I became interested in Tokyo Police Club, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Kraak and Smaak due to the influence of two important people in my life. First, my ex, who was absolutely obsessed with K&D. Second, my good friend LMcT who was totally into deep house. But she somehow managed to like Kraak and Smaak. And I love them too. So here is “Keep on Searching” by Kraak and Smaak. The kind of chill, semi-danceable track that I would totally enjoy (and would hope so would you).
I have begun to make it my goal to try and at least eat twice at the same restaurant before I review it. Often, this isn’t the case (primarily because it’s not like I have a tonne of money to spend). And because of that latter element (e.g. my budgeted life) I try to eat where I don’t have to break the bank. I had already had raspberry pie from Acme Cafe the other day when I swung by with Minna. But this week I decided to make a return trip with my friend Chris Walts (we hadn’t had any time together in a long while so we went restaurant-and-bar hopping). I wanted to try the actual dinner experience at Acme Cafe, and I found it a very pleasant experience.
I ordered a pop ($2.50) and a meat loaf ($11.50) which was a great choice. The portions were big, the flavors were really nice and although I wasn’t convinced by the potatoes, I think next time I will order mashed potatoes. But the meat loaf itself was really good. When I had breakfast there with Minna, we loved the home-made pie, . Impossible to finish with that amount of carbs but absolutely delicious.
Acme Cafe does provide home-made goodness at non-breaking-the-bank prices.
World Oceans Day is just a few days after World Environment Day. Given the recent oil spill catastrophe, ocean protection is now more important than ever, I believe. The 2010 theme is ”
As a result of a United Nations General Assembly resolution passed in December 2008, World Oceans Day is now officially recognized by the UN as June 8th each year. From the Ocean Project website:
The concept for a “World Ocean Day” was first proposed in 1992 by the Government of Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and it had been unofficially celebrated every year since then. Since 2002, The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network have helped to promote and coordinate World Oceans Day events worldwide. We help coordinate events and activities with aquariums, zoos, museums, conservation organizations, universities, schools, and businesses. Each year an increasing number of countries and organizations have been marking June 8th as an opportunity to celebrate our world ocean and our personal connection to the sea.
On World Oceans Day, please take a moment to reflect and think of ways in which you could help protect marine life and the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Now more than ever, it’s crucial.
I am not usually one to suggest rules in the social media world. I firmly believe that rules online evolve from crowdsourcing. I also don’t brag to be a social media star, much to the contrary, I mock myself. Every time somebody tells me “oh but you have so many thousands of followers!” the first thing I answer back is “just to keep things in perspective, about 10,000 people have unfollowed me, so…”
But there’s one thing that makes me a bit queasy – when people ask me for a re-tweet. And also, when I have found myself asking for a retweet. I am not beyond having asked, on occasion, to have my tweets retweeted. Mostly, I will plead guilty to have asked a RT for Mental Health Camp, and other initiatives similar that I’ve participated in.
I recently tweeted a link to the journal Theory, Society and Culture. Their most recent volume is freely accessible (usually, it’s a paid journal), and it’s on a topic that I find important – climate change. So, I wrote at the end of my tweet “RTAYSF”, which means “Re-Tweet As You See Fit”. I feel that by adding that acronym at the end, I give people the choice – if you think it’s worth retweeting, please by all means do so.
What do you all think? Or should I just assume that, if people deem stuff worthy, they’ll retweet directly without me suggesting it?
Gorilla Food is located exactly 45 steps away from my office at The Network Hub. I’ve had a desk there for over 2 years. You would think I would have visited Gorilla Food MUCH earlier than I did. Well, no, I hadn’t. Worse off? I am a specialist in environmental affairs. I, of anyone, should be aware of where I can find raw, vegan, low-carbon-and-ecological footprint food. And I was fully aware, but hadn’t tried it yet.
So, when my good friend Chris Walts and I finally had a chance to try it, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had heard great things. I ordered a GO Veggie Burger (a stack of two veggie burger patties thickly topped with guacamole, fresh tomato slices, cucumber slices, shredded seasonal veggies and a ginger-tomato ketchup, served in a lettuce leaf bun). I forgot that it didn’t have an actual bun!
As far as flavors go, I really loved the burger. But come to think about it, next time I’ll order what Chris ordered – a Falafel Wrap ($7.50), which is made of romaine lettuce wrap filled with spicy seed and veggie falafel balls on a bed of zucchini hummus and topped with a seasoned tahini sauce and grainless tabouli. Overall, I really liked the food at Gorilla, and I would totally will come back at some point.
There will be those who will argue that Vancouver is beautiful ANY day, but frankly, I prefer Vancouver when it’s sunny. Call me “fair weather Vancouverite” but it’s true. Also, I will fully admit that when the weather is cloudy or bleak, I feel really down (I think I have some degree of SAD). But when it’s sunny and warm and beautiful, there’s no city that compares.
For maybe-not-so-obvious reasons, I am a lover of all things Spanish cuisine (not to be confused with Latin American cuisine, which seems to be pretty much an overarching term for foods from the Spanish-speaking countries in the southern hemisphere, and a term that might be better suited). I love chorizo, olives, capers, ham and all those strong flavors typical of Madrid’s cuisine (I was raised to love them).
My good friend Jay Catalan (The Network Hub) had told me about Judas Goat Taberna but I had never been and after a long day of meetings, I was exhausted and the only people left at the office were Paul, Yi and Minna. So we decided to go for dinner to Judas Goat Taberna. It was a really, really good decision. I am often drained after too much work or socializing, but if I’m with energetic people, I get a second wind. I am not a fan of walking by Blood Alley, but being it the case that I’ve already visited Salt Tasting Room (and loved it) I decided it was ok to go back to this part of Gastown, one that is not precisely my absolute favorite.
The first thing I noticed about Judas Goat Taberna is that it is really, really tiny. Which led to me doing my usual hummingbird-y “turn around and chat with the folks to your right/left”. We met the owners of Hix Island House, an eco-hotel in Puerto Rico, and the sister of one of the owners (who is a realtor in Toronto). Lovely fellows. I ordered brisket meatballs with spiced tomato sauce (the order includes 4, $ 8.00) and a glass of Jerez Lustau ‘Los Arcos’ Amontillado ($ 5.00). That was more than enough food for me (but I had already eaten dinner around 4pm and we were at Judas Goat Taberna at 8pm). My friends had a couple of appetizers too.
I also had a chance to sample Minna’s salad (crisp prosciutto with squash, arugula & Manchego cheese, $8.00 – which as you can imagine, I didn’t have any of as I hate cheese). It was a good (and welcome) departure from the meatballs’ richness. From my impression of the restaurant, it’s a tapas bar. I would figure a few of appetizers to share and a couple of drinks would be a great way to spend an evening having dinner here with friends. My evening was stellar, not only because I got to hang out with Paul, Yi and Minna, but because of the delightful trio of folks we sat down with. The service is really good, and the food is excellent.
Even before becoming an East Vancouver boy, I’ve always been in love with Commercial Drive. Its multiculturalism, diversity of restaurants, and overall cool atmosphere has captivated me ever since I moved to Vancouver. I have sampled the food of numerous restaurants, had drinks at many bars/pubs on “the Drive” and written about it for years now. This area has a very distinctive Italian flavor, as after World War II, a sizable number of Italian immigrants settled in the northern part of Commercial Drive (which is also known as “Little Italy”). I speak Italian, and I often hear Italian spoken at numerous establishments on Commercial. I have a number of spots on the Drive that I absolutely adore, including La Grotta del Formaggio and of course, Cafe Deux Soleils.
Bandidas is a new favorite, and I’ve always eaten Ethiopian food at Cafe Addis and Harambe. And of course, there’s Car Free Festival, The Parade of Lost Souls and the Dyke March. All of these events have enriched my life are part of the calendar of events that happen on Commercial Drive.
And on Sunday June 6th, from 12pm to 8pm, from the Grandview Cut to Venables, on Commercial Drive, we’ll have Italian Day. From their website:
The Commercial Drive Business Society, in partnership with the Italian Cultural Centre is excited to welcome people of all ages to celebrate the long-anticipated return of Italian Day. This beloved festival, is remembered by many as the best ethnic celebration in the City!
Location and Access
Locations include Commercial Drive from Venables Street to the Grandview Cut, as well as the surrounding side streets and parks. In the spirit of Italian culture, get ready to “mangia, mangia, mangia” and play with passion on the Drive! There is free parking in the area and the Commercial Drive SkyTrain station is just one block from Grandview — the southern end of the festival street closure. We will also have additional parking available for the event and free shuttle service.
Festival Attractions
The event will include the very best in Italian food, sports and activities, cultural exhibits, musical performances and a variety of interactive entertainment. From pizza tossing to grape crushing, bocce ball to soccer ball, and art exhibits to auto displays, the Italian Day festival promises to be a fun-filled day for everyone to enjoy. The streets will be lined with activities and entertainment, and stages will engage the audience with performances for the love of all things Italian!
The Italian Day festival will creatively transform Little Italy into Big Italy! The Northern and Southern end of Commercial Drive, and all points in between, will correspond to places in Italy. Event signage and activity will reflect different Italian regions and cities.
I will try to check out Italian Day at least for a little bit. Hope you will too!
This past week, I was invited to the launch in Vancouver of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy – in their words, “a rich and decadent light ice cream with all the taste of regular ice cream with only half the fat of regular ice cream”. I will fully admit that I do consume Breyers Ice Cream. But I will also plead guilty to not wanting to eat ice cream often because I have been working out so hard it’s kind of annoying to be losing weight only to gain it again thanks to ice cream consumption. So when the folks from Breyers invited me to the event, I figured I wanted to see if the ice cream tasted the same as the Breyers I’ve previously consumed.
The event was hosted by Ali de Bold, the co-founder of ChickAdvisor (here is her blog post recapping the evening). Of course, I bumped into other foodie bloggers at the event, but it was clear that the estrogen was high, as I was pretty much the only male at the event (other than the two bartenders, of course). Uh, we men also eat ice cream! The event paired up a couple of cocktails (martinis) with the ice cream, but I was a bit surprised because the martinis were too citrus-y and thus, in my opinion, not pairing well with the flavors we were given for ice cream.
The event took place at George Lounge (1137 Hamilton Street, Vancouver), a lounge I hadn’t visited despite the fact that I’ve been attending events and eating out in Yaletown a lot in the past few months. Overall, I would say I really enjoy the Strawberries & Cream the best, with the Dulce de Leche a second. I didn’t have a chance to try the Mocha Fudge Brownie nor the Creamy Chocolate
It was a fun event, all in all. Even though I may not be perceived as the target audience, I’m pretty glad that Harbinger invited me to the Breyers launch, particularly because I *am* addicted to ice cream. It’s my “go-to” junk food when I need a “pick me up”. And I think they picked a good location in hosting the event at George Lounge.
I have dedicated the past 15 years of my life, in one way or another, to improve the environment I live in. To study, research, analyze data and synthesize models that help explain human behaviour towards its habitat. My research has focused in problems that I think receive less attention than more high-exposure ones, such as wastewater management, industrial and urban restructuring, hazardous and solid waste management and transnational environmental social movements.
June 5th marks World Environment Day, and the theme for the year 2010 is Biodiversity. While I have spent years of my life analyzing environmental policies in Canada, the US, Mexico and the European Union, I have focused very, very little on the topic of biodiversity.
Except, this year I taught Global Environmental Politics, and one of the main international environmental regimes I explored along with my students was the biodiversity regime (and the Cartagena Convention on Biological Diversity). Protecting species from extinction is only one of the multifaceted elements of a biodiversity protection regime.
On this day, World Environment Day, and in the face of the recent BP oil spill (which will surely threaten a number of species of marine life and avians) I urge you to think beyond climate change as an urgent environmental problem. To think about ways in which you can reduce your impact on the environment (by recycling, reducing your water consumption, shifting to food groups that have less of an ecological footprint).
More importantly, I urge you to do something EVERY day to better your own environment.
Because we shouldn’t think about the environment only on World Environment Day, but every day.
Make small changes that will yield large societal changes.
And as I’ve read in many places (I sometimes forget who the quote is by, but I seem to think it’s by Gandhi) – be the change you want to see in the world
My good friend Minna (The Network Hub) mentioned she was attending a BBQ today, and I wondered what party she was referring to. I just learned recently that it’s one organized by the wonderful Wink Beauty Lounge & Boutique girls.
Wink is located at 67 East Cordova Street in the Koret Lofts, at the street level (between Carrall St. & Columbia St.) You should totally check it out.
Admission is free, and the Build-A-Burger is by donation, where proceeds benefit the Street Beat Sandwich Ministries, which hands out thousands of sandwiches to the homeless twice a month.
The Mad Hatter Garden BBQ is a celebration of the 2 years of Wink Beauty Lounge & Boutique, and will take place from 3-7pm. You can bring your hat to the BBQ, there’ll be complimentary faux lashes/nails, a chance to win a WinkBeauty basket, and it sounds like it’ll be fun!
You can RSVP by calling 604-696-9465. Alternatively, I’m pretty sure you can just drop by. It sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun (even if I don’t actually need faux lashes!)
Whenever I am invited to restaurant openings, I am almost always betting I’m going to bump into a bunch of my food blogger friends. It is a nice departure from other social media events I attend and one that I really enjoy. As the organizer of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup, I feel kind of responsible to know just about every blogger in Vancouver, even if they don’t know each other prior.
Given that my blog has a very strong food review component, although it’s not its main focus, I always feel privileged when I get to be as a guest to these types of events. Plus, I get to eat really good food AND write about it. I was invited this week to take part in the grand opening of Prestons Restaurant at Coast Coal Harbour Hotel. I had walked by the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel earlier this year.
Joined by popular foodie bloggers Minju (FollowMeFoodie), Sherman (Sherman’s Food Adventures), Victor (Ho Yummy) and Jason Sanders as my Plus One, I had an opportunity to explore the various types of dishes that Prestons offers. While for some people restaurants at hotels may just be seen as the places where travellers eat while on business trips (at least, that was MY view when I was doing a lot more work-related travel), I have had a chance to sample a few of the restaurants hosted at hotels in Vancouver, and I have no complaints. But in the case of Prestons, I would go beyond “no complaints”.
Prestons is the kind of restaurant where I would bring a friend for dinner. We were offered a sampler of their menu (all of it, not only the Mixers, but we went through the main courses and a beautiful sampler of dessert sushi – yeah, dessert sushi! I had never eaten it, though I had seen it in photos). When we arrived, I made a point of chatting with Chef Alessandro Vianello to find out more about their menu.
I loved the seared diver scallop & sweet prawn gyozas, presented in cute bamboo baskets. I also sampled a small bowl of traditional Pad Thai with chicken, prawns & tofu. Bear in mind I do not usually eat Thai food, so for me, it was great. I found the slider burger very tasty but the bun was a little too big. The flavors were fantastic, though. And the martinis. Prestons’ martinis are incredible.
Keeping in line with what I have done at other restaurants in my recent reviews and/or coverage of new restaurant openings, I looked at the price lists, and I found main courses priced between $13-$26, in the general range of what I have seen in restaurants in downtown Vancouver (and I would say not badly priced for a Coal Harbour-based restaurant).
The food was very good, I found the ambiance of Prestons very nice, and the service was really superb. And the dessert sushi was nice too (although I wasn’t totally sold on the fruit ‘nigiri’). Prestons is located at 1177 West Pender Street in Coal Harbour, Vancouver, BC. You can make reservations by calling 604-673-2173.
Disclosure: My and my Plus One’s samplers and drinks at Prestons were complimentary. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this media dinner was to introduce several foodie bloggers (myself included) to Prestons. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
When I spoke at WordCamp Victoria 2010 a few weeks ago I stayed at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. I had heard a lot about the afternoon tea, and Lorraine mentioned that there was a lovely bar at the Empress that we should totally try: The Veranda. The weather wasn’t cooperating so we ended up staying indoors (Lorraine can get away with A LOT… she requested that the bar opened the indoor portion even though they were closed, because she had been sick lately and didn’t want to risk being in cold weather in the Veranda’s patio). We had Katharine Holmes join us as well. We all ordered different versions of martinis, with me ordering a couple of Manhattan’s ($12).
I will fully admit that I loved The Veranda, for many reasons – the decor is so 1950s, the drinks were amazing (thank you Lorraine for buying us drinks that night!) and the service was absolutely, completely impeccable. I will definitely come back with my Mom this summer (probably at the end of the month).
I have attended pretty much every Launch Party Vancouver, and I’ve written reviews or posted after-the-fact commentary almost on every single one since LPV3. In fact, Launch Party 5 was one day before my birthday (in 2008), so I got to hang out with a number of my friends from the online world and celebrate one day early. Wow, how time flies.
We are now in June of 2010 and the 9th edition of Launch Party Vancouver is upon us. LPV9 will take place on June 17th at the Roundhouse Community + Arts Recreation Centre from 6:00pm till late. What is Launch Party Vancouver, you ask? Well, I’ll share some of the details I read on the Eventbrite invite (early bird tickets end today, Friday, so grab your soon!). Tickets are $20 and include a drink and some appetizers.
Launch Party Vancouver is a lively mixer for the city’s brightest entrepreneurs, tech junkies, and bloggers, who are doing it, have done it or want to make their ideas happen here. The goal of the event is to connect BC’s growing community of Internet and new media leaders with investors and other trailblazers across Canada and abroad
I read that TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington will be at LPV9 and from what I understand, he’ll be a guest judge for the LPV9 Startup Competition. Along the same lines, Bootup Entrepreneurial Society will play host at this same event to the first C100 Launch Party in Vancouver. I look forward to seeing many of you there too!
If privacy is outlawed, only outlaws will have privacy.
~ Philip Zimmermann
I never wanted to be on Facebook, in the first place. There, I said it.
I caved and joined Facebook on February 2nd, 2009. For the most part, I joined because (a) my nieces are on Facebook and I like having the opportunity to communicate with them in this social platform (b) a vast majority of my friends, academic colleagues and social media friends are on Facebook, and (c) now a lot of my family members are on the platform. It was kind of a no-brainer.
I resisted joining Facebook for years, as you can tell from all the posts I’ve written about Facebook. When I started becoming more involved in social media, I thought to myself “how much longer will I be able to hold off of Facebook AND still maintain a certain degree of respectability as someone knowledgeable in the field of social media”. I don’t feel comfortably preaching about the sociability and fit of platforms without actually testing them.
Was Quit Facebook Day a success or a failure?
Facebook has progressively eroded the privacy of users, and quite unsurprisingly, there has been a backlash. We all like our privacy, don’t we? At least, I do. But I didn’t quit Facebook. I recently read two very good posts from Tris Hussey and Rob Cottingham assessing the outcome of Quit Facebook Day (May 31st). A good friend of mine indeed, quit Facebook (and even before QFD was announced). I think my friend made the right choice.
On May 31st, reportedly about 30,000 people did quit Facebook (or so pledged). The QFD campaign not only raised awareness of the inappropriate way in which Facebook was handling privacy settings, but more than that, I posit the hypothesis that it pressured Zuckerberg and his team rethink how they were handling this issue. Zuckerberg has been, as most of you can tell, grilled and attacked left, right and center for his mis-management of people’s information, and for his position on privacy (i.e. that everything should be public).
Orwell, surveillance and who controls your information
We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government.
~ William Orville Douglas
Many people worry about government surveillance, and how bureaucracies control citizen’s information. But Facebook is not a government agency, and it is not a regulated space either. It’s a free online social networking platform. One of the key issues here, being the word “free“. In the case of government agencies, citizens can pressure them and hold them accountable with their votes. In the case of corporations, citizens can hold them accountable with their money (making responsible choices and eschewing businesses that don’t respect their rights). But in the case of a free online platform, how can we make them accountable if we don’t pay for it. It becomes a sticky issue. You get what you pay for (or in this case, what you DON’T pay for). And the sad case with Facebook, is that it seems that, despite touting itself as a private social network, it seems as though it would be moving towards a business model where our privacy is protected by paying for it (EDIT – just discovered this great post by Shel Israel asking Zuckerberg to step down from Facebook CEO position, where Shel makes the point that customers/users should be first, regardless of whether you pay or not).
Facebook’s new privacy settings and the future of our information online
One of the biggest problems that I have with Facebook is that, from the start, it promoted itself as a private network where people would only have access to your information if they were your friends. By loosening privacy settings and allowing third parties to access people’s information, Facebook effectively stripped the users from the right to choose what information they share with the world. If Facebook touted itself as a non-private network in the free version and a private network in the premium version, I would not have a problem with that. Because then, those who choose to join a free version would be fully aware of what rights to privacy they are giving away when using a free network.
The problem comes when you are told that your information is safe and private and then you discover it is not. More than anything, the backlash against Facebook, I believe, is the perceived breach of trust. This reminds me of something that my friend John Biehler told me about Facebook, while we were having a Twitter chat – it’s a free service, you should expect that your information is not going to be private.
Twitter allows you to control who can see your tweets (by giving you the choice to protect them). But once you tweet, nobody stops somebody else who follows you from retweeting something that you might not want the world, but only your friends and followers, to know. These online platforms aren’t very good at giving the user the choice as to how much information they want to share with the world. So when I tweet something, I make sure it’s something I can back up and own up to.
Own your presence online, under your own terms and responsibly
After careful deliberation, I decided that I will continue to use Facebook as a free social networking platform, but I have made substantial adjustments to my privacy settings. In fact, I know that some people may not feel very happy that I haven’t accepted them as Facebook friends. Sorry. The thing is, I am (much as people see me as a public figure) in fact, a very private person. I’m private with my personal life, and I’m fiercely protective of my friends’ privacy.
I put a lot of content out there on the web, but I own the information I post (be it videos, photos, comments or blog entries). And by “own”, I mean, I am fully aware of what I post and what I don’t. I own my online presence in my own terms. I made a choice to be public, others should have that same right too. Because I have a right to privacy, and so do you.
In closing, if there is one recommendation I can make when dealing with Facebook and every other online social platform or space is – think about what privacy means to you and adjust your online behaviour accordingly. Don’t post anything you don’t want the world to know, and be aware that being private doesn’t mean you can’t have content on the web. I really enjoy how Derek says in a recent post that “he seems to have the online privacy instincts of a 17 year old” (read his recent post on Facebook, which is also noteworthy along with Tris’ and Rob’s). From what a recent Pew report indicates, it would appear teenagers ARE indeed more concerned with privacy than some older people are.
I believe in privacy, I believe in choice, and in the right to choose what information we share with whom and to what extent their privacy is maintained. Don’t expect Facebook or any other online tool to give you that right, but also, don’t let Facebook nor any other online platform strip you of that right either.
Having had one of the world’s foremost authorities on climate change as a PhD advisor when I was doing my doctorate was a bit challenging at times, because a lot of people didn’t understand how could I be supervised by a climate expert and NOT be interested in climate policy at all. I now do a bit of climate work. This year I have started a project on climate change and water, and since 2006 I have incorporated climate-related examples in the classroom when I teach environmental politics.
I have no problem admitting that it irks me when people assume that climate change is THE one and only environmental problem that we have. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people start their conversations with me by mentioning Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth. And of course, I smile sweetly and roll my eyes. I am a pollution control specialist, not a climate one. I will fully admit that, up until I had to start teaching with examples from the climate negotiations, I had absolutely no interest whatsoever in climate policy. My focus was, and continues to be, finding ways to minimize the impact WE (humans) already have on the planet.
I have spent the better part of the last decade studying human behaviour and processes to minimize and curtail pollution in solid waste and in water. I am one of the very, very few social scientists who study wastewater governance, worldwide. Most of the focus on water is on QUANTITY not on QUALITY. And it does disappoint me when people forget that there are MANY other environmental problems worldwide beyond climate. This is one of the reasons why I have never been too fond of the excessive exposure that global warming and climate change have in the media.
While I am completely and utterly heartbroken by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (not only for the negative environmental consequences, but also because of the magnitude and extent of the damage), I am somewhat hopeful. Yes, this may sound contradictory, but I feel vindicated. The BP oil disaster has reminded the world that pollution is STILL one of the most important environmental problems we haven’t solved. We need to continue to work to reduce our impacts on the environment, and pollution is a big impact.
I mused on Twitter that the next time somebody tells me why I eschew climate policy in favor of water and pollution control policy, my answer will be just two words: “BP Spill”.
I am not a bad planner, in general. I live a very regimented life that includes exercise, academic work, social media appearances, speaking engagements, teaching, research and time with my friends. But every so often, I leave *something* behind that needs to be taken care of, and that will, eventually, be resolved (if and when I put the time).
My desk at The Network Hub is, for the most part, organized. But I didn’t spend enough time this term (because I was teaching 4 courses altogether, on top of my consulting and research) to keep the rest of my office in optimum conditions, including, certainly, my own library. I pushed myself beyond my physical limits because I didn’t really sleep until I cleaned up my office, organized the books, finished some consulting work, a paper I’m working on for a conference, and by the end of it, I was absolutely exhausted and drained. I really shouldn’t push my luck now that I have a much more regimented lifestyle.
I go to bed early and wake up early, so every time I do these all-nighters, “must-finish-this-project-I-am-so-close-I-can-even-feel-it” I end up absolutely non-functional. And THAT is the wrong thing to do.
As indicated previously, I went to see the wonderfully staged production of Godspell by Pacific Theatre, directed by Sarah Rodgers. It’s not your run-of-the-mill production of Godspell, though. And the cast is powerful enough to make you sing along (I went for their sing-along night, on June 1st). You may remember that a few weeks ago, I gave away tickets to Godspell!
Even after we left the theatre, both Jason and I were singing along to “Day by Day”, perhaps the catchiest of all the songs that this fantastic musical has in its repertoire. I’ll also fully (and proudly) disclose that, on Sing Along Night, we DID sing along! Here is a version of Day by Day (different cast, though!)
I was invited by my friends at Pacific Theatre to come along to the opening night of Godspell, a musical by Stephen Schwartz & John-Michael Tebelakand and staged by Pacific Theatre. You may recall that I gave away a pair of tickets for my readers a few weeks back. I couldn’t make it on opening night, but I jumped at the opportunity to do the Sing Along Night, a total experiment that they were running. Jason Sanders was a good sport and tagged along with me.
Godspell, directed by Sarah Rodgers and with musical direction by Nelson Boschman is a reinvented version (refurbished, refreshed, reinvigorated and rehashed) of The Gospel According to Saint Matthew. You’ll see, in this version, Rodgers and Boschman give us a gospel that is embedded in Rowan & Martin’s popular TV show “Laughing”. The result is a hilarious musical that will keep you laughing and singing along (if you happen to come to that specific night, I am not sure Pacific Theatre will do it again – but if they do, you totally should go!)
The choreography, singing and stage scenography were absolutely outstanding. In particular, I found Rodgers’ intermixing of Laughing with the Gospel According to St Matthew extraordinarily seamless. In reinventing Godspell for modern audiences, Rodgers provides her actors with an opportunity to create new storylines and build caricatures of characters that would otherwise be perceived as too solemn.
I loved all actors’ and especially kudos to the actor behind Jesus, Tim Bratton (who really charmed me) and the outstanding Rowan and Martin impersonators, Joel Stephanson and John Voth. I am particularly thrilled that the voices of the actors projected so well, because the last few musicals I have seen have had a bit of a problem with acoustics. Amazing talent, great musical band, I really will have to do a second take on this wonderful musical.
Godspell will be playing from May 28th through July 3rd at Pacific Theatre, 1420 West 12th Ave. at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays with 2 p.m. matinee Saturdays. Tickets are $17 – $34 and you can buy them by calling 604-731-5518 or through their website at Tickets.PacificTheatre.org
Disclosure: The tickets to attend the musical for me and for my Plus One were sponsored very generously by Pacific Theatre. I am not obligated nor expected to write this review entry, but I certainly feel that my readers would benefit from attending the musical. 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.
Earlier this year I began a collaborative effort in partnership with the green marketing company Kiwano, spearheaded by my good friends Cecilia Lu and Sofia Ribeiro, both absolutely lovely women and very smart collaborators. Most of my friends have, in the past few years, taken to associate me with the hummingbird, Sofia recently gave me a card by Papyrus that totally melted my heart. Here it is:
Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time carrying out hopes for love, joy and celebration. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of every day. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.
I met Henry Jue on Twitter a few months ago and recently found out that he was doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer. I thought my friend Greg was also doing the RCC, but not sure. He might be doing the Underwear Affair (also a fundraiser for cancer). My mind is drawing a blank. At any rate, I digress. I am, as you know, someone who has a big stake in cancer fundraising. I have Blogathoned 2 years in a row for the BC Cancer Foundation, and I have lost many family members to the terrible disease. I asked Henry to write a guest post on my site about his charity and here it is.
The Ride To Conquer Cancer is a epic two day bike ride from here down to Seattle happening on June 19-20. We’ll be riding down and spending the night of the 19th at a camp that they are setting up at around the halfway point. Upon arrival in Seattle on the 20th, there will be a huge celebration party, after which we will return to Vancouver (on cars, as our legs will probably be jelly by then).
It’s not a ride just for cyclists or athletes. It’s a ride for everyone who has been affected by cancer in some way, from those who have friends or family who are currently or who have battled cancer, to those who have fought cancer themselves. Riders of all strengths and backgrounds will be coming together both to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation, and to show our support for cancer patients and supporters everywhere.
Cancer has been something that has really come to the forefront of my life in the past three years. It all started when my father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Back then, cancer was still something that, in my mind, wasn’t really a huge issue to me. It actually took a while to actually sink in what this all meant. Over the next few years, I found that many of my friends had family who were also battling cancer as well and it was something that brought us together. I discovered that one of my best friends is a survivor. And sadly, my grandmother passed away as she lost her battle with lung cancer. As I found more and more people around me who were affected by cancer, I became increasingly aware of how prevalent this really is. This year, I finally decided to stop whining about everything and try to make a change, and the Ride to Conquer Cancer is the main way that I am trying to do so (so far). (I’ve also written a post on why I’m doing the Ride that you may have already read here)
So every rider must raise at least $2,500 in order to ride, every single penny of which goes directly to the BC Cancer Foundation. So far I have raised just ~$2,000 (the value on my fundraising pages is not including ~$400 in cheques which are being processed by hand at the office). In order to facilitate fundraising, I have a fundraising page on the Ride To Conquer Cancer website which can be found here. Also, I have set up a silent auction on my blog here.
This past weekend, as I was arriving to my office at The Network Hub I came across an envelope on my desk. As I unwrapped it, I realized it was a beautiful card made by one of the children at BC Children’s Hospital. My eyes welled and I proceeded to open it.
I have eight nieces and nephews, and I am the godfather of one of them. I adopt the children of my friends as my “adoptive” nieces or nephews. Thus, anything that has to do with great causes such as the ones championed by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is almost always likely going to draw my attention.
Miracle Weekend is a weekend-long telethon, and from what Theodora Lamb tells me, it’s a pretty amazing experience that involves stellar storytelling. I see myself, as you know, primarily as a storyteller, and thus I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to participate.
There are many ways you can be a Superhero for Miracle Weekend, as noted on the hyperlink previous. The 2010 Miracle Weekend on Global BC airs on Saturday, June 5 starting at 7pm until 6pm on Sunday.
I will be dropping by the BC Children’s Hospital at some point over the weekend to try and meet one of the little heroes who are patients at the BCCH. I want to support this campaign in any way I can and I would strongly encourage you to support them too.
I had a chance to have lunch this past week with one of my very best friends, AF, at Society. I have previously written about or reviewed a few of the Glowbal Group restaurants, including Italian Kitchen, Coast, Afterglow, Sanafir and Glowbal Grill. My experiences with the Glowbal Group have always been very good (and just in the interest of disclosure, no, I’ve never had a complimentary meal).
As we were already downtown, AF and I decided to head somewhere that I hadn’t tried but had wanted to, Society.
They have a great deal on burger and a beer for $10 (and as you know, I’m rather budget-conscious these days). I will fully admit that if I hadn’t forgotten about having breakfast that morning, I would not have been able to finish the whole burger.
The portions are huge, the burger was really well done, and it had a sauce whose taste reminded me a bit of chipotle. The service was really good, at all points EVERY server was kind.
I’m really glad that I had a chance to try Society. I am pretty sure at some point the Glowbal Group invited me to the opening, but I can also recall that was the beginning of the semester for me and so I had too much work preparing class. But to be honest, I’m rather happy that the Yaletown food scene is really thriving, with restaurants such as r.tl (Regional Tasting Lounge), the Glowbal Group, Charlie’s, etc. I do hope this is a sign of an economic recovery!
I thought I had been to Robson Sushi before with my friend K but it turns out, I was completely mistaken. But a few weeks ago, JT and I ended up at Robson Sushi for dinner – we were just walking around and said “hey let’s try this sushi joint we’ve never tried“. While I cannot say that I found Robson Sushi much more different from other sushi restaurants I have been to, I would say it is definitely nice.
The bento box I ordered was not much more than $10, the rolls were tasty and filling. I would definitely come back for lunch or dinner (only if I were in the West End, I would not make a trip given that I have so many tasty sushi choices in other parts of the city where I hang out). I’d say it’s comparable to other sushi restaurants I’ve previously reviewed, but definitely in the higher-rung of the scale.
At FreelanceCamp Vancouver 2010, I gave a workshop on how “Freelance Is Not Free“, a refined version of my 2009 BarCamp workshop. During the workshop, one of the participants asked me what I was mostly interested in, specifically, when it came to my research. Not exactly sure how the question came up, but I mentioned that I have been, primarily, interested in cooperation for the last 15 years of my life, possibly even 20.
That has been quite visible in my academic and consulting work. I have been interested in the concept of cooperation for decades. Why do people cooperate and collaborate? – this led to an increased interest in Game Theory (a branch of microeconomics that I studied when I did my MBA coursework, under two of the best professors of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, Dr. Thomas W. Ross and Dr. Helen Michelson).
I have explored questions of cooperation in my MBA thesis (where I developed a game-theoretical model of strategic alliances amongst biotech and pharmaceutical industries) and my PhD thesis (where I explored the industrial/urban transformation of geographically-concentrated industries – one of the chapters deals with game-theoretical models).
Even after I completed my PhD I have continued to explore issues of collaboration and cooperation (specifically with my involvement in the coworking community, and through one of my research avenues on the economic geography of industrial decline).
When I was giving my seminar, I mentioned that I approach freelancing from a perspective of collaboration (something that, at first glance, could be seen as contradicting the Prisoner’s Dilemma theoretical underpinnings). In a traditional Prisoner’s Dilemma, from the viewpoint of the law enforcement agency, they want the prisoners to NOT collaborate and thus blow the whistle on each other (lowest payoff in what is called a 2×2 game).
However, you’ll see, I think that freelancers who collaborate are like the prisoners, and from their viewpoint, they collaborate. If neither of them blow the whistle on the other, both of them get the maximum payoff for THEM. But if they don’t collaborate and share information, perhaps even about a potentially bad client for both of them, then they both lose (minimum payoff, maximum loss).
I teach microeconomics, and I’ve taught Game Theory before, so I was really excited to bring the issue up. I do continue to collaborate with people, even when my trust has been previously betrayed at some point by others. The truth is, I think only in cooperation can industries flourish. Competition is important, but so is collaboration. That’s why Brandenburger and Nalebuff coined the term, cooperative competition – coopetition. I believe Vancouver’s industrial and freelancebase could learn a bit from using game theory, both online and offline.
