There are very few things I enjoy more than going for a walk with someone I care for, be it a friend, a family member or a significant other. This week, while on holidays, I did something I hadn’t had the chance to do in a long, long time. I went with my brother for a walk to Fish Creek Park in Calgary. We walked from his house to the park and back, in weather that I probably wouldn’t have braved otherwise. But it was a very nice walk. Rarely do we get time for ourselves, as we used to. Before my brother moved to Calgary, we would spend about 50% of the weekend together. We would have dinner, catch a movie, hang out.
He sometimes would stay over at my place. Sometimes, I would stay at his apartment (at the time, he lived in Point Grey while I lived in residence at UBC. Thus, we were relatively close to each other, sometimes even coordinating our schedules so as to take the same 99 B-Line. We would go for brunch and then catch a movie. Or just go for a walk around Vancouver. So, it was nice to again have this opportunity while I visit Calgary.
Given the weather in Vancouver, it is hard sometimes to go for walks with friends, but when it is dry (regardless of whether it is sunny or not) I always make a point to spend some time with my closest friends and more often than not, the time we spend together is having a conversations while we go for a stroll.
This is a review I did as a guest writer for Lip Gloss and Laptops. The original post is here (thanks Airdrie for inviting me to review this fragrance!).
In previous episodes of the Lip Gloss and Laptops podcast when I’ve been a guest host, I have reviewed a couple of colognes alongside Kerry-Anne and Airdrie. This time, I am reviewing Kenzo Power, again another cologne from the Kenzo family that is not the one I normally use (L’Eau de Kenzo Pour Homme) – this cologne is Kenzo Power. The first time I tried it I went out in the evening. As soon as I sprayed a little bit, I was reminded of two other fragrances I have used before: Farenheit 451 and Tuscany (by Aramis). The high notes, same as Tuscany, include bergamot, coriander and cardamom. These aromas alone are enough to overpower any sensitive nose. I’m not someone who is easily swayed away, or overpowered. But I definitely did feel that Kenzo Power was a tad too strong.
When I first used Tuscany by Aramis (which shares the bergamot high note and a coriander middle note with Kenzo Power) I remember I thought of myself as someone powerful and strong. This vivid sensation was re-ignited when I tried Kenzo Power. I tried it a second time for an afternoon gathering, and tried a little bit less of the fragrance. While still a tad overpowering, Kenzo Power was better this time, and I had a chance to smell more in-depth the base notes (which include cedar wood). This cedar-y aroma makes Kenzo Power a great fragrance for outdoors gatherings, as well as quiet evenings at a local modern lounge.
Overall, I probably won’t be using Kenzo Power for my day-to-day, consulting and teaching activities. But I’d be more than happy to use it for an outdoorsy evening, or a night at a club.
This cologne review was not paid for, I have received no payment to write it. I have previously reviewed colognes on this blog, in particular those from the Kenzo house. Should you have any concerns or questions, feel free to inquire via my contact form. Also, if your company is interested in providing samples for review, contact me as well. Please be aware that providing a free sample does not constitute in any way, shape or form an unqualified endorsement nor does that guarantee that I will provide a favorable review. At all times, I retain editorial control.
A number of people have told me that I am an interesting study in human behavior. I suspect that they perceive this to be the case because, to them, there are a number of complexities associated with my personality. People who are new to following me on Twitter and reading my blog seem somewhat puzzled by the inherent intermingling of personality traits. I’m an academic who likes rigorous research, but at the same time, I am often approached (pitched) by PR folks of businesses, government and non-governmental organizations to write about them, their products/services and/or their new campaigns.
I am someone who will take a critical stance on issues, yet blog about “fluffy stuff”. I am someone who has earned a reputation in the social media community, yet I staunchly defend my academic background and activities. So, truthfully, I can’t complain when people *think* or *believe* that when I say that “it’s all about me” I actually mean it. But whoever thinks that, should probably re-read my previous blog posts.
It’s NOT always about me. And whoever thinks that, I think that …
– They should read about me organizing Mental Health Camp ’09 with my dear friend Isabella Mori.
– They should read all my tweets promoting the stuff that my friends, colleagues and fellow bloggers/tweeps do.
– They should read about all the non-profits I’ve supported not only with donations but also with online promotion.
– They should read my friend Lorraine Murphy‘s recent comment on my site when I mentioned that I was going to start spending more money on myself and less on others.
Nobody can doubt your commitment to your friends, whether or not you’ve got the cash to lay out on us. We love you and we want you to take care of yourself.
I am committed to my community. I have volunteered time, done stuff for free (much more than I probably should have but I do not regret it one bit). But this 2010, it *really* has to be all about me. Because, you know… if I don’t take care of myself, I am of not much use to you, right?
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my work both online and offline. The people who have helped me move forward. The people who have been Pivotals. And the people who day-after-day, tweet-after-tweet, continue reading and engaging with me. I’m truly blessed.
I was delighted to see my friend Minna Van (The Network Hub) grab a couple of poinsettias for the office, and I made a comment that, in reality, poinsettias’ name should not be poinsettias but Nochebuenas. It actually pisses me off that people don’t realize that nochebuenas (aka poinsettias) are indigenous to Mexico (Wikipedia entry here should you require more information).
As indicated by the entry (and something I knew since the very first time I visited the US)
The name “poinsettia” is after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the US in 1828.
Euphorbia pulcherrima (Noche Buena) has been associated with Christmas celebrations since the early 16th century, and for me, the flower itself brings a feel of warmth and love. Coincidentally, the name “Noche Buena” (Good Night) (the name of the flower is nochebuena altogether, without a hyphen nor a space in between) is also the celebration of Christmas Eve. The tradition in my family (and this is done both in Spain and in Mexico) is to have dinner with family on the 24th of December, then open presents and stay up and party until the wee hours of the morning.
Since we are celebrating with families that have little children, I seriously doubt we’ll be partying until the wee hours of the night. But one thing I can tell you – it’s going to be a great Christmas dinner. I have family spread in several countries (Canada, the US and Mexico), friends all over the world, but on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I feel as though we are all still connected.
Feliz Navidad, everyone.
Most of the posts between December 20th and Jan 4th are pre-written and pre-scheduled. I will probably be unable to check for comments that are queued for approval, so please be patient. Still, I do look forward to reading any and all comments you all may have while I’m disconnected. Have a wonderful holiday!
While a lot of people seem to enjoy giving the (false) impression of living a rather rich and luxurious lifestyle, I have never had any problem admitting that I’ve been on a VERY tight budget for the past few years. As mentioned by Dr. Beth Snow a year or so ago when she was guest-blogging for my 2008 Blogathon, I have a little problem that starts with “c” and ends with “-rushing debt“. I am still YEARS away from being able to repay all of my debt. Therefore, it’s rare that I over-spend on anything. It’s rare that I accept invites to go out and have fancy dinners at luxurious restaurants. It’s even MORE rare that I splurge on anything that has to do with me. While I don’t deny myself of any real needs I have, I am not one to be spoiling myself.
I’m not even one to be indulging in, you know, crazy nights out anymore. I don’t even care about my UrbanSpoon ranking anymore. I can’t afford to be spending on dining out right now and probably won’t be for a few months. And it’s not that I’m not making money. I *am*, indeed. It’s more that while investing in my education, doing two Masters, one PhD and switching job markets while on a worldwide recession, my accrued debt grew fast.
That’s probably why I have been thinking a lot about the splurging I recently did while out and about in the Calgary malls – I bought myself 4 sweaters (beautiful), one pair of (tight) jeans which I desperately needed, and a dress shirt. And you know what the worst part is? That despite the fact that all of these items altogether would cost about 50% of what they normally would. But, still, a part of me kind of made me feel guilty.
“You’re splurging. You should be saving for your next student loan payment. What’s wrong with you?” – a little voice came inside me.
The money I had budgeted for, you know, all those social occasions. I’ll have to funnel it back.
To MYSELF.
To the one person whose growth should be my top priority – MY OWN.
And you know what? That’s perfectly ok. I have to say, I feel quite proud of myself, right about now. I hope those of you who read me and those of you who care about me will feel just as proud too.
Most of the posts between December 20th and Jan 4th are pre-written and pre-scheduled. I will probably be unable to check for comments that are queued for approval, so please be patient. Still, I do look forward to reading any and all comments you all may have while I’m disconnected. Have a wonderful holiday!
As many of you who read my blog and who have known me for a long while, the research study area with which I began my academic work was solid waste. I taught a Masters-level course in Waste Policy and Management, and one of my favorite sub-topics was landfill management.
Credit: D'Arcy Norman
I have been following the Metro Vancouver Solid Waste Strategy development (the Zero Waste Challenge) for a couple of years now (and yes, there is a lot of controversy around it, and the possibility of building a waste-to-energy facility). I will not address the controversy on this post, but I’ll just mention their holiday waste reduction campaign (which I learned about from Greg Valou, Communications Officer from Metro Vancouver).
Typically, Metro Vancouver has to deal with 5000 tons of extra waste during the holiday season. This fun video should give you more background and it is a good overview of the reduction campaign for Metro Vancouver over the holidays. Hope you enjoy it!
Many people ask me “what do you do, Raul, when you go on holidays?”. Given my dual identity as a social media practitioner and an academic researcher, I often find myself admitting that I spent a substantial amount of time catching up on much-overdue reading while I’m on vacation. It’s been a really, really long while since I’ve had a holiday where I haven’t really needed to do anything. This will, unfortunately, not be the exception.
I have a lot of academic reading to catch up on. I have two research projects that need work (one that is concluding and one that I’m writing grant proposals for funding for the year 2010 and beyond). I have three books that need some work. But the beauty of it is… I can do all of this, on my own terms. I can spend most of the day relaxing and hanging out with my family, and at night, when everyone is asleep, I’ll be able to catch up on what I need to get done. Read all the books I was sent to review for my upcoming courses. Read recent articles in the literature in the fields of comparative public policy and global environmental politics.
And this, my dear readers, will be fun reading, not work-reading.
The posts between December 20th and Jan 4th are pre-written and pre-scheduled. I am unable to check for comments that are queued for approval, so please be patient. Still, I do look forward to reading any and all comments you all may have while I’m disconnected. Have a wonderful holiday!
Of the things I have regretted the most in the past few years, abandoning competitive volleyball has probably been my biggest one. I used to play highly competitive (indoor) volleyball when I was a teen, rising to state-level, pre-national and national level. I went from being a middle blocker to becoming a power hitter to learning to be a good setter. Overall, I received a fairly well-rounded, integrated training.
Having been a competitive volleyball player since my early teens allowed me to come to the sport a few years ago (and many years after having played my last high-level competitive tournament),and still have a decent enough game. Sadly, work-related pressure, high workloads and my increased involvement in social media events led me to stop playing volleyball. I can’t even begin to tell you how upset I was with myself when I realized that the last time I played a good match was in early 2008.
So, I have promised myself (along the veins of my previous blog entries on my 2010 manifesto) that I would come back to competitive volleyball in 2010. I still need to figure out how to do that since most leagues will only take you in as a player if you start in August/September of the previous year. I will have to investigate this upon my return to Vancouver. But one thing I can tell you – I may not be the great player I once was, but I will definitely be MUCH better than I am right now. That, is a promise to myself.
Since I was very little, I’ve travelled all over the world, I’ve lived in different countries and got to understand numerous cultural backgrounds. I speak 7 languages, six in addition to my native Spanish (although my command of English and the fact that I teach university, undergraduate and graduate level courses in this language, have made people indicate to me that my English is near-native).
All the travel I accumulated through the years did not decrease as the years went by. Even throughout my PhD and afterwards, I’ve always attended numerous international environmental conferences. I sit on several advisory boards and consultative groups in the field of domestic and international environmental policy, and I speak at conferences all over the world.
My cumulative experiences have taught me a lot about how to travel and how to prepare for contingencies. The one thing that NEVER changes is my own attitude. Before I travel, I deal with all the administrative stuff (both work and home-related). Then I clean my apartment a bit. I make piles of clothes and plan for how long I’ll be away. I ensure that I have anything and everything related to my work while I am away (if I’m going to be at a conference or international meeting).
I then proceed to pack my luggage. Once all my luggage is packed, I take a shower and if I have enough time, I do some work. It looks like tonight I will actually be able to go to sleep for a bit before taking off. Technically today was a day off work, but I still had to deal with Christmas shopping and some administrative (client) stuff.
Tomorrow is a new day, and it’ll be the beginning of my disconnected period. I can’t wait.
I was raised Catholic, and in my family, we used to give gifts to everyone (5 boys, Mom and Dad) along with a number of other of our close and loved ones (2 of my Aunties, one of my uncles and 2 of my closest cousins, one of them who is actually coming up to Calgary to spend Christmas with my brother, his family, my Mom and myself). Raul, always the planner, had all his gifts well before Christmas.
And then the family grew. My brothers got married, had kids, and all of a sudden, buying 9-10 gifts became buying 20-25. Insane. So, we decided to cut back and just give to the little kids. This year, my brother insisted on not giving Christmas presents, but I decided that I wanted to, even if they were small little things.
I’ve been very fortunate this year and I am closing with a bang, with very successful projects. My teaching has also gone really well and so has my consulting and my research. So I figured I could spend a little bit (not a lot, as I want to save for the next year, which will be challenging) on Christmas presents.
However, as I have mentioned before, I’ve been insanely busy and I hadn’t had the time to buy my family *any* Christmas presents. Even for my close friends in Vancouver, I didn’t get them anything yet. I feel insanely bad. But the truth is, everyone knows that (a) it’s been a financially challenging year and (b) I give my love, so gifts are somewhat secondary.
But up until a few minutes ago, I was completely and utterly worried. Would I be able to complete all of my Christmas shopping? Would I be able to at least get to see my close friends before leaving on holidays? The answer is, the shopping got done (down to the wire, which is kind of unusual for me) but the seeing friends hasn’t been completed.
So here I am, trying frantically to get ready to meet a few friends, and organize my gifts (I’m also bringing along the gifts that the family of my sister in law is giving them) and pack. If I may give you a suggestion, my dear readers – avoid the stress of holiday shopping, if at all possible.
*sigh*
Good thing I’m going to disconnect and head to a different city on holidays. I don’t want to see a mall until 2010, thank you very much.
A couple of years ago, I started listening to podcasts, and one of the first (and most popular ones) that I ever listened to was Lip Gloss and Laptops, which was at the time hosted by two wonderful women who then became very close friends of mine, Kerry Anne and Airdrie (pictured below with another good friend of ours, who actually has guest-hosted as well with Airdrie, J. Karen Parker).
I have guest-hosted on the podcast twice (episodes 135 and 124) and have contributed some reviews of colognes (most recently, a review of Kenzo Power).
I feel very honored because I have been part of the Lip Gloss and Laptops guest host crowd and I look forward to reading the blog (as L&L will be continuing as a blog). I may contribute occasionally with a few cologne reviews.
As many of you know, because I have announced it on Twitter and also here on my blog, I will be away from December 19th, 2009 to January 3rd, 2010. I am heading to the cold but dry city of Calgary, where my brother and his family live, and where I’ll be also seeing my Mom and my cousin (one of my closest friends as we’ve known each other since birth). I have decided to fully disconnect.
This complete disconnection will be a tad sad because if people send me a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” tweet I won’t be able to track it (Twitter Search only keeps tweets for about 10 days). That said, I’m pretty sure my readers and the people who read my Twitter stream will be glad that I am disconnecting for a while. I need to recharge my batteries to come back fully productive.
Here are a few pointers for PR folks, potential clients and people interested in connecting with me on various topics (Mental Health Camp, Social Media Club, my environmental research, etc.) Most of these are summarized on my auto-responder, but here they are.
– If you are a current client, we have already made arrangements in regards to continuation of our projects over the holidays.
– If you are a prospective client, feel free to send me an email via my contact form. I won’t be returning any of those emails before January 3rd, though.
– If you are a PR or communications representative who would like me to write about your event, please be aware that I will not be connected, so I might not get around writing about your stuff until the New Year. Please send me a reminder email after January 3rd.
– If you are interested in my environmental and public policy research, I suggest that you look at my research site and send me an email. I will not be looking at said email until January 3rd, though.
– If you are a potential client for my environment/public policy/business strategy work, please be aware that I will not be checking email so I won’t be able to respond right back. Please do send a follow up in early January.
– If you are a potential sponsor for Mental Health Camp, this is a priority for me, so please mark your email clearly [RE: MENTAL HEALTH CAMP] – I will have those emails forwarded to my PDA and get back to you ASAP.
– For all other inquiries, please feel free to send me an email (works better than a tweet, which might be erased).
Everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. I will have some pre-scheduled posts, so if you comment on the site, please be aware that it may take some time before your comment is approved.
This has been a wonderful year, and thanks everyone for having been a part of it. Happy holidays and the best to you and your families.
The 49th Parallel is trying to get nominated for a Streamy!
The nomination process for the Streamy Awards has started again this year and my good friend Chris Walts is trying to get his Vancouver based show The 49th Parallel nominated in the category of Best News or Politics Web Series. It will likely be an uphill battle in order for that to happen, but on the Internet anything can happen with enough support, methinks.
In the words of Chris,
The 49th Parallel is a bi-weekly video podcast for the informed information junkie. Coming up on its 1 year anniversary, every episode examines interesting news stories and current events from the past few weeks. The main goal of the 49th Parallel is not just to present the news, but also to explore what the news actually means through dialogue and debate. On the surface this may seem a little dry, so the hosts, Chris Walts and Mike Doyle, often have several beverages on hand to loose their wits onto the Interwebs.
If you would like to help Chris out, please vote for the 49th Parallel here on the Streamy Awards Website. (http://www.streamys.org/submit/public-submissions/) Category: Best News or Politics Web Series Series Name: The 49th Parallel Series URL: http://www.the49thparallel.com
The voting is open until January 22, 2010 so feel free to vote daily. I’m sure Chris also wouldn’t mind if you subscribed to the RSS feed while you were at it. Cheers, and happy voting!
When I began blogging in April of 2006, I thought it was just like an online journal. A repository of my thoughts and an escape in many ways from the stresses of academic life. But as time went by, I wrote more, participated in Blogathon, started to meet people, joined the Vancouver Blogger Meetup (which I am currently the Organizer of) and consolidated a visible position in the Vancouver blogosphere. But I’ve never forgotten how I started nor have I forgotten my blogging buddies, those whose sites I began reading and whose leadership I followed.
The other day, I took some time to go and visit my long-time friends’ blogs. And as I was reflecting on “what will I write next for the Blogger 201 series” I figured that I would remind myself and others that yes, even though my blog is now a bit more popular, I never forget how important my friends are in my mind, and I do make a concerted effort to go and drop a comment, just to say “hey, I’m still here, even if I haven’t seen you in months… you’re still in my thoughts”.
Of course, bear in mind that I now count my blogging friends by the dozens, so it takes me a while to go and visit everyone. But I’ll definitely get to everyone. So my Blogging 201 advice this week is … remember to make an effort to reconnect with old blogging friends. I found it cathartic and extremely positive. Seeing what my good friends are up to gave me again the energy to continue blogging. Because as I said before “blogging is what brought us together… it’s up to us to keep the relationship alive”.
I am a very firm believer in the work that Covenant House does, although unfortunately, my schedule this 2009 has been so insanely busy I have never really had the time to come and visit and learn more about their activities. As my readers should know, I frequently write about charitable causes. Covenant House’s focuses on youth and homelessness.
The Covenant Houses’ mental health programme also makes it one of the most worthy charities I’ve ever written about. So, when Michelle Clasius (a frequent reader of my blog and the Associate Director of Development and Communications of the Covenant House) asked me if I’d write about their upcoming event, of course I accepted. Here are the details, copied and pasted from their blog. This free event sounds like a lot of fun, and if I were in town when it takes place, I probably would go. But since I won’t be able to, I would love it if my readers attended.
On Christmas Eve, three of the finest women vocalists in the lower Mainland will join together to present a special Jazz Vespers at St. Andrew’s-Wesley. Karin Plato, Jennifer Scott and Kate Hammett-Vaughan will delight the audience with an hour of holiday treats ranging from traditional carols to popular tunes, each song especially arranged to blend perfectly the voices of this dynamic trio. Each woman is a star in her own right, and this is the only time of the year when you’ll be able to hear them together.
This year’s concert will benefit Covenant House!
WHEN: Thursday, December 24 – 4 pm
WHERE: St. Andrews-Wesley Church, Burrard/Nelson Streets
For more information on Covenant House, visit their website. here is a very short description of what they do.
Covenant House Vancouver exists for those young people for whom there is often no one else — young people aged 16 – 24 who have either willingly fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or those who have been forced from their homes. We bandage their cut-up feet from days and nights walking the streets; we give them hot food and a warm bed and we support them in their choice to change their present circumstances while helping them heal from past traumas.Primarily privately funded, Covenant House relies on the generosity of over 50,000 individuals and organizations to provide shelter, food, clothing and counselling to over 2,000 young people each year.
I am a big fan of HootSuite, and admittedly, most of the crew (developers, social media folks and partners) at Invoke Media are good friends of mine. But since this is my personal blog, I feel perfectly comfortable congratulating a team of people who have worked really hard to make a Twitter application FREE and extremely flexible and powerful. I use HootSuite for about 60-70% of my tweeting and I love many of the features it offers. Congratulations and much love, everyone!
I’ve done this test at least twice in the past three years and BlogThings keeps telling me I’m an old soul. *sigh*
You Are an Old Soul
You are an experienced soul who appreciates tradition.
Mellow and wise, you like to be with others but also to be alone.
Down to earth, you are sensible and impatient.
A creature of habit, it takes you a while to warm up to new people.
You hate injustice, and you’re very protective of family and friends
A bit demanding, you expect proper behavior from others.
Extremely independent you don’t mind living or being alone.
But when you find love, you tend to want marriage right away.
Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul and Visionary Soul
One of the things that really excites me every morning as I sit down and prepare for yet another (very long) day of work is the fact that I *always* arrive to a clean desk. As you may recall, last year I wrote a series of blog entries (Raul’s Top 10 Productivity Tips) and one of the tips I suggested following was to never leave your work area without having set up your schedule for the next day (e.g. your to-do list). As you can see in the photo, my Inbox, Processing and Outbox trays are on the right hand side of my desk. The bookcase holds my printer, my books and some office supplies. To my right (you probably can’t see it in this photo) there’s another narrow table.
I keep all my stationery supplies (stapler, pens, and notepads) as well as my “Blogging To Do” files. I also use the left-hand side working table to spread documents as I review them. As an academic, I often need to read papers, journal articles, grant proposals, etc. This working table lets me do that while keeping a dedicated desk for the laptop and processing trays.
I have previously mentioned before that I have dedicated at least one day a month to fully and thoroughly clean up. This process, while sometimes annoying, gives me the freedom to arrive the next day to a clean slate. This is something I do as well with my desk. I make sure that I have cleaned every single part of my working space so that the next morning I arrive and find it neat and clean.
After reading all those posts about how talented I am (modesty doesn’t become me, does it now?) you probably think that I know how to play every single game that there is on Earth. Um, no. I am ashamed to admit that I have no clue how to play Scrabble. And the worst part? My good friend Arieanna is on Words for Friends (an iPhone app that I just downloaded – because yes, I *am* addicted to my iPhone).
The only problem is that, even though I’ve downloaded the iPhone app, I can’t play against Arieanna yet because, well, I don’t actually know how to play Scrabble. So, how about I buy you a coffee and you teach me how to play Scrabble? I mean, seriously. It’s embarrassing to admit that I don’t know how to play Scrabble. But hopefully, before the end of the week, I’ll be able to.
Based on the movie by Frank Capra, It’s A Wonderful Life is one of the Anglo-Saxon North American most popular Christmas productions. Even though I’ve lived in Canada for a decade, I somehow have always managed to miss a substantial portion of the Christmas or holidays traditions. I usually fly down to Mexico or to Madrid or Paris for Christmas and The New Year. But this year, I’m going to Calgary late (Dec 19th) so it seems I’m going to do at least one of the more mainstream ones.
I’m going to go see It’s A Wonderful Life. And thanks to the wonderful folks at The Arts Club I am able to give away a pair of tickets to the December 22nd showing at 8:00pm
On Christmas Eve 1946, George Bailey (James Stewart) is deeply depressed, even suicidal. Prayers for George are heard by the angels. Clarence Oddbody (Henry Travers), Angel Second Class, is assigned to save him—and thereby earn his wings. Joseph, the head angel, reviews George’s life with Clarence.
I’m delighted that Bob Frazer is one of the main characters in this production, because he is one of my favorite Vancouver actors. I’ve had a chance to chat with him a few times after opening night (I’ve seen him in several local productions), and he is absolutely lovely.
To win, just comment on this blog entry – you have until Friday at 11am to enter the contest (I have a meeting from 10-11 am so I’ll have the client I’m meeting draw the lucky winner). As usual, thanks to The Arts Club for sponsoring my contests!
This year has been nothing short of fantastic for me. I was just going back on my blog’s archives to check how many contests and ticket and prizes giveaways had I done, and I lost count. I did find out when was it that I did my first contest. It was February of this 2009, and I gave away a chocolate fondue and snow-shoeing tour at Cypress Mountain (which went to Beth Snow). Arts companies, theatre troupes, movie producers and printer companies have all helped me do giveaways.
Will 2010 be a year where I will continue to do contests and giveaways? Most certainly, I think so. I am a steadfast supporter of the local theatre scene here in Vancouver. I’ve promoted theatre productions in Vancouver for a long time now, both independent and well-established. I have given away tickets to musicals, like Altar Boyz (The Arts Club), stage readings like The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Pacific Theatre), classic drama like Othello (Bard on the Beach), independent productions like Fighting Chance Productions’ Rent.
I have supported and covered international film festivals, ranging from the Vancouver International Film Festival to the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival (giving away tickets along the way). I have given away tickets to opera arias (Bard on the Beach’s Cosi Fan Tutte), comedy functions (like Vancouver ComedyFest) and even fundraisers (like the successful Timeraiser!).
I’ve given away tickets to productions shown at the Vancouver Fringe Festival (independent) and classic productions (Les Miserables by The Arts Club). I have given away books (Blog Blazers) and printers (thanks to Hewlett Packard Canada). I’ve promoted artistic and movie-focused causes like the First Weekend Club (with the premiere of Mothers and Daughters).
I suspect (and I hope, quite frankly) that I will be able to give away a few freebies in 2010. The same way that I have promoted and supported these causes, projects and businesses by providing them with exposure, I have also been privileged with having a chance to provide my readers with access and expose them to stuff that is relevant to me and to my audience.
Of course, I can’t promise that I’ll write about everything, but if there’s a way to give stuff to my readers (and I do love giving back to the community), I’ll do my very best to continue promoting the local causes (and particularly, causes with a charitable component!)
Last year, Isabella Mori (trusted and dear friend of mine, mental health specialist, counsellor and all around amazing woman) and I decided to take it upon ourselves to organize the first-ever Mental Health Camp (website, Twitter account). Two months of intense preparation, extremely hard work and collaboration with a number of fantastic folks in the Vancouver social media community after we decided to take this project on, we succeeded in creating a safe space to empower people afflicted with mental illness and fight the stigma associated with depression, ADHD, bipolarism, etc. We obtained sponsorship (lunch with the BC Mental Health Foundation and LunchBox, writing materials with Patterson Brands, space with now-defunct WorkSpace).
Several things have changed for the better since last year. First, we learned a lot about what we didn’t do well last year and we’ve decided to change things for 2010. Second, we *know* that it takes a lot of work and we’ve decided to start putting our feelers out there for two of the most important sponsorships we need – space and food (breakfast/lunch/dinner and coffee). Third, both Isabella and I have much larger and stronger online social networks.
You’d be surprised how much better things flow when you have food available for the participants’ consumption. The fact that we had lunch together made collaboration and informal conversation flow much more easily. Moreover, we really want to make sure that we have a space that is welcoming and warm, and large enough to hold everyone together. So, I’m throwing it out there – which businesses/non-profits will help and sponsor MHC YVR ’10?
We are also thinking of approaching the organizations who have something to do with mental health (Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Mental Health Foundation, Coast Foundation, and of course the Mental Health Commission of Canada with their Anti-Stigma Project), but it’d be great if we could secure location and food/coffee break sponsorship before I went on holidays. Any and all help, of course, much appreciated.
Amongst the great news – Mental Health Camp Toronto is happening too in 2010, so we’ll have an opportunity to share ideas and compare notes (I’m a comparative public policy analyst, after all). We will, of course, be seeking volunteers and additional help closer to the date. Please do share this entry with your networks, any and all help is always appreciated.
A few months ago, I shifted my sleeping schedule around. I went from being a night owl to becoming a morning person. Many people were shocked that I decided to turn around so drastically. Little they knew that I *had* to do it. The more my clients organized meetings in the morning, the more I would be expected to have a functioning brain at 9 am. Which, if I went to bed at 4am, wouldn’t happen.
So I decided to use the 21 day to a new habit method. I made the best of my love for routines to re-train myself into believing that it was ok for my brain to wake up at 5:30am or 6:00am and then work until about 9pm. No later than that, hopefully (although sometimes I put in as many as 16 hours of work in).
The past few weekend mornings have been brutal, however. I have still woken up early and wanted to go back to bed. I did, on a couple of occasions. I woke up at 6:00am and then decided to sleep in for a couple more hours. Unfortunately, that hasn’t sat very well with my brain. My productivity was hindered and I retreated to just focusing on the items that had the ranking of highest-in-my-list-of-priorities. This is not a good sign.
So I decided this morning to reflect on the importance of discipline and habits. It’s an annoyance, of course, to have to wake up at 7:00am every single day even on weekends. But it provides stability and a framework for my brain to operate and be productive. I decided to just be disciplined and stay within my habits. It probably won’t go very well with my neighbours to hear the shower, but I *do* know that my upstairs’ neighbour’s kid *is* awake (and so is he). So, I am pretty sure that they won’t mind. Because, for me, it is all a matter of discipline and habits.
Remember that I said that I needed an iPhone (I posted about it recently). When I went to Nanaimo, JT made sure that I could connect to the internet using his iPhone and tethering. Well, Christmas arrived early! My friend Mike Yurechko gave me the biggest surprise of 2009 with my early Christmas present – an iPhone! I just now need to find out about data plans, etc. But it works great, and it really will help my business and my personal life (oh, that beautiful sync with Google Calendar). Thanks again so much, Mike!
A few years ago, I began listening to DJ Dylan Drazen’s mixes. One of the ones I really have enjoyed the most is “Good Morning“, where I found a few tunes I really love. The one that I love the most is probably Empty Streets by Late Night Alumni. I was very impressed to hear that my very good friend Minna Van (The Network Hub) also likes this song and that she has the actual album. I hope you guys like it as much as I do.
The lyrics also resonate with me…
The city feels clean this time of night
just empty streets and me walking home to clear my head.
And though it came as no surprise, I’m affected more than I had guessed.
By what was said.
If this love’s not meant to be.
If a heart’s not ready to open.
If the naked eye won’t see.
It’s broken.
It’s that quiet time before the dawn.
And I’m half past making sense of it. Was I wrong?
Should I think to give it all.
In a world where not much ever seems to last long.
If this love’s not meant to be.
If a heart’s not ready to open.
If the naked eye won’t see.
It’s broken.
There are very few things I enjoy more than going for a walk with someone I care for, be it a friend, a family member or a significant other. This week, while on holidays, I did something I hadn’t had the chance to do in a long, long time. I went with my brother for a walk to Fish Creek Park in Calgary. We walked from his house to the park and back, in weather that I probably wouldn’t have braved otherwise. But it was a very nice walk. Rarely do we get time for ourselves, as we used to. Before my brother moved to Calgary, we would spend about 50% of the weekend together. We would have dinner, catch a movie, hang out. 
