Even though I’m not in Vancouver right now, I always try to provide link love for friends of mine’s causes. Actually, when people let me know about what’s going on, I feel much more connected (because let’s face it, I do miss Vancouver). Anyhow, without further ado.
CHARITABLE CAUSES
– Karen Parker is doing the Bicycle Trek for Life and Breath, and you can sponsor her here. I am not sure if you can still participate in a draw she was having, but trust me – 4 hours of her geeky tech support is equivalent to gold, so sponsor her and get a chance to get some tech help from Karen!
– Barbara Doduk and Keira-Anne Mellis are doing the SPCA Paws for a Cause on September 14th (the day that my flight back is scheduled, though not sure if I’m actually going to be back in Vancouver then) and you can donate to their causes here (Barbara) and here (Keira-Anne).
– Tanya Davis (aka NetChick) is joining Team Diabetes, and you can pledge her here.
LOCAL EVENTS
– The Vancouver Queer Film Festival takes place from August 14th to … Unfortunately, I am in Mexico and won’t be able to attend, but if you do attend and want to do a movie review on my blog, you can be Hummingbird604.com’s official correspondent 🙂 Actually I kinda need an official correspondent. I could even find something to throw as a reward… how about a free beginners’ salsa lesson? Even if you think you have two left feet, I’ll teach you how to dance at least the very basic 2 steps, how’s that? Or one or two hours of conversational Spanish/Italian/Portuguese?
– VinoCamp is taking place on August 16th, 2008. I am not able to participate but you really should attend. Wine and geekery, what else do you need?
– Travis Smith just sent me an email about an upcoming event (the ExpressionEngine Road Show) that you can check out here.
VANCOUVER MEETUPS
– I am a big supporter of Vancouver meetups, particularly since I frequently organize them (Vancouver Bloggers Meetup), live-blog or recap them (Vancouver Young Professionals Meetup, Sales Performance Meetup and Real Estate Tech Meetup). And since I missed this month’s Vancouver Real Estate Tech Meetup (where Steve Jagger gave a presentation), I was feeling bummed. Fear not, Steve himself uploaded a recap!
– I will be missing the Third Tuesday and Net Tuesday meetups, but I’ll be linking to them as soon as I get any scoop. I am particularly bummed about Net Tuesday as I am a total non-Drupal geek, but I want to learn.
– Jordan Behan has been organizing impromptu, informal Tweetups sorta regularly (I hope you keep doing it at least until I can make it to one!) around the Gastown area. You may want to check on Twitter what’s going on (or search Summize for #GastownTweetup)
NOT SO LOCAL EVENTS, BUT STILL…
– WordCamp San Francisco 2008 is taking place this weekend too. Two of my Vancouver friends, Andy and Duane are going down. Andy is presenting on the status of his project BuddyPress and Duane is attending the whole Camp, although given that Duane and Dale’s BraveNewCode project, WPTouch 2.0 for the iPhone was just released, I would have thought that Matt would have invited Duane to speak. Next year, I’m sure. I will link to Andy’s talk if he (or anyone else) uploads video. Heck, who knows. If I become really proficient with WordPress, maybe I will be presenting at WordCamp!
IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR…
And somehow I didn’t highlight your event, fear not – drop me a comment or send me an email or a tweet. And while I am sure that most of my readers follow her blog, Rebecca usually has the comings-and-goings in Vancouver, so if I missed something about an event here, I could almost bet she has it there 🙂
August 13th, 2008 in
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Danny suggested that I could embed Flickr videos, and since I like to do my own stunts, I am going to test whether they work. So, if they DO work, below you’ll find a couple of videos of our dinner at Browns Social House, after the reopening of Future Shop Park Royal.
[flickr video=http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolexpv/2741052232/]
[flickr video=http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolexpv/2740221641/]
I am not sure if I am going to earn brownie points in the blogosphere or lose them with this post, but being at my Mom’s house has a way of bringing me back to my childhood. And since I am away from Vancouver, and I figure my YVR peeps would want to know how I’m holding up, here is something you can now learn about me that even HZ (who is one of my very closest friends) didn’t know.
I have a stuffed animals collection. Yes, I do. To me, stuffed animals are more than a cute token of appreciation. They have extreme symbolisms and signify my links to memories that I have created and cherish. I debated for long whether to include a photo of my stuffed animals collections (given that I tend to be rather private) but I figured “what the heck, why not“. If I take flack and I’m criticized for it, so be it.
This is a small subset of my whole collection. When I saw a recent post by Beth Snow on stuffed brain cells, I knew exactly what I wanted for my next stuffed animal (I don’t have any in my Vancouver apartment) – I want one of the Giant Microbes collection.
Photo credit: Dr. Beth Snow on Flickr.
Why do I keep my stuffed animals? Well, for starters – I have nieces and nephews. They play. With toys. They use them to play, and as long as they are careful and don’t distroy them, I’m good. On a different angle, I keep my stuffed animals to remind me of how happy a childhood I had. Some people keep rocks, other keep their stamp collection. I collect stuffed animals. So SUE me.
For a few months,I was the #1 ranked blogger/reviewer for UrbanSpoon. I just noticed today that I have been dethroned. Kitsilano.ca, a collective blog led by a good friend and TechVibes manager, Rob Lewis, is now ranked the #1 UrbanSpoon reviewer.
I have no qualms in relinquishing my leadership, to be quite honest. If there is something that recent events have taught me is that friends and family are the most important things in life.
I also would like to congratulate Karen Hamilton from Tiny Bites for rising to the #3 position. Her blog is quite young and I’m glad to have gotten to know her through our blogs.
Given the recent events, Mom, my brother and myself have been spending a lot of time together. We spent the weekend with our cousins and uncle, since we believed they would enjoy the company. My brother and I have seen our cousins like our brother and sister, we grew up together, so it was only fitting that we shared this weekend with them.
The past couple of days, I’ve witnessed the same behavioral patterns with my brother and Mom that we used to have before we moved to Canada (or whenever we come for a holiday). The three of us go out on excursions, mini-vacations and short city trips. We go out for coffee or simply take a drive up to a mall.
I also noticed how my brother and I have always had a special bond. Last night, he asked me to join him and see the Dark Knight movie (movie review forthcoming, even if it’s a bit late). Then when Mom picked us up from the movie theatre and before we went to sleep, he asked me to stay in his room with him.
The way our family home is designed, he has his own room and I have mine (both with double beds). Despite the fact that we are no longer kids/adolescents, Mom still keeps our rooms (which is nice for me as I love having a well-equipped home office!).
I found it endearing that he asked me to stay in his room, like I used to do when we were younger. We chatted about life, family, and things like that. He was having chest pains so I woke up every couple of hours just to check on him. And he is now peacefully sleeping in his room while I work on a presentation for a talk I’m giving in a couple of weeks. Every few minutes, I walk over to his room to check how he’s doing.
I am very grateful to the Powers-That-Be to have the family I have.
I am SO incredibly shocked. A latte in Vancouver = $3.50 CND. A latte in Mexico City = $35 pesos (aka, pretty much 3.5 CND). Some people may not think that this is even worth blogging, but I’m trying to get back into the groove after everyone here (Mom included) has insisted that I try to get slowly back into the swing of things.
I had heard about the Big Mac Index before, but I didn’t know we had parity on Starbucks. The shocking thing is that, with the salaries here (for an Average Joe), I would think they wouldn’t want to buy it. I normally don’t buy Starbucks anyways, but I was kind of shocked. Thoughts?
Dear all,
Some of you may know this already, but my Aunt passed away a couple of days ago, so I have flown to Mexico City to be with my Mom, my cousins, my uncle and the rest of my extended family. I will be spending this weekend with my late Aunt’s family, as we were very close and we feel that we can provide comfort and company in these difficult times. I will also be away from Vancouver for a few weeks.
Please understand that I will not have the time to check Twitter, nor respond to emails, nor to update my blog in the next little while. Do feel free to email me, DM me on Twitter or drop a comment on my blog, I will get to it as soon as I can.
I do have some content that I should have queued before leaving but I cannot update it right now. However, suffice it to say that I do value and appreciate all the support of my readers, my online and offline friends, and that I will be back soon enough. Thank you.
I would like to use this last post to thank everyone who contributed to my Blogathon 2008, both in kind, with comments, encouragement and sponsorship.
First of all, thank you SO much to everyone who agreed to guest-post on my blog. Coming up with content is always hard, and I am really, really grateful that you agreed to do so. The following individuals contributed guest posts (all of them are acknowledged in each post, but here is a list – so please join me in thanking them for doing this for me!)
I would also like to thank my friends and fellow bloggers who participated in the Blogathon 2008, for their commendable efforts.
Finally, in a more important note, thanks to my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt for organizing Blogathon Vancouver 2008, in a completely self-less manner, and investing countless hours of her own time. You are a role model, an example and a great friend. Thank you.
A few days ago, a bunch of geeks (myself included) received an invitation from Darren to a little escapade to West Vancouver for the new Future Shop store (in Park Royal). I’ll be the first to admit that I love those store openings. You get to be the first to see a lot of ‘bright, shiny objects’ (gadgets), and you get to hang out with your geek friends. A win-win situation.
The main difference I found between this Future Shop and the others I have previously visited (I bought two of my laptop computers at Future Shop, including my about-to-die eMachines) is the concept of The Hub (a centralized customer-centred point of reference).
Photo credit: Derek K. Miller on Flickr.
It was very fun to see several of my friends there (since the invite was somewhat secret, I didn’t actually know who else was coming), including obviously Darren, Derek, Monica, Arieanna, Ianiv, Dale, Roland, Tris, John Biehler and his wife, Gregg Scott and Greg Andrews, and we even bumped into Buzz Bishop.
There is a mini-Apple Store in the Future Shop, but it’s smallish. However, it’s the best you can get if you are an Apple geek and you don’t want to go DT (e.g. if you’re in the North Shore).
Arieanna, Roland and Ianiv. Photo credit: Well, me of course 🙂
We were given a very good tour of the store, and I have to admit that I kind of liked when the tour guide said “here, the customer representatives don’t work on commission, we are here to make your experience the best“. For whatever is worth, that demonstrates a refreshing change of pace. I captured some video on my Flickr (I really need to check how to embed Flickr video on WP.com, but that’s not a priority now).
While not everybody went to Browns Social House for dinner afterwards (Greg and Gregg deserted us, hehehe) it was a nice change of scenery for me, and a fun event to attend. I even initiated a discussion on fashion for male geeks on Twitter!
It was also fun just to get away from my worries and spend some time with geek friends, seeing as I already have my flight booked and I’m pretty much 99% packed. Thanks to Darren for inviting us.
[UPDATE – Darren was kind enough to provide us with a fun schematic diagram of The Hub]
Photo Credit: Darren Barefoot
The best way to keep your mind off of the worries of life is to continue on normally, so since I’m already packed for my trip to Mexico and my flights are booked, I’m just going to blog and do my thing as I usually do. Think positive!
Anyways… I’m having an online discussion on Twitter on fashion for a store opening (I can’t really disclose many details, but – for the sake of an example, let’s just use the upcoming Instinct Launch party at Republic, or whatever – imagine a new Apple Store opening in say, New Westminster). Anyhow, that’s irrelevant.
The question is – I am a male, I am admittedly a geek – what would go well to go to a geeky event, or what should I wear. Variables to consider
– Yes, I’m a geek but I’m not going to wear a geek t-shirt. Not even to showcase my geek superpowers 🙂
– I don’t want to wear long sleeves as the weather is incredibly hot (+ 30oC in Vancouver now).
– I am very comfortable in khakhis or dress slacks, but it’s too hot for that.
– I want to feel fresh while I travel (remember, I’m a transit fiend, so I don’t drive and thus have no air conditioning).
– It’s summer in Vancouver, folks!
So, go crazy – drop the comments – give fashion advice for male geeks. Cheers and thanks!
Well, as it turns out, I’m going to have to head down to Mexico City for a month to be with my Mom and I’ll probably be leaving late Wednesday or Thursday, depending on availability of flights. Since my rent is already paid, I figured I’d do a quick blog call-out to see if anybody who reads my blog needs to sublet (it’s a fully furnished one bedroom basement apartment). Pretty much has in-suite laundry.
Yeah, the neighbours upstairs are really noisy, but other than that, it has everything that you might need and it is really well located (3 major bus routes serve it directly). I figured that I might try to recoup some of the rent costs, but if it’s not rented, I’m going to be alright either way. I’m probably going to be away from Aug 9 to Sep 9 or so. Thus if you do know of someone you can send him/her my way (email works best). Thanks!
I was going to make a really big fuss of this, but under the circumstances (my Aunt is in critical condition as I write this) I just decided to skip with the fuss and just get over with it so that if/when I feel like blogging again, I won’t have to keep this stupid placeholder in my head (“oh, I *really* should keep this witty phrase/this important topic for when I write my 1000th“).
Rebecca asked if there would be a party to celebrate my 1000th post. Back then, I answered yes (we were in the midst of Blogathon and we were all cranking out posts like maniacs). Right now, I don’t feel like partying at all. I do, however, have some social and organizational commitments that I will definitely honor, so I am sure I will be seeing some of you there.
But I just wanted to quickly write a post about how Web 2.0 has changed my life and thank all the wonderful people I’ve met through blogging. You all have made a difference and from each and every one of you I have learned something.
Web 2.0 has changed my life in many ways. I’ve become aware of new trends in technology, innovative tools. I have devised ways in which I can apply my PhD training to understanding social media and viceversa – I have begun to harness the power of Web 2.0 in effecting social change in some small way.
From lunches at Salsa and Agave to the wonderful times playing Rock Band to the walks around Trout Lake to squeezing lots of bodies at the Blackwater Cafe to poker nights and lots of Margaritas to taking crazy wicked photos with PhotoBooth to SteakCamp to beer o’clock and BBQs on the roof, to coffee and tea dates and discovering new places, to parties at the homes of dear friends (and getting lost in Burnaby on the way there!), the list of wonderful times I’ve spent with people I have met through my blog is really, really long.
Web 2.0 has changed my life by making of the hummingbird, my own personal brand, a symbol of my personality that has transcended my offline circle of friends to my online sphere. More than anything, Web 2.0 has brought me new friends and I am deeply and truly grateful for that.
Thanks so much to the many people who have enabled me to get to this point. You rock (and you know who you are).
Reflecting on the events of the past few weeks, and even the past few months, I’ve come to realize the value of silence. This is quite an accomplishment for me, given how much I love to talk and communicate. And let me tell you, I talk. A LOT. I’ve even been unfollowed on Twitter on account of how much I respond to people.
But back to the theme of silence. With my upstairs neighbours gone this past week (and their noisy and unfortunate return), I really learned to value silence. I woke up, day after day, submerged in an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility. Peaceful, even.
I have also tried to be silent in other media and fora, without much success. Every time I say “I’m going to take a Twitter break“, I come back. Why? Because I love exchanging ideas. I love sharing my thoughts. I love LISTENING to other people talk. But more than anything, I love (and that is, I think, my inner motivation to have embraced Web 2.0 in such an enthusiastic fashion) interactivity.
As an instructor, I NEVER had a lecture where I just stood there and shared my ‘wisdom’. I always engaged with my students. Asking questions. Probing. Cold calling. Those students of mine who took my courses consecutively got used to it, and by the end of the second course, they were very comfortable exchanging opinions and ideas with me.
But this morning, after having had a really rough week/weekend (where I even felt ill and nauseated for a good portion of Sunday), I woke up in relative silence again. As I write this, my apartment filled with the peace and tranquility that derives from my neighbours’ absence.
Silence is gold.
Some of the best moments I’ve had have been spent in silence. Sitting on the rocks in Pourteau Cove, watching the scenery. Climbing the rocks in Indian Arm and Deep Cove. Cuddling on a bench in front of the Inukshuk in English Bay listening to the sounds of waves. Up until the past couple of years (and perhaps this is the reason why I get so exhausted on such a regular basis), I used to meditate once a week. ALWAYS.
Meditation in silence, just me, myself and I. It was bliss.
My life is a continuous conversation, however. With my family and friends. With my readers. With my students. With my academic and non-academic peers. With Vancouver’s tech and environmental communities. With my volleyball teammates.
There are times, when I wonder if silence should prevail. I have seriously thought this weekend about not writing this blog anymore (no, and I’m not saying this so that I get more views). But quitting blogging would be tantamount to silencing myself. FOREVER (or at least for an extended period of time). And while I value silence and its importance, I value communication too much to stop writing.
Being an active participant is something I do on a day to day basis. Being a silent observer is something I rarely do. I’m going to try and spend more time in silence and see how that goes.
Not so much emotional ups and downs, as much as things not going the way I want them or need them to go, but I always try to keep a positive attitude. Particularly because as I mentioned on Twitter, in the grander scheme of things, my life is actually quite good, and I have NOTHING to complain about.
True, I found out that an assistant-professor position I had applied for was already filled (even though I applied BEFORE the deadline), so that was VERY frustrating. Of course, I understand that universities play this kind of game, but it’s really annoying. One of the reasons why I DON’T want to go into academia. But the sad thing is, I am at the right time for the 2009 job market. This IS the right time to do all the job applications for tenure-track positions. But I hate the “applying for” game.
I was also asked to vacate my university office, which totally sucks because I do need a desk and a computer. But at least, apparently I will be able to come in and use a desk every so often. Well, it could be worse.
I have been feeling anti-social this weekend, so I haven’t really been in the socializing mood. But I got even more annoyed at myself for this, because I was invited by the always lovely Matt and Maktaaq to come watch a movie on Saturday night, and I FORGOT. GRRRRR.
However, on the very positive side of things, Matt and Maktaaq completely understood that I needed some time, and we’ve agreed to hang out some other time. I’ve also had a chance to settle some issues for if/when I move away with close friends of mine.
I’ve also paid most of my bills online (although I recently found out that so many phone calls during the day – when the cost per call on my cell is super expensive – has quickly depleted my pay-as-you go account).
Also on the positive side of things, had a chance to hang out on Thursday night with Rebecca and Karen at the Pacific Theatre. Rebecca invited me to attend Metamorphoses earlier in the week and I was very happy I went, because it was a great show. So, despite the fact that my Friday was less than stellar, my Saturday has been rather awful, but my Thursday was good and I’m hoping my Sunday will be too.
So, as you can see, my weekend has had some ups and some downs. I’m going to the Pride parade tomorrow, will have brunch with some friends, hang out with other friends as well, and hopefully, forget about August 2nd, 2008, which has been a rather forgettable day.
Do you ever have one of those days/weekends that you just wish you could write off? Today is one of those for me. But it’s important to keep things in perspective. People whom I love and care for are currently struggling and battling worse things than I am, so time to stop pouting. Have everyone a great Sunday!
[SIDE NOTE – Duane, Ianiv and Arieanna are going to BC 150 in Victoria, so make sure to read their blogs for good coverage of the festivities!
I won’t be blogging tomorrow (Sunday) but I’ll report back on the Pride Parade and festival]
[SECOND SIDE NOTE – My 1000th post is two posts from now, as I have subtracted all of my guest posts from Blogathon – therefore, my Pride recap will be Post # 999 and I still have to decide if I’m going to organize some sort of celebration for Post # 1000th – suggestions accepted, as I had already said that I’d indeed be celebrating my 1000th post]
The weekend of Blogathon felt really weird. My upstairs neighbours were making hardly any noise and I spent extended periods of time submerged in a silent atmosphere. After Blogathon, I learned that they had gone away for a week. Day after day, I woke up whenever my body wanted me to and felt so calm because there was no noise.
“Wow, this is what quiet enjoyment is supposed to be“, I thought to myself. I went to bed whenever and woke up like any normal people. But everything good in life has an end. Last night, as I was about to put my head on my pillow, I heard “THUMP, THUMP, THUMP” on my ceiling.
They were back 🙁
This is just a short post as I don’t really feel like blogging right now, but it’s an idea that I just couldn’t let pass. I do love 24Hrs, particularly since in the past month, I’ve been covered (twice, with the SteakCamp–Buzz Bishop challenge and a lovely interview that Rebecca was kind enough to invite me to join (for Blogathon 2008).
Well, the thing is – Pride is a really relevant event in Vancouver, yet I found the coverage by 24Hrs.ca rather thin. Whereas Metro Vancouver had a substantially larger coverage. I just found out that The West Ender had a whole issue dedicated to Pride (whereas the Georgia Straight didn’t). This puzzles me, quite frankly. Why some mainstream media outlets choose to cover Pride and some others not, or why cover it in such a light, sort of ‘overview’ way. Just wondering.
On my daily commute towards the university, back when I used to live in what is now called the South Granville area, I would walk past the Pacific Theatre and wonder whether I would ever attend an event there. Despite being so close to my house, I rarely ventured here. And last night, I had the pleasure of attending the play “Metamorphoses: Greek Myths Reflected In a Modern Pool“, directed by Christine Willes. Both Rebecca and Karen (and her husband) were in attendance.
Since my life has been in turmoil in the past few weeks, I didn’t clue in that Metamorphoses was based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. As a Greek mythology buff (I once wanted to win a national contest and therefore studied hundreds of stories, scoured everything you could read from the Ilyad to the Odyssey to the Eneid and tried to absorb it), Metamorphoses hit me right in the heart.
This contemporary remaking of Metamorphoses takes place in a pool, and modernizes the events from the past. Anyone who has read Greek mythology in thorough detail will be able to recognize many of the stories. In this new version, Phaeton wants to drive his Dad’s car (whereas in the traditional version, he brags that he is the son of the Sun god and wants to drive his Dad’s chariot, the sun – an absolutely apt metaphor!)
While slightly on the long-ish side (runs for 1.5 hours) I found the play engaging, energetic, the actors were simply outstanding, and of course, each one of the tales resonated with my inner child. Remember the story of Alcyone and Ceyx, where Alcyone was so grief-stricken by the drowning of her husband that she threw herself into the sea? Or the ill-fated love story of Eurydice and Orpheus?
I particularly liked the story of Eros and Psyche, as this duality hits home with me all the time [my Dad once told me that my capacity to think was only surpassed by my capacity to love]. Every one of us has that duality in varying degrees, where our emotions can overtake the rationality of our thought processes.
Photo Credit: Pink Monkey Studios.
Metamorphoses is an excellent production whose thematic thread is love in all its forms. I encourage you to see it, highly recommended. The skill, agility and audacity of the actors involved in the production makes the 1.5 hours absolutely worth it. And if you haven’t done so, you may want to brush up on your Greek mythology beforehand. It will make the play so much more interesting. But you don’t need to know any Greek mythology to enjoy it.
Metamorphoses runs until August 16th at the Pacific Theatre. You can check the Facebook event here. And read Rebecca’s review here and The Province’s review here.
I had a chance to go to the Surrey Fusion Festival (Rebecca has awesome write-ups on the Festival here and here) with JT. This is not precisely his scene, but he knew it was important for me to go so we ended up going there on Sunday afternoon. It was a really nice experience overall because, even though our Sunday nights are usually very chill, we rarely get to attend this kind of festival (unless it’s summer).
We quickly discovered that the Maps app for iPhone is static and not dynamic, as we were so enthralled in our conversation that he forgot to turn as indicated by the app, so I had to basically navigate the rest of the way until we hit Holland Park (also aided by my own personal navigator, Rebecca, who knows the city well).
We spent a few hours at the Festival, until we got a chance to hear Jully Black. I didn’t recall that I had ever heard her sing until I listened to a couple of tracks on her website. But the one that she performed live and that I absolutely loved was “DJ Play My Song”, and the video for that song is presented here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y03HRMdjnbM]
As JT was very tired from the city drive, I drove back (which is not unusual for me, since I am used to drive everyone everywhere, although I do not own a car in Vancouver, I am usually the designated driver, particularly because of my hummingbird-like personality, I tend to have a lot of energy and be very focused when I drive). It was a very pleasant drive back, as the traffic through Surrey, New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver wasn’t really all that crammed.
I took the King George Highway, crossed the Patullo bridge and then took Royal (crossing all New Westminster) until I hit South Burnaby, and then just took Marine Drive until I hit Main. Very pleasant also because JT got a chance to look at the new housing developments, and stuff like that while I was the one driving this time. I don’t think I tell him enough how much I appreciate that he drives, and he doesn’t get to enjoy the views I do. But I guess in the next few months I’ll be doing more of the driving.
UPDATE – The original video is no longer available. Grrr. Have checked other source. The one that I re-inserted seems to work.
I love me some great blog discussions. Dr. Beth Snow is not only a very funny writer but also is capable of starting animated discussions on her blog like there’s no tomorrow. How she does it? I don’t know. I attribute that to her being ultra witty. But I digress. Beth started a post-BlogHer discussion that I couldn’t help but read, and re-read, and read the commentator’s comments.
Then Kerry Sauriol followed up with her own post on the compartmentalization of bloggers. I admire Kerry for her writing and for the way in which she pushes the envelope and tries to build a blogging community (for West Coast Women bloggers, in particular).
I can’t help but add my two cents (which I added on Beth’s blog) here and admit that I WANT children. I don’t NEED children (as I mentioned in Andy’s blog a few weeks ago, an iPhone to me is a WANT and not a NEED – same case with children). Don’t get me wrong: I can be THE SWEETEST UNCLE on the planet.
In fact, I am REALLY honored when my nieces come to me for advice (my nephews are too young to ask for advice right now). It does make me feel special. When my brothers ask me to babysit, I am really excited. I even get excited when I babysit my friends’ children.
However, as much as I want to be a dad, I am not really in a panic or a rush because I am not a parent yet. And it annoys me as much as it may have annoyed Monica and Beth when people may have commented “oh your biological clock is ticking”. I read that Dan (one of Beth’s friends) had been faced with the same comment.
Disclosure time – 97% (and by that, I mean 97%) of my friends in Mexico are married with children. Three of my closest friends are still single but the vast majority are married with children. So, whenever I am invited out to parties, the registration fee is bringing a child with me. I am SO not kidding. At one of the latest parties I went to when I was in Mexico last, NOBODY except me had anything less than 2 kids. No kidding. Yay, THIS is my scene (NOT!)
I am single by choice, and I am child-less by choice too (technically speaking, it’d be easier for me to have a child if I were a woman should I chose to do so simply by biological design – given that for better or worse, I came with male equipment, thank you very much, and I love it the way it is and wherever it is located, that solution is simply not there). I have this inner desire to be a father because I do admire my parents (I firmly believe both of them played a great role in my upbringing). I admire my brothers as parents. It’d be nice to be a Dad. It would be lovely.
However, it’s not in the cards right now and I’m not going to start flagellating myself because I don’t have children. Corinna, for example, decided that she didn’t want to have kids, and agreed upon this decision with her husband. Any problems? No, none whatsoever. You can actually read their stories on her blog about this decision-making process.
In an inspiring paragraph, Kerry makes a good point – and if I understand it correctly, she meant that BlogHer (the site) should be a site about women who happen to blog, not about MommyBlogging (which is one of the things that Beth pointed out on her great post).
I loved this particular phrase of Kerry’s post:
We cannot GENDERFY (lots of new words here today folks) blogging when it suits us and cry foul when it does not.[WetCoastWomen]
I happen to be a single male who wants to be a parent and who blogs. That doesn’t make me a daddy blogger or a wannabe-daddy blogger. I am a blogger with a myriad of additional elements that help define who I am (being an expert in some environmental issues one of them).
In closing, let me re-emphasize. I WANT to be a Dad. I don’t NEED to be a Dad. Being a parent does NOT define me. But being a parent is something I’d really like. But if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. I’ll be happy either way.
The whole blogging thing has brought me lots of joys. I have made tonnes of great friends, I’ve been able to raise money for cancer research, I have been able to provide some people with some free swag and opportunities that they wouldn’t have accessed were I not a blogger. I am even now the Organizer of the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, with sword and all. The most rewarding part is really knowing that my blog can in some small way effect positive change.
Sadly and rather regrettably, very recently blogging has brought me some pain too. A nasty comment got me so worked up that I had to let it out on Twitter. Luckily, my friends were of the opinion that I should let it go. I concur.
Let me explain. I see blogging using the same philosophy I have of academic research: you got to develop a thick skin. I know that, every so often, I am going to get all sorts of nasty comments, aggressive behavior from other bloggers and readers alike.
Same thing has happened to me with academia: sometimes, a peer-reviewer will say that my paper is complete and absolute garbage. Sometimes, a fellow researcher will say that my work is completely irrelevant.
The anonymous nature of commenting on blogs (in social media) and of double-blind peer-reviews (in academia) allows for inner people’s frustrations to come out frequently (and often, hurting the recipient of the negative comment). But the truth is, if I see it from the perspective that academics are also just humans (and thus, admitting that bloggers are again just humans) then it’s easier to admit that not everybody is bound to like me. Actually, LOTS of people are bound to NOT like me (although my rate of rejected, peer-reviewed papers is VERY low, if I may say so myself).
But it’s up to ME AND ONLY ME to rise above. I can’t and I won’t let anyone who is nasty to me win. Trust me, I am much better than that.
This past weekend was without a doubt one of the most challenging I’ve had in a long, long while, not only because of Blogathon Vancouver 2008 but also because I’m so behind in my own work. It was therefore very nice to see that my body decided to still respond on Sunday night despite the fact that I was severely sleep-deprived.
Gus had offered to take me out for dinner, and coincidentally, JT and I had agreed to skip this Sunday as we had spent Friday together because of previous commitments on Sunday night, so it worked out perfectly. After a few naps, I met Gus and Russ in Yaletown and we proceeded to scour the streets of Vancouver in search of some good Italian food.
Let me tell you one thing – if you think your favorite restaurant is going to be open, you are WRONG. We tried for Scioppino’s and they were CLOSED. Wierd. But luckily for us, Capone’s was open. To say that this was good times would be a gross understatement. This was GREAT times.
The service was good, although at some points our waiter kind of seemed to wander around. But I can’t complain, the company was really outstanding and I had a really great time. I have to say that my sense of humour is really very similar to that of Gus and Russ’ and that’s something that makes a nice meal even better, to share it with friends that can relate to you and to whom you can relate as well. Ah, good times!
We all ordered different varieties of pasta (after an antipasto platter that was really delicious, but unfortunately contained cheese so I had to skip on that one). If I recall correctly, we ordered chorizo and prawn fetuccine, ancho chicken linguini (this was my choice) and AAA tenderloin & mushroom linguini. Mine was really good, particularly because I love ancho chile.
As for drinks, Capone’s mojito is REALLY good but their martinis are weak. And they don’t have a Bellini (shame on them). My photos don’t do our dinner justice as it was late-ish at night and I didn’t want to use my flash.
Apparently, Capone’s has live jazz but we didn’t stay that late. Oh, and let me tell you. There is a LOT of eye candy in Yaletown 🙂 Thanks to Gus for taking Russ and me for dinner as this was a highlight of my weekend!
It’s past midnight on Wednesday already. I just got home from having done some shopping at Safeway on Commercial, and catching up on Twitter (sorry if you were one of the people who were viciously bombarded with my tweets). I would *love* to write a really detailed recap, but I am sure that a lot of other bloggers will. And since I am now the Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, I am hoping I will be cut some slack (as I spent the vast majority of the time trying to ensure everyone was having a good time, and doing introductions, etc.)
So, a few points. Yes, I know the venue was small, but even though it was so small, lots of people showed up and it was really heartwarming for me. I am very honored that Isabella decided to bestow her leadership role on to me, I really am. I even got my Blogger Sword! I promise I shall use its power for good 🙂
I did miss many good friends of mine who are also bloggers, too many to recount, but I do want to single out Rebecca because she did an amazing job of organizing and she entrusted me with passing on her message of how proud she was of the work we all who Blogathoned did, as well as news that there would be some commentary about Blogathon on Metro Vancouver (the newspaper).
Along the same way, Rebecca, it is important that you know that everyone in the room gave you an in absentia ovation for all your hard work in organizing Blogathon. I’m very proud of you and honored to call you a friend. I know these are trying times for you, but I sure hope you know you can always count on me, I really do.
After the Blackwater Cafe (whose staff should be fully commended, as we stayed there well past their closing time, almost 9 pm and Adrienne was SO incredibly helpful and sweet – really good times) a bunch of us headed down to the Lamplighter for a couple of beers. Overall, I had a fabulous time, and I am glad to have seen you all. And as I mentioned in my speech, I am very honored to be able to call so many of you my friends. You are truly awesome.
And on that note, I should go to sleep. I haven’t recovered from Blogathon and need my sleep. Catch you all later.
My body is aching, my head is spinning, I am going through a LOT of stuff right now and Vancouver Bloggers Meetup is tonight, the weather is awful (pouring rain), I’ve still got no brain cells to update my “Blogathon Aftermath” post nor to go through my RSS feeds and comment on people’s blogs. But I have to ask the question, however fluffy people may find it.
One of my best friends, LM, was commenting that she needed an overhaul. By that, she means, image change, wardrobe assessment, all that jazz. In my humble opinion, she is beautiful as is, but after she kindly took me to brunch at The Nice Cafe this morning (what a beautiful way to start a morning) I said I’d throw the question out to my readers.
So here is the question – say you are a single girl (or maybe a guy will be able to answer this question, who knows) in Vancouver, late twenties to early thirties. You want an image overhaul, but the budget is severely limited (for the record, she didn’t pose the question like this, but I think this is what she meant). Cheap ways to get a global overhaul here in Vancouver?
So, boys and girls, go nuts. If you’ve blogged about it, let me know in the comments. If you have a suggestion, leave it in the comments. If you want to blog about it, leave a trackback. And if you have an opinion, by all means express it. As for me? I think she should just stay as she is because she is beautiful in and outside, but if my blog can help her find some tips on where to do this overhaul, I’ll be more than happy. Because, as you all know, I like to harness whatever little or much power my blog has for the greater good. And yes I am still feeling emotionally and physically awful, if you want the honest truth.
So, Twitter is the new black. I follow Rob Cottingham on Twitter (and I should add Alexandra Samuel too!) and I just found out that it was his 8th year anniversary. Since I’m known to be faster than a hummingbird (and even though my brain is fried) I wanted to post a “Happy Anniversary” thingie as that’s the geek equivalent of their 8th year anniversary gift. Since I’m single, I would also like to say that it’s heartwarming to see geek couples go through good and bad, in health and sickness. I am proud to be friends with several geek couples, and this one is also special as Alex and Rob work in a field that I enjoy (and want to get into) – social media for social change (and sustainability, in my case!). A toast to them!
I had written a really cool, after-the-Blogathon post, but I have a head-shattering headache again (potentially due to lack of sleep or excess caffeine – I had two Americanos while doing Blogathon) so I saved it in my drafts and will publish it later.
Super quick updates –
– Yes, you CAN still donate to the BC Cancer Foundation (my cause for Blogathon 2008) by clicking HERE.
– Today is the July 2008 Vancouver Bloggers Meetup at the Blackwater Cafe (Cordova and Carrall in Gastown) at 7:00pm. There’s wi-fi, beautiful art in the walls and about 35 or so bloggers confirmed. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, I’d appreciate it if you did as I have to talk to Shane about numbers (for tables, etc.). You may not know this, but my good friend Isabella Mori has now bestowed the Organizer role for future VBMs on to me, so now it will be up to me to keep tabs on all of you Vancouver bloggers 🙂
– This coming weekend is Pride Weekend. There will be LOTS of stuff happening, and if there is a city that should be proud is Vancouver, where you can, without a doubt, have a boyfriend, a girlfriend, or both and nobody will say anything. How cool is that? I will, of course, be attending several of the Pride events and will potentially drag several of my online and offline friends. Pride Day (Sunday) I will NOT be blogging at all.
– My 1000th post is coming up. Technically, I’m at 1005 but several of those were guest-posts, so I’ll let you know when the post is going to be published. And there will, indeed be a celebration. Either a RaulCamp or an Imbib-o-Camp, as Derek called it (Airdrie and I had been talking about a MargaritaCamp, Ryan suggested a GinCamp and Kerry-Anne said that she’d bring wine (oh speaking of wine – check out VinoCamp!) Alas, I won’t be able to check VinoCamp unless it is in the role of a volunteer, because wine (in all its forms) gives me headaches.
That’s all for now. It’s 2 am and I need to sleep.
