There’s something that needs to change here at Hummingbird604.com
Not sure exactly what, but I have been feeling the need to re-theme my site. This theme was completely customized to my liking by my good friend J. Karen Parker. She fiddled with the CSS to adjust the column width, moved stuff here and there. She made sure that everything looked good (this site has a customized version of the Deviant Art theme).
But right now I think I need to give it a change of look. Not sure why I feel the need to do the re-theming right now, but I know one thing. I’m not going to use TwentyTen. Yes, even though WordPress 3.0 has been released, and even though I could fiddle with Thesis, and I could do a few things here and there, I think I’m going to instead spend some time exploring a few WordPress themes that would make my site look still professional. But not TwentyTen. Why not? Because it’s the generic WordPress.com theme. And that would make my blog exactly the same as the other 20 million blogs hosted on WordPress.com
Being a family of five boys made my Dad both very happy and very proud. He and Mom tried so hard to have a girl that they ended up with a basketball team. Dad always wanted us to be an integrated team of integrated individuals. He and Mom worked hard at making sure that we would always help each other, as brothers. That we would prioritize our family before anything else. My brothers became my best friends, thanks to their teachings. Many people ask me why I don’t write or talk as much about my Dad as I do about my Mom. The truth is, I am (in my Dad’s words) exactly 50% my Dad and 50% my Mom. I am (much as people may not realize) private, serious, analytical and sometimes introverted (like my Dad).
But I am also bubbly, outgoing and playful (like my Mom). My Dad has helped me grow in so many ways. He taught me how to play tennis, he taught me how to drive. He strengthened my abilities to make informed decisions and stood by my choices even when Mom may not have fully approved (because, as you may imagine, my Mom is pretty much like me, overprotective). Dad made sure I realized all the opportunities I was given.
I have a very vivid memory of my Dad supporting my decisions above everything else. I remember one time, when I was finishing my undergraduate in chemical engineering, I was being recruited by a subsidiary of Cementos Mexicanos to be a manager at one of their plants, because I was the highest grades in my group of peers. My Dad drove over 750 kms to get me to the plant for an on-site interview. He waited outside the car, reading for hours while my interview took place.
The other thing that has always stuck with me when I talk to my Dad is his reflection about my own abilities. He always has said “Raul, you have an amazing brain but a heart that is just as great. Your ability to think is only matched and perhaps even a bit surpassed by your capacity to love”
That’s my Dad, and these are just a couple of the reasons why I love him so much. Today and every day, happy Father’s Day to him and to my brothers, who are amazing fathers in their own right.
Of all the wonderful things to do in Vancouver, Bard on the Beach (the summer Shakespeare festival) is probably one of the most classic ones to do. The wonderful folks of Bard on the Beach (via Cynnamon Schreinert, one of the best PR people in town) have always been incredibly kind to me (particularly sponsoring ticket giveaways and my prize packages). And I try hard to return the favor.
I was invited to opening night of Much Ado About Nothing and I brought along my good friends Minna Van (who blogged about her experience) and Jay Catalan. Now, it’s one thing to enjoy Bard on the Beach (or any theatre performance) by yourself when you are a theatre fanatic (like I am, because I am a trained stage actor). But it’s another to share it with friends and that’s something I really enjoy.
Both Jay and Minna had a wonderful time, and it’s the result of an amazing production and the work of a fantastic director and an outstanding ensemble of actors. Last year I reviewed a number of Bard on the Beach productions, including All That Is Well Ends Well and Othello. But Much Ado takes the cake for funniest production of them all, I think.
Romance and matchmaking abound when the men return victorious from war. While friends devise merry plots to trick the fiercely independent Beatrice and Benedick into admitting their love for each other, Hero and Claudio make idealistic wedding plans. Into this world of courtship, light-hearted mischief and wit, Shakespeare places Don John, a “plain-dealing villain.” Isolated from the fun, he is determined to destroy it. Relieving tensions are the hilarious constable and his watch and, in the end, it is bumbling Constable Dogberry who saves the day.
You can purchase tickets to Bard on the Beach online. But you should buy your tickets soon, because many of the shows are sold out (like the 7pm showing of Much Ado on June 20th which is Father’s Day).
Much Ado About Nothing runs until September 25th, 2010.
Disclosure: The tickets to attend Much Ado About Nothing for me and for my Plus One and Plus Two were sponsored very generously by Bard on the Beach. I am not obligated nor expected to write this review entry, but I certainly feel that my readers would benefit from attending this play, and it’s an excellent one. 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.
I have eaten at Milestones dozens of times but then again, I never get around blogging about it. And the wonderful lunch I had there with my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt and her Mom at the Robson Street location (1145 Robson Street) gives me the perfect excuse to blog about it.
Both Rebecca and I ordered a Lunch Trio (soup, salad and half sandwich combo – mine had a Caesar salad, a chicken spinach asiago Ciabatta sandwich without the cheese, of course, and the soup was if I recall correctly spicy tomato). For $10.99, it seemed like a pretty decent deal for lunch (soup, salad and a sandwich).
I like Milestones because it’s reliable good food, the prices may not be that inexpensive, but it’s good solid food, both for lunch and for dinner. I’ve never been impressed with their brunch, though.
For me, the company was what made all the difference. It was nice to spend some time outside the craziness of a multitude of social events just with a good friend and her Mom. Despite commonly-held beliefs, Rebecca and I don’t actually have as much time to hang out – we are both insanely busy and while we both blog because we love it, blogging is not our day job! Rebecca builds awesome websites along with her husband John through their company (Sixty4Media). I do research, teach, do consulting and on top of all, I do my social media stuff. So it’s always nice when we get a chance to spend some time to relax and chat. And not necessarily blog about it.
Overall, Milestones on Robson is a solid location for good food, I’d come back for sure.
This past week I went to The Libra Room with my friends Minna Van and Jay Catalan (cofounders of The Network Hub, and we bumped into another good friend of ours, Nathan Tippe, and his friends Trevor, Vivian, Dylan and a few others. It was a nice surprise, and we all got to enjoy some of the music of The Werewolves of Creston (blog post forthcoming).
Despite the fact that I had already been to The Libra Room, I had never written about it. I’m not 100% sure why was that, but it is now about high time I get a blog post out of it. Particularly because the live music, and the food, and the drinks were excellent.
I had a couple of martinis that The Libra Room suggested (paired with my zodiac sign, Virgo), discriminating, clever. Made with vodka, espresso vodka, white chocolate ($ 8.50). Jay, Minna and I ordered a Mediterranean platter ($ 20.00) and we shared amongst the three of us (I thought it was more than enough food for all!)
And the service was pretty good up until the point when we requested the bill. The servers were very sweet, but not always on top of refilling our glasses of water.
Overall, it was a great night (I didn’t upload photos of my drinks because they were over-exposed). And I’ll be writing separately about the Werewolves of Creston, such a versatile musical trio should be assigned their own blog entry. Commercial Drive, you still have my heart, and the best entertainment this side of Main Street.
I have been to Six Acres in Gastown more times than I can recount. But how many times have I blogged about it? None. So I figured it was time I put my time to good use and recognize one of the bars where I feel most comfortable. Six Acres, located right across from the Gassy Jack statue. I first had a Pimms at Six Acres and it remains my favorite drink to have on their patio. Six Acres is open Monday through Saturday from 5:00pm to 1:00am, and there have been many a time when I have come here after a long week of work (my office is downtown) and grabbed a drink on their patio. My two most recent visits included Chris Walts one time.
Another time I came here with Maura Rodgers, Danny Robinson, Paul Rickett and Cinci Csere. Always fun and relaxing. What I find most attractive about Six Acres is not so much the drinks or the patio but the very relaxed atmosphere. Moreover, the service is always really good. Even when I request a drink that is not the way it’s publicized in their menus, they happily oblige.
Of the beautiful museums and areas that one can visit in Vancouver, one of the most under-rated and the one that I had been trying to visit for the longest time is the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Last year, Donna Chen (who collaborates with the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden) contacted me about some suggestions in the social media realm (the Garden is now on Twitter, @vangarden).
Ming Dynasty scholars were the elite of their time and highly educated officials in the Imperial Chinese government. Secluded behind high white halls, their living spaces were shared with their extended family and friends.
The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden is the first of its kind built outside of China. Fifty-three master craftsmen came from China with 950 crates of material and constructed the Garden using traditional methods – no glue, screws or power tools were used! The result is this enchanting space imbued with the perfect balance of yin and yang.
The Garden has two areas, one that is free and one that is paid (complete with guided tours and tea). Admission per person is $14 and if you become a member ($25) you can have up to 2 complimentary passes. I chose to become a member as I know my Mom would love to come visit so I’m planning to bring her along.
I plan to attend one of their Friday evening concert series (for the summer, hours of operation are 9:30am to 7:00pm). Located at 578 Carrall Street in Chinatown, I would strongly recommend this beautiful museum/garden. I had a wonderful time visiting (and yes, it is incredibly peaceful).
My good friend Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) recently visited too, and here is a link to her post about her experience. I would strongly recommend people to come visit, as it is totally worth it!
I had written about the economic geography of the lower West End, the few blocks contained within the bounds of Robson Street, Denman Street, I’d say Nelson Street and Bute Street. It seems to me as though that’s the area where you can find little cute shops within the residential area. One of those is Cardero Bottega. I had wanted to go there for lunch for a while now.
After we recently visited Roedde House Museum, JT and I stopped at Cardero Bottega for lunch. I ordered a LaFayette sandwich (with garlic roast beef, balsamic onions, havarti and creole mustard – of course I had the havarti cheese removed), for $7.50. Not really expensive. Had I wanted a hot corned beef sandwich ($8.75) as my friend did, I would have gotten a fairly big sandwich.
I liked the sandwiches and the style of Cardero Bottega, but if I had no geographical restrictions, I probably would go to La Grotta Formaggio on Commercial Drive, as that’s more my style. But Cardero Bottega is not bad at all. With the look and feel of a New York-style deli, the sandwiches are delicious and not expensive, and they are a welcome alternative to restaurant dining. You can have lunch outside if the weather is nice.
I am the kind of guy who enjoys being a tourist in his own city. I’m also a seeker of all things non-conventional. So I always swooned when I walked by Roedde House Museum and had never given myself the opportunity to enter. Despite the fact that I’ve lived in Vancouver for more than a decade, and that many of my close friends live in the West End, I never stopped by Roedde House Museum. Until last week. My good friend JT and I decided to take one full day off work and explore our city (unfortunately, it was raining). The first thing I wanted to do was to visit the museums we had never seen (despite our efforts to go and visit places that are unique).
We had never tried the Roedde House Museum). So off we went. I was particularly taken by the fact that Roedde House Museum is located in a street with a row of very pretty antique houses (on Barclay Street, the Barclay Heritage Square in the West End).
What is Roedde House Museum, in their own words (from the brochure)
This handsome Queen Anne Revival home in Vancouver’s West End, was built in 1893 for Gustav and Matilda Roedde, German pioneer immigrants. Gustav Roedde established Vancouver’s first book-binding and printing company, which became a flourishing business.
Built at a time when city boundaries moved westward towards Stanley Park and English Bay, the Roedde home was considered ‘modest’ compared to some West End mansions but it accommodated a large family, as well as Mr. Roedde’s beloved St. Bernard dogs, until 1925
Entering into the Roedde House Museum, you feel transported back to the 1893 era. The house has been very nicely restored by the Roedde House Preservation Society. JT and I were given a tour (and on Sundays you can do afternoon tea and cookies, along with the tour). Located at 1415 Barclay Street, Roedde House Museum is central to the Barclay Heritage Square, which contains eight other houses dating from 1890 to 1908, as well as a lovely Victorian-style gazebo (and gardens). I’ve had dessert and tea in those gardens a couple of times this year.
My third giveaway is for the wonderful “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” musical, staged superbly by The Arts Club, paired with dinner at Sanafir (another great restaurant of the Glowbal Group). I figured this would be a great pairing, and for this, tickets for the musical show will be for the Friday June 25th at 8pm, and you can grab dinner before at Sanafir (the gift certificate is for $50 towards your dinner bill). These three giveaways are intended to celebrate your Dad (or if you are married and you want to celebrate the father of your children, you can enter too!
As in the previous giveaways, all you have to do is to drop a comment on this blog post detailing a nice memory of your time with your own Dad, or if you want to use this giveaway to celebrate the father of your children, you can comment on your partner’s relationship with your children. Your choice! You have until Sunday June 20th, at 12pm. I will draw a random winner and will notify by email. Good luck everyone!
The second of my celebratory giveaways for Father’s Day is a pair of tickets for the wonderful musical (which I already witnessed and enjoyed) “GodSpell” at Pacific Theatre, paired with a gift certificate towards dinner at one of the restaurants I enjoy the most, SOCIETY (one of the Glowbal Group chain of restaurants, where I had lunch recently with one of my very best friends, AF).
Since Pacific Theatre doesn’t do a show on the actual day for Father’s Day, you can treat your Dad AFTER Father’s Day, on Tuesday June 22nd, at 8pm to a showing of GodSpell (winner gets a pair of tickets), and enjoy dinner previously at SOCIETY (the gift certificate is for $50 towards your dinner bill, excluding taxes and tip).
To enter the contest, please write a comment on this entry, indicating what was the most memorable experience you had with your Dad (for example, when you were a child or even in recent years). I will draw a random winner from all entries on Sunday at 12:00noon (Father’s Day). I may even ask my Dad to draw the winner by phone!
My Dad lives in Mexico, and really doesn’t like to travel. So it’s been a long while since I last saw him. I will not have the opportunity to enjoy Father’s Day with him nor to celebrate him. But thanks to the wonderful people who partner with me, a lucky reader of mine will have a chance to treat his or her Dad to dinner and a show. I will be doing three giveaways, one for the Father’s Day itself (this one) and two more for the week after Father’s Day (for a late celebration).
This time, the generous folks of Bard on the Beach have partnered with me, as have the amazing people of Refuel Restaurant, to give a lucky winner and his/her Dad the chance for a wonderful evening of food and theatre.
To enter, write a comment on this blog entry detailing one of the best memories you have of times with your Dad. I will draw a random winner on Saturday morning at 10 am, so that it will give me enough time to set up the tickets with Bard on the Beach.
The reserved seating tickets and gift certificate dinner will be ready for Sunday evening (“Much Ado About Nothing” 8:00pm show). The value of the dinner gift certificate is $85 with an approximate total value of the prize package of $125.
Having spent so much time in Paris, it’s no surprise that I am a fan of French cuisine. I have previously written about a few of the French restaurants I’ve tried in Vancouver (including Jules Bistro in Gastown and Bistrot Bistro in Kitsilano). Despite having lived a little less than 3 minutes away from Les Faux Burgeois in the Mount Pleasant area (more properly, Dickens), I had never set foot there. Until this week.
My recommendation first of all is to arrive early. We arrived at 5:45pm and the place was full for reservations (empty at the time, but all reservations showed up within 10 minutes). I am not kidding. We sat at the bar, where we were very promptly served. I started with their version of the Niçoise salad, the Fausse Niçoise classic with seared albacore tuna ($11).
A vegan perhaps couldn’t make it, but they do have a few vegetarian dishes. After dinner, when asked whether Les Faux Burgeois had lived to all the hypes I had given it, I realized – I love the place, amazing food, good prices, relaxed atmosphere and very prompt and courteous service. But I didn’t like the music. It didn’t feel French at all. Maybe that’s why it’s Faux Burgeois instead of real ones?
There’s blood in these veins and I cry when in pain
I’m only human on the inside and though looks may decieve
Make it hard to believe I’m only human on the inside
On the inside
I have always had a superhero complex. While for many people who read my blog or my Twitter stream what I’m about to say may sound pretentious, and some folks dislike my self-assuredness, I have no problem admitting I’m multi-talented. I was raised in a nurturing, loving home where my parents were themselves overachievers. I was taught by my parents to find my qualities before I found my failures. My brothers are amazing individuals. And I work really, really hard at being great. I work hard at making my world better, one student, one project, one act of kindness at a time.
Since I was probably 5 years old, I always saw myself as an agent of change. As someone who would be capable of saving the world (a lofty goal, but an impossible one for just one individual). And I am fiercely protective. It’s in my nature to take care of people, and to help them out. It’s in my blood.
Yesterday, I crammed too much into a day that, in itself, was already going to be challenging. I had meetings at UBC to talk about implementing technology in my teaching, meetings downtown, and I was going to teach a workshop on social media strategy. On top of that, Mental Health Camp stuff needed to be done and I was trying to answer all sorts of emails that were being fired at me left, right and center. And on top of that, I had client work.
This past weekend I worked really hard to try and get most of my stuff done because I knew my Mom was coming in a few days (something that has me a bit stressed too). And I just snapped this morning. I tweeted “I have officially ran out of gas“. I have a backlog of about 26 blog entries I was planning to write. I have contests I haven’t even begun to promote. I have SO MUCH WORK.
But at the same time, I need to realize that I’m only human, even if in the outside people can’t tell, I’m definitely human on the inside.
Whenever I am too busy to do anything else, I do a BlogThings so that I can have content on my blog. I’m exhausted, have had a really long day and I will be teaching a social media strategy seminar today. So, in the interest of keeping my sanity, I decided to do a BlogThings Quiz, which I did not anticipate would yield these results. But they are true, indeed.
You Are Successful
For as long as you can remember, you’ve always been reliable and responsible.
You take pride in doing the right thing, and you’re especially proud of how you treat other people.
Because of who you are, you’ve found it pretty easy to rise to the top in life.
If 90% of success is showing up, then you’ve got it made. You show up and do your best!
My good friend J. Karen Parker has volunteered for Car-Free Day Vancouver for a couple of years now and I have written about it every time since. This year, volunteers have taken it upon themselves to promote each one of the regions, and I’m obviously promoting my own (I live near 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.
Sunday June 20th is a tricky day because my Mom arrives on the 23rd, so I know for a fact I’m going to be insanely busy. But I’ll try to at least check it out for a bit. Hope you will join in the fun too! If you live on the Main Street area, please remember that Main Street will be closed from 12th Avenue all the way up to 33rd.
I’m always amazed at how much music can make me feel happy and bring me out of a rut. This afternoon, I was feeling a bit down (which, as I noted on Twitter, was a bit ironic considering that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my life as it stands right now and I have every reason to be happy). So I decided to crank out the loud music.
I heard this song, “Couldn’t Stand The Weather” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, this past Friday while having lunch with my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt (she Shazam’d the song for me, for which I’m grateful because I don’t have a data plan and thus couldn’t have tagged the song – and side note, I love Shazam. Both the iPhone music-recognizing song and the econometrics software, both named Shazam). I found a better video on Blip.fm but couldn’t find the YouTube equivalent. Hope this song has the same effect on you as it did on me – it put me in SUCH a great mood!
Last Friday, Rebecca, her Mom and I went for lunch to Milestones on Robson Street. While we chatted, we reminisced about how badly I needed a new camera (this was a conversation Rebecca and I had in 2008!). Because of my budget constraints, I hadn’t really made an effort to get myself a new camera, until John Biehler recommended the Canon PowerShot SD1200 which was a total steal deal at Staples ($98 before tax, no SIM card included). This price was much more within my budget range, so I got the last one that Staples had. I went to Italian Day on Commercial Drive and took a few photos. From my initial view, the purchase was absolutely necessary. This Canon PowerShot SD100 seems like a very good camera (for a point-and-shoot).
I’m heading to the gym as soon as this post is published, and while I feel really annoyed at the fact that I have had to move most of my day forward and around (and even pushing some work to tomorrow, Saturday), I feel really strongly about maintaining my exercise regime. I have noticed that, whenever I don’t exercise in the morning, my body is weaker and I want to sleep more, but not to replenish my body. This sleep feels – how do I say it? – unhealthy. I used to be a night owl, and since coming back full time to university-level teaching last year, I switched back to mornings.
The “switch back to mornings” has worked really well, but due to the massive amount of work I need to get done before my Mom arrives in Vancouver (on June 23rd, for a whole month), I have been really stressed and (contrary to what I expected), I have been waking up a bit later (around 6:45am, when normally I’d be up by 5:00am). Also, I’ve been attending a lot of media events, so that’s also contributed to my exhaustion.
What I do when this happens (unless I am teaching early in the morning) is – I just adjust my schedule to my biological clock. So for example, if today I exercise from 9-10am (and Friday is one of my flexible-teaching-days), I will not have a full-on breakfast and just have a snack, and then eat lunch at 12:00, then continue with my work and take a deserved break at 4:30pm for a few drinks.
If your schedule is flexible, I’d suggest that you adjust it to your biological clock. I know that I am needing more sleep this week, and instead of being groggy and forcing myself out of bed and go to the gym at 6:00am, I am letting my body relax and just work through this period of increased sleep in the mornings. Which, as I said is kind of surprising. The sun is rising at 5:00am and setting at 9:00pm!
I have a lot of very good friends from the Vancouver Filipino community and I’m always happy to share news that will celebrate their heritage. My good friend Jay Catalan (cofounder of The Network Hub) alerted me to some events that are going on this weekend to celebrate Filipino Independence Day – and I wanted to repost here. I’m linking to the events’ URLs for your information
Philippine Independence Day Vancouver – Sunday, June 13, 2010
The Philippine Independence Day in Vancouver is the biggest gathering of Filipinos in lower mainland Vancouver. Join us as we celebrate the 112th Philippine Independence Day on Sunday, June 13, 2010 from 9:00am – 6:00pm at the Waterfront Park, North Vancouver, British Columbia (200-Block West Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC V7M3K7)
With an estimated attendance of over 5,000 Filipino families, friends and other cultural minorities all gathered in one park, 45 stalls/booths of general merchandise and souvenir items, an array of international cuisine and Filipino delicacies,”dancing at the park”, multicultural and bombastic shows and stage presentations, fantastic raffle prizes, giveaways and games, a safe play area, balloons and favors for children, and amazing surprises – this is expected to be the best and the biggest event of the year for the Filipino Community in Vancouver!
A few months ago, I offered a three-hour-long seminar on social media strategy as a prize for Twestival Vancouver 2010. My very good friend Rebecca Bollwitt organized Twestival and I wanted to support her fundraising efforts. I am about to give this workshop (this coming Tuesday) but the most recent workshops I’ve given have been focused on social media strategies for academics, education and non-profits. I am curious to hear from people – if you were to take a workshop I taught, what kind of questions would you want answered? I want to make this prize for the successful bidders at Vancouver Twestival 2010 as good and solid a workshop as they possibly could so the best feedback I could get is questions from those people who are curious. Please offer as many questions as you possibly can. Thanks!
When I told my friends Minna and Jay (The Network Hub) that I had never been to Phnom Penh they looked at me as though they had seen a ghost. “How is it possible that you are a foodie and you’ve never been to Phnom Penh?”, they both asked me. I had to smile sheepishly. A few days ago, our common friend Ganesh (another entrepreneur at The Network Hub), Minna, Jay and I dined at Phnom Penh.
I am glad we did, because I had a chance to see for myself what the fuss was all about. Let me tell you one thing – it’s a pretty packed place. I ordered egg noodles with chicken and beef, which were good and filling. I think I’m so used to spicy food that I didn’t go completely crazy on the noodles, but they were really tasty. AND the chicken wings. The chicken wings at Phnom Penh are famous, and they have good reason.
Overall, it was a lot of fun to have dinner with Ganesh, Jay and Minna, and to try a new place. I’ll have to come back another time, but at least I have had the chance to know what Phnom Penh is like. I have crossed one of the items in my to-do-list!
It’s amazing to think that my good friend Tanya Desrosiers (aka NetChick) has been blogging for more than a decade. But when you reflect on the fact that I have been blogging for more than four years, it’s not so shocking anymore. I recently had the privilege to liveblog Tanya’s wedding (something that I had promised I would do since a long time ago). It was great to be part of such an important milestone in her and Barry’s life, and while I am a bit saddened that they now live in Calgary, I now have more incentives to come visit. Tanya, today and every day I hope you know how much you mean in my life and how grateful I am that you are part of it.
My blog started off primarily as an outlet for a different kind of writing. It has given me an amazing number and variety of opportunities I don’t think I would have had as a pure academic. Even with my own research, I think blogging has helped me as it gave me the possibility to meet a number of amazing folks in various spheres, and more recently, those who work in the education and technology space.
But there’s a gazillion other papers I need to be writing. And let me tell you, the writing I do here is not equivalent to the writing I do there. It’s all writing, and yes, it’s like a muscle you exercise, but it does not give me the space to write about other stuff. It’s a different, more academic, more technical style of writing.
I want to use this summer to advance my academic research and writing, and that means that I will be blogging less. I know, I always say this and end up cranking out 3-7 posts a day. But it’s true. I need to make sure to have enough time to write academic papers, journal articles, and take my 3 books to publication successfully. And the only way I can do that is by focusing.
I will, of course, honor my writing commitments. I will, of course, cover some restaurants, theatre, dance, etc. I will do some blogging, undoubtedly. But I need to give myself this opportunity to just relax and not be worried about cranking out content. Because my academic success is important to ME. And I would think, by extension, it’s important to YOU.
When I first began writing my personal blog (on Blogger, no less!) my objective was never to be “a popular blogger“. Despite the fact that I do love blogging, I enjoy using social media platforms and I really cherish socializing with my fellow bloggers and social media folks, I never intended to be seen as “a star”. Admittedly, I am comfortable in the spotlight (yet I don’t actually seek it).
There is one, and only one reason that keeps me going as the Organizer of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup (my second official anniversary is today, even though I started in April 2008, as a heir to my dear friend Isabella Mori‘s blogging throne): I love building and fostering communities.
I don’t have as much time as I used to, so I am grateful to my Assistant Organizers Shane Birley and Jonathon Narvey who have stepped in to help earlier this past year. Overall, it’s been a good ride. I’ve met a lot of great people and strengthened many of my own friendships. Here is to a wonderful group, the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup.
