittedly, been dangerous – and maybe it still continues to be) and Kingsway and Fraser (which may also be perceived as somewhat sketchy) do forget that some of Vancouver’s great restaurants are located there. The Red Sea Cafe (best Ethiopian food in town) is near Fraser and Broadway, as is Fassil (probably second best Ethiopian food in town) and Seb’s Market Cafe (great brunch).
The addition of “Les Faux Burgeois” (a new upscale, French restaurant, although not nearly as pricey as other French restaurants in Vancouver) to the 15th and Fraser area (almost next door to The Lion’s Den) is also a signal of this transformative process. At any rate, while I am glad to see a transformation of the neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant), I am slightly worried about it losing its character. I hope it doesn’t.
And for those of you who didn’t know … there is a world beyond Cambie, you know? (this comment comes from a line in the movie Mount Pleasant, and something some of my former undergraduate students told me “I never go as far east as Cambie!“)
[SIDE NOTE -I always find it interesting when I search for content online that refers to the topic I’m discussing and I find forums where commentators are so passionate. Just look at the discussions on whether Fraser is the new Main on this forum. Interesting…]
I am a very loving guy, that’s something that I think pretty much everyone knows about me. I have an immense capacity to make space in my life for people, and to engage in meaningful and strong friendships and relationships.
Recently, someone I care for very deeply was physically assaulted. When I heard the news, the first thought that ran across my mind was “damn, and I didn’t ever tell him how much I cared for him… what if something fatal had occurred?”
Luckily, I had a chance to see him this past week and tell him how much I care about him and that I would always be there should he ever need a friend. This unfortunate event reminded me that I have always made a point (and should ALWAYS make a point) of telling the people I care about “I love you“. It shouldn’t take a scare for me to be reminded of this.
Credit: Hypergurl on Flickr
JT and I had a chance to see the movie “Blue Gold: World Water Wars” thanks to an invite by the VIFF office. The film actually premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Blue Gold is a documentary based on the work of Maude Barlow (National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians) and Tony Clarke, Director of the Polaris Institute. From the film’s website:
In every corner of the globe, we are polluting, diverting, pumping, and wasting our limited supply of fresh water at an expediential level as population and technology grows. The rampant overdevelopment of agriculture, housing and industry increase the demands for fresh water well beyond the finite supply, resulting in the desertification of the earth.
Corporate giants force developing countries to privatize their water supply for profit. Wall Street investors target desalination and mass bulk water export schemes. Corrupt governments use water for economic and political gain. Military control of water emerges and a new geo-political map and power structure forms, setting the stage for world water wars.
We follow numerous worldwide examples of people fighting for their basic right to water, from court cases to violent revolutions to U.N. conventions to revised constitutions to local protests at grade schools. As Maude Barlow proclaims, “This is our revolution, this is our war”. A line is crossed as water becomes a commodity. Will we survive?
[Blue Gold: World Water Wars]
The documentary, directed by Jim Bozzo, is very good, and I would recommend it for the general public, as it won an Environmental Film of the Year 2008 Award. Of course, for academics like me (who do research on water), nothing that was said in the film was new. I am well aware of the various debates around privatization, treating water both as a political resource and as a commodity and the discussion on tap water vs. bottled water consumption. I was actually kind of surprised that very little discussion was offered on water as a common pool resource and the problems created by having many users sharing access to dwindling supplies. But the truth is, the social issues surrounding water consumption and pollution are such vast topics, that no documentary can touch on everything.
While the topic of water quality was discussed, neither the documentary narrators nor the interviewees really got into deep discussions of issues of water quality and wastewater management. This was kind of disappointing, as any discussions of the hydrological cycle SHOULD include a mass balance of water AND wastewater. It’s clear that the focus of the film was pretty much the privatization debate and the grassroots battles against corporate acquisition of water.
At the end of the movie, there is some (albeit not extensive) coverage of very important issues: the right to water and the concept of virtual water. While very little support has been given worlwide to a universal right to water, I would think that the recent appointment of Ms. Barlow as Senior Water Advisor to the President of the 63rd U.N. General Assembly may actually increase the visibility of the issue of a right to water.
For a layperson audience, this is a very good film to watch, although I also would recommend additional reading. I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend my own writing on wastewater policy, water governance and the proposed banning of bottled water in Vancouver.
Here is the trailer. Blue Gold: World Water Wars is showing at the Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour) December 12-18 in the following schedules: Fri 7:00 pm, Sat 9:00 pm, Sun 7:00 pm, Mon 9:00 pm, Tues 7:00 pm, Weds 9:00 pm, Thurs 7:00 pm
Check it out before Thursday Dec 18th, I’d recommend to watch the double feature (e.g. Blue Gold and Flow).
I knew about Beauty Night through both her founder (Caroline MacGillivray, whom I met in person at Rebecca’s talk at Third Tuesday) and from my friend Monica Hamburg.
I was just perusing the Vancouver Sun’s online edition (much better you guys, I hated the previous layout and design) and came across some coverage of the most recent event that Caroline and her crew put together for disenfranchised women in the Downtown Eastside.
Beauty Night celebrates its 8th Anniversary on Monday (that is, tomorrow). I really believe in causes like these because they aim to empower much along the lines of what Sexy In Vancity is all about (in the case of Sexy in VanCity, Emme and Lola write about all things sexy in this our snowy city, from a perspective of empowerment in a normal, day-to-day life context).
Beauty Night Turns 8!
Date: Monday, December 15th, 6 -9pm
Location: Life Skills Centre at 412 East Cordova.
I have about a gazillion other things to do, but I do hope to swing by and say hi to Caroline. Head over to their blog and/or check Caroline’s Twitter stream.
Lorraine, Dale and I had a chance to swing by Voya (in my case, rather briefly) to check it out. We’d heard lots of stories from different people saying how wonderful it was, but it hadn’t been until we actually made it there that we realized that all the stories are true. Voya IS indeed a magnificent bar I will try it out for a dinner experience, but even if you just head down there for a couple of cocktails, you’re in for a treat.
LODEN VANCOUVER 1177 Melville Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6E 0A3
Reservations 877 225 6336 | T 604 669 5060 | F 778 373 1609
Voya Restaurant and Lounge is housed in the boutique Hotel Loden Vancouver. Unless you hang out on this side of Coal Harbour, on a regular basis, I would seriously doubt you know how to get there. But its location is unbelievably convenient. Less than a block from the Burrard Skytrain Station. Not kidding. I doubt that any of you would choose to imbibe as much alcohol as to end up stumbling back home (their drinks are simply too nice to over-do them!), you *could* if you wanted to, as it is very accessible even by Skytrain.
Santarac (created by Simon Ogden, Voya)
The lead bartender is Jay Jones, joined by Simon Ogden, who also happens to be one of the top theatre bloggers in Vancouver. I had to stop short of gushing, simply because they DO create art with their hands. The Christmas Sazerac that Simon has developed (which he called “Santarac”) includes smooth vanilla mint, and according to Simon, “it tastes just like a Terry’s chocolate orange!”
Lorraine and I agreed that the Santarac is very much more along the lines of my personality: sweet, strong and refined. I didn’t have a chance to spend nearly enough time at Voya with Lorraine and Dale and Simon as I would have loved to, but one thing you can rest assured of: I am, for sure, coming back.
Voya is a unique experience and you should most definitely head down there. Their hours of operation are posted on the website (linked above).
While I do try to sleep normal hours, I’m always a night owl. But I still manage to have productive, normal 9-5 days. That was up until two weeks ago. Though I did talk about it on Twitter, I don’t think I posted about the fact that I almost had my apartment broken into (with me inside) about a week and a half ago. This experience left me with a brutal shift in my sleeping patterns and a feeling of worry.
After the attempted break-in, I really have been having problems sleeping regular hours. Obviously, that leaves me exhausted and walking like zombie rather frequently. After my quick shopping trip last night, I thought “I’ll just have a 30 min nap before heading out to Gus and Russ‘s place for a few cocktails”. This was at 6.45pm. I woke up at 10pm. Slept through my alarm clock.
I didn’t want to force myself to stay awake or head out. I figured that I need to sleep normally again, and I was feeling ill by 10.15pm. Woke up today very early (5.45am) but at least, I had a good night of sleep. I do hope I will now be in a normal sleep cycle. For all of those overachievers or workaholics (I confess I used to be included in this group) who say that sleep is overrated, I tell you this: sleep is a crucial element in a person’s life.
I do feel embarrassed for having missed an occasion that was really important to me and that I had been looking forward to for a few weeks. But my body is definitely taking a toll by me not having good, restful nights. Good thing the holidays are coming up!
My friend ML is great at finding amazing bargains and great gifts for those of us whose budgets are fairly tight. Christmas shopping was always a nightmare for me because I love giving good gifts and I would buy gifts for everyone in the family (sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, etc.) Since I’m spending my Christmas in Calgary I am not buying gifts for everyone in the family, but I still needed to buy a few (not so expensive) items.
Well, ML met me today at a store in the Commercial Drive/Grandview area, and we went and did pretty much all my Christmas shopping in an hour. NOT KIDDING YOU. I was really shocked, and very grateful (and my wallet was too!). That’s what I call a Blitzkrieg Christmas Shopping spree!
After the Best of 604 Awards, I ended up SO tired that I haven’t updated my blog in a while. Normally, I’d have at least 2-3 posts a day, but right now, I do have a lot of drafts but nothing substantial enough that will warrant publication over the weekend. So, with that, I’ll leave you and will see you all on Monday! Enjoy the brief hiatus!
What transpired last night was a night of positive energy, care and siblinghood. For a few hours, the global financial crisis took second stage, and Rebecca‘s positive energy and good vibe shone all night. Last night, Rebecca was incredibly generous in sharing her night, her fourth blogiversary (which is coming up soon, I think), with everyone else who blogs in the Metro Vancouver area.
To say that I’m very proud of her and of all the people who helped her in many ways, shapes and forms, would be a gross understatement. I am absolutely thrilled and delighted. It was a wonderful evening that brought together numerous local bloggers. We did miss some members of our usual crowd but they were remembered fondly.
Please feel free to see the rest of my photos on my Flickr stream.
Thanks Rebecca, for once again, showing how to do social media for social change. You are an inspiration, a role model, and a good friend. Thanks to everyone who helped Rebecca succeed in this important enterprise in support of the Food Bank. You, Vancouver, make ME proud too 🙂
Hard not to love Michael Bublé. He is Canadian, he is talented and he is from Burnaby 🙂 What else do you need? This is his cover of the Van Morrison song “Moondance”. I will be very upfront and honest by admitting that whenever I hear Bublé singing this tune, I get goosebumps, particularly when he sings the part “can I just have one more moon dance with you?“. Courtesy of YouTube
This is a total parody, but oh-so-funny. I’ll have to admit, this kind of stuff is not so much my style, but I laughed with this.
