My 2010: Being an integrated person again

We are five boys in my family. I remember the story of how we came to be so many boys… my Mom and Dad were trying to have a girl, so when my Mom got pregnant, they would think “we will have no more kids once we have a girl”. So time went by, and they had a boy, then they had two, then they had three. Four and five were pretty much “this time, we’ll definitely have a girl – we have had so many boys, the next one for sure is a girl”. No such luck, but they got their basketball team alright.

While growing up, my parents always saw us as little diamonds in the rough. The kids who would make a difference in the world. It was (I believe, in my parents’ mind) their mission to create agents of change and to make of their creations, the best they could. So, my parents invested their time and money in their children. They gave us an incredibly broad array of opportunities. The only two conditions they ever placed on us were that we were to do everything to the best of our ability, and that we would be integral (e.g. that we wouldn’t just excel in ONE thing, but that we would strive to excel in EVERYTHING we did).

We (all five) took it upon ourselves to do what our parents wanted us and allowed us to do. We became artists (my brothers play concert-level piano, whereas I trained to be a competitive dancer), sportsmen (my brothers played competitive basketball while I played volleyball, martial arts and tennis), scientists (my brothers and I are all engineers, with two having Masters degrees and three of us have PhDs) and humanitarians (my brothers have volunteered in a broad variety of things, while I did mostly adult literacy, and recently, cancer, HIV and mental health causes).

As I have grown in other fields, traveled and lived in many countries, made new friends and established new relationships (romantic, business and collaborative), I have invested a lot of my time in other things that haven’t given me the rounded, integrated feeling. The most recent time I felt an integrated (integral?) person was 2006-2007 when I was doing competitive volleyball and still teaching salsa while doing my academic and consulting work.

2008 was a pivotal year for me. I grew in the social media sphere and as a person, I solidified friendships, and my blog became substantially more popular. 2009 has also been pivotal in my growth in the teaching and consulting spheres. Now, 2010 needs to be the year where I grow again into my old self – an integrated person who can be an artist, a humanitarian, a scientist and a sportsman. I’m working on that as I write this, and I look forward to 2010.

My 2010: Dancing

I was having a great conversation yesterday with my friend Monique Trottier where I mentioned that I felt like I was a complete liar whenever people would ask me “oh, so you’re a trained dancer?”. I am, I still am. But I am no longer a professional dancer. I am no longer a competitive dancer.

And this hurts to admit. It hurts me that I have dedicated so many long hours to my work and to all the social media community building and to attend so many events that I have let my dance skills deteriorate. I remember when I first learned to play piano, my instructor would say “Raul, if you don’t practice your piano skills one day, you’ll notice — if you don’t practice a week, your parents will notice — if you don’t practice a month, the world will notice”. He was so right.

I had an opportunity to dance with Karen Hamilton, another very good friend of mine and someone who hasn’t let her dance skills become rusty, a few months ago, when we did Vancouver TechKaraoke. And *I* could tell. I could tell that my salsa dance was not up to par. I felt ashamed, and embarrassed. Even when people praised me for my moves and my abilities, they haven’t seen nothing. I used to be SO MUCH BETTER. I used to be a highly competitive, highly-skilled salsa dancer, and teach this stuff.

So, for 2010, I have made a substantial decision – I am coming back to dance. I have decided that, whatever my position in the social media world, and however much I will need to devote to getting back into my best shape and regain my competitive edge, it doesn’t matter. Dance was my very first passion and I want to continue doing it, and for 2010, I promised myself I would be an integrated person again. Someone who does art, who does science, who does humanitarian work, and someone who does sports.

My 2010: Teaching

I am passionate about teaching. I was born in a family of educators. My Dad has taught, my Mom is a professor, two of my brothers have undertaken PhDs and taught in American universities (one of them is actually an Assistant Professor in a US university). I have taught high-school, undergraduate and graduate level, in Canada and other North American and European countries. Teaching is in my blood and in my soul.

Great thing is, I will continue doing it. I will be teaching two university-level courses (political science), two college level courses (quantitative methods and economics). I will also be teaching a few workshops and seminars. I suspect that I’ll be doing short, bootcamp-style workshops rather than over-three-days kind of programmes, simply given my availability of time this 2010.

I’m really excited about my teaching in 2010 for many reasons, but one of them is that I get to teach courses that complement my portfolio. When I was teaching Public Policy (the Canadian-focused one) I was annoyed at the fact that I didn’t have a chance to bring in cross-national comparative perspectives. Now that I get to teach that course, I am delighted that my teaching portfolio is more rounded up.

The No Meal Tax Campaign

One of the main sources of traffic to my website in the past couple of years has been the high ranking that my restaurant reviews have on Google. I used to be the top restaurant reviewer on UrbanSpoon (I’m currently ranked 8th) and I definitely love supporting the restaurant industry (and no, I don’t get paid to do restaurant reviews – and very, very rarely have I gotten a meal for free.

I pay for my meals with my hard-earned dollars, and thus I find that the harmonized tax (HST) will significantly impact my desire to go and eat out. I am a policy analyst, so I’m well aware of the fact that governments raise taxes to increase their sources of revenue (which in turn are supposed to provide services). But I can’t really see a good reason why the HST should be in place (I’m willing to change my mind if someone offers a reasoned, policy-analytic approach).

I found out about the No Meal Tax campaign a few days ago, and these are some of the details they provided me with:

The campaign is being put together by both the BC (BCRFA) and Canadian restaurant associations (CRFA). They represent most restaurants from small independents to large chains. They know what a 7% hike in restaurant tabs does not just to your wallet but to thousands of full time and part time jobs. When you add the new 7% tax to the existing 5% tax the total is 12%. That will apply not just to meals but to coffee, take-out food, cafeteria food for students – you name it! Other provinces have been able to do something to help people deal with new restaurant taxes, now it’s BC’s turn to speak out.

For details, you can check their website+, Facebook page, Twitter account.

When I am on holidays, it really means holidays

I will be going to Calgary from December 19th, 2009 to January 2nd, 2010. Officially, these will be my first few days of real holiday in about a decade. I heard some people complaining that they hadn’t had a vacation in a few months. I can’t remember the last time I actually had a real, disconnected, unplugged and restful few days off. So, since my 2010 promise to myself is that I will be focusing on my own growth, I have taken an extra step.

I have set up my emails’ auto-responder to request that anybody who contacts me re-send their email. I am not going to check email, Twitter, Facebook or blog while I am on holidays. I refuse to actually have anyone contact me by phone or text message. I want to be away and spend my vacation with my family and just disconnect. Therefore, I will be 100% unavailable then. Sounds a bit harsh perhaps and for some people, even presumptuous. But that’s my decision. This 2009, my vacation will be 100% offline. My friend Gillian Shaw (who is the digital reporter of the Vancouver Sun) did it (disconnect fully for a few days), why shouldn’t I?

So, don’t take it personally if I don’t respond to your tweets, phone calls, emails, Facebook wall messages, etc. It’s my decision – when I’m on holidays, it really means holidays.

Suggestions for software to design business cards

My 2010 will begin with a new set of business cards, so I am trying to find the best software (and of course, free or next-to-nothing) to design them. My understanding when you work with a printer for business cards is that you make the file really big and then they shrink it and size it and what not.

So, I figured I’d crowdsource suggestions on which software to use. I don’t have a Mac, so you’re going to have to go with PC suggestions 🙂 Thanks! Actually, come to think about it, is there anything that generates the full page (8.5″ x 11″) of cards so that I can then show them to the printer?

Thanks!

Win a Reading is Sexy Calendar!

As many of you know, I am Mr. April in the 2010 Reading is Sexy Calendar (produced by Ahimsa Media for the lovely Emme Rogers). I wanted to run a contest, and I like crowdsourcing things.

I like asking questions. And I like hearing from my readers, as well as giving away stuff to my readers. So, I’m asking you – what would YOU like to see on my blog in 2010? More contests and tickets giveaways? More restaurant reviews? More geeky/tech posts? More personal writing? More music?

You have until Friday at 4pm, when I will be drawing a winner. Contest, quite obviously, is open to anyone as I’m more than happy to pay for shipping the calendar to wherever you may be living (I know I have readers from New Zealand, South Africa, etc.)

P.S. – I will be showing up today at 5:00pm at Lion’s Pub (on West Cordova, near the Waterfront Skytrain station) to participate in the book signing. I’m staying for exactly 25 minutes, so if you want me to sign your calendar, show up early! Bonuses – you get to see some amazing people, including Monica Hamburg, Ian Alexander Martin and Monique Trottier, all of whom are in the calendar. And of course, the lovely Emme Rogers.

Snow predicted in Vancouver

So, apparently we can expect about 20 cm of snow this coming weekend (something that, as many of you who know, doesn’t make me very happy as cold weather and I don’t gel very well). The photo above is the view from Gastown towards the North Shore mountains. While I know that some people will be very happy to see the snow, I would just like people to be careful and get your winter tires out now. Since I’ve been helping with the Preventable campaign, I’ve become keenly aware of the risk of injuries that increases with slippery roads and walkways. Be careful out there! And of course, bundle up…

Happy birthday @ZoeyJane!

I met my friend Terra (aka ZoeyJane) through the blogosphere (as I have met many close friends in the past 2 or 3 years). We share a number of common friends, have had an opportunity to attend several events together. We first connected via our friend Colleen. But what really gave us a chance to grow close was the collaboration we enjoyed at Mental Health Camp ’09 (Vancouver). Good times indeed, and a great event.

A while ago, actually almost a year and a half ago, I wrote…

Blogging is what brought us together. It’s up to us to maintain the relationships

This rings more true than ever in the case of Terra. We’ve had long conversations, shared drinks, laughs, conversation, the good and the bad. We’ve become good friends. And even if we don’t spend so much time together in the physical space, we are always there for each other, both in the online and the offline realms. We support each other’s efforts in the areas and projects we are working on, and more than anything, we share a great friendship.

Happy birthday, Terra! Many happy returns, much love to @minizoeyjane and to you.

The Wonder Twins on Smallville

If you know me well, you’ll know I’m a superhero addict. I’ve been known for tweeting “your daily dose of Wonder Woman”. I just realized that I missed Smallville’s episode where David Gallagher (one of my most favorite actors) appears as Zan (of the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna). I really enjoyed this depiction (instead of the purple spandex and pointy ears). Trailer below.

Twitter showing tweets from non-following

I can’t complain about a tool that is free for me to use, but darn, can we please get a few of these problems fixed? We’ve lost the ability to search for tweets for over two weeks, the re-tweeting button is an annoyance, and now we’re having tweets from people we aren’t following appearing on our timeline as though we *are* indeed following them… *sigh*

To report them, use this link. Hat tips to GDGeek and RosamundCotton.

Below, you can see that I am supposed to follow the Dexter Fanatic person. Um, I don’t even watch Dexter!

QuitNow and Win Contest

My parents were both smokers up until about 15 years ago or so. They started at an extremely young age (in my view) and continued into their adulthood (even for a period while we were very young). Then one day, my Dad said he would quit cold turkey and he took up swimming. As expected, the cardiovascular activity required to sustain aerobic exercise like this required him to stay away from smoking cigarettes.

My Mom took up yoga, and she went the same kind of adaptive process. To continue doing yoga, Mom needed to stay away from tobacco. The brief story I shared above tells you how my parents quit smoking. My brothers and I decided to never smoke, simply because when we were young, we were programmed by our parents that “smoking is stupid”. Since we didn’t want to be stupid, we decided never to try it. But we are all very aware of the addictive nature of smoking. Moreover, my aunt passed away in 1999 of lung cancer, and she was a heavy smoker (smoking has been linked to lung cancer prevalence).

So, when I was approached by the BC Lung Association informing me QuitNow & Win contest, I decided that I was going to write about it. The QuitNow Facebook page offers some more information on the contest, including a box to share fans’ stories of quitting. I know that the contest has some substantial monetary rewards as incentives, but I think the best one is simply living a healthier lifestyle.

On the consumption of news

For most of 2008 and much of 2009, I’ve participated in numerous panel discussions and given talks about social media, new media, the future of newspapers and my empirical observations on the evolution of the information and news industry. I have criticized the journalists who focus more on speed than accuracy. For all practical purposes, I am immersed in the debate of how ‘new’ (social) media is transforming the information provision business, and in many cases, eroding the profitability of news providers.

What I find still somewhat surprising is that, in my daily routine, I still consume news from very traditional news sources. I find myself waking up, starting my coffee maker and turning on the TV (mostly to see the weather forecast and ponder if I should wear thermal underwear or not). At the Skytrain station, on my commute to the office, I pick up the daily newspapers (mostly, 24 Hours Vancouver, Metro Vancouver and on occasion, the print version of The Vancouver Sun). I listen to CBC Radio on occasion, and when I am having dinner at home on a quiet night, I often watch the news (also, frequently, CBC and CTV).

I’m not the only one. I have had this discussion with many other folks who are in the blogosphere and who thoroughly enjoy a Sunday lazy morning reading the print version of the newspaper. Knowing this, knowing that even as connected and online as I am, I still consume news in a very traditional format (TV, radio, print media), makes me ponder whether we’ll see a stabilization in the news business and a reduction in the number of news outlets closing and layoffs.

Thoughts on this topic, anyone?

My 2010: Focus on my personal growth

A number of people have asked me why I blog and why I continue doing it despite the fact that I don’t make money off of this blog. Truth be told, my blog not only serves the purpose of entertaining myself, sharing my thoughts with the world, but it also gives me a platform to test my thoughts and ideas. Furthermore, blogging has given me access to numerous opportunities.

I probably wouldn’t have had some of the successes I’ve had this 2009 if it weren’t for the popularity of my blog. It has allowed me to test social media tools (which has led to even more consulting gigs) and given me access to a broad array of events, gatherings and happenings. It has also brought a great many new friends into my life, for which I’m grateful.

Here is the thing. I think I have focused too much on building a community (both within the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, of which I am the Organizer and within my blog and my Twitter folks) and too little on myself. Despite the fact that I have been blessed with many talents (which I would hope I’m putting at the service of mankind), I definitely see a lot of room for growth.

This reflective process has led me to rethink my approach to my own personal, professional and social life. Folks may have noticed that I have increased the number of RSVPs that I provide to “Maybe” or “No”. This doesn’t mean that I like you any less. This doesn’t mean that your event isn’t important to me. This doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hang out. What it means is that I need more time for myself, and more time to grow in the areas that I foresee I need to grow. I think it’s about time I focus on myself. That’s my goal for 2010.

This series of posts on what my 2010 is going to look like will be a series of personal reflections on the areas where I plan to be improving and the things I plan to do for 2010. I know I’ll be teaching at the university level, I know I’ll be teaching at the college level, I know I’ll be doing research and so on, and I know that consulting will probably continue to be my primary professional activity. I also know I’ll continue to be active in the Vancouver social media/PR/tech communities and in the environmental realm. But, for example, in 2010 I do plan to be more active in the conference and speaking circuit. This will have an impact on the number of events I’ll be able to attend and the things I’ll be able to do.

I’ll keep you posted on my plans through this series, what I’ve called “My 2010”. Sometimes, it’s good to crowdsource and share with the world what your plans are.

Scheduling meetings and cultural differences

When I first moved to Canada (originally, the first Anglo-saxon country I called home). I noticed a marked difference in the work patterns with respect to Mexican (and other countries like Spain) standards. For example, in Canada, it is usually traditional to work from 9 am to 4 pm, with lunch usually happening around 12 (noon). Thus, I have observed how people schedule meetings at 2pm (something you’d rarely do in Mexico)

Unless it was a lunch meeting, you almost never would organize a meeting at 2pm in Mexico. But I’ve grown used to this system. As a matter of fact, I changed my eating habits when I moved to Mexico for a couple of years. I went to have lunch usually at 1pm (at the latest) and I would often organize meetings with colleagues abroad (e.g. phone or Skype meetings) around 2:30pm (when most Mexican people would be having their lunch). It’s funny how one adopts social norms and customs from the culture where you are most immersed.

The Pivotals

The Pivotals… You know, those people who come to your life, who have had THAT special power to cheer you up on a key moment when you were depressed. The people who know you are struggling and you need a helping hand and share whatever opportunities they have and enable you to further your achievements. The people who will make it their mission to help you succeed, along with their own workload. The people who will believe in you even if you don’t believe in yourself. I’ve decided to call those people the Pivotals.

The funny thing is that many of these Pivotals have been key in my success even without knowing that I had been in a low point in my life. Those friends of mine who have been pivotal in my growth, particularly in this 2009, really deserve recognition. And I hope you understand how grateful I am for having been by my side and helped me during really crucial times.

Blogging 201 – Learn to tell a story

One of the things that I think most bloggers who have surpassed the ‘Blogging 101’ stage (e.g. those bloggers who have set up their basic blog, written a few entries, and started promoting their blog posts on social networking sites) tend to forget that the underlying reason why blogs have become so successful is because they have become the canvas in which the writer can paint with broad brush strokes a complete picture of his/herself. That’s what we call storytelling. And the sad part is, most of the time people forget to tell their story.

Whenever I give a talk about social media or blogging (as I did recently at the Senior Communicators and PR Roundtable, an event where both Rebecca Bollwitt and I spoke) I always give a couple of key tips. The one that always sticks in all of my talks is – learn to tell your story – why is it that you write? What compels you? What drives your business? How can you contribute to other’s growth and understanding?

Learning to tell your story will help you grow your blog in ways you may never have imagined. You have a story to tell, you just have to practise how to create the narrative.

Mis Trucos Launch Party

A few weeks back, Ryan Bazeley invited me to the opening night of the Davie Street tapas bar Mis Trucos. Located at 1141 Davie Street, where the old Davie Street Cafe used to be, I found myself surrounded by lots of wonderful local foodie and liquor bloggers. I figured that, while some of my friends (including Mark Busse) had already sampled some of Mis Trucos’ wonderful tapas, I would give myself the opportunity to try them so I went down and tried a few, along with some tasty cocktails. As many of you may know, Madrid is pretty much second-home to me, and the Spanish cuisine and spirits are amongst my very favorites. Until we had Mis Trucos, I was basically a total slave to La Bodega for tapas and sangria. Now there’s an additional option.

In the words of the owners, Mis Trucos…

Mis Trucos is a modern Mediterranean tapas bar set in a character house in the heart of the Davie St. shopping district. Chef Kris Barnholden combines classic French, Spanish and Italian recipes with the freshest local ingredients and his own modern twists.

I would strongly recommend Mis Trucos for a quiet evening out, the atmosphere at this tapas bar is great. Thanks to Ryan for inviting me and to Mis Trucos for the warm welcome! I look forward to visiting again very soon.

My policies

Even though my primary field of research and teaching is public policy analysis (mostly focused on environment – water/solid waste/urban sustainability), I have very rarely thought of writing explicit policies. In this case, I’m not referring to public policies (which I have written, and/or advised governments on how to best design an effective policy). I am talking about a pitching policy (e.g. what should people who want me to write about their stuff on my blog do or how should they contact me) or a Twitter policy (e.g. who should follow me, who shouldn’t, why people shouldn’t expect that I will follow everyone back).

I have recently began thinking about posting my policies, but I’m really conflicted. First, I recognize that publishing a Twitter or a pitching policy might detract rather than contribute to the dialog. Second, I realize that sometimes I don’t even follow my policies so closely (e.g. by the book). Third, it takes time to write these policies.

There are positive elements to policies. I find, for example, that Ike Piggott’s Twitter policy is very similar to what mine would be. I don’t really have the brain space to follow everyone back and I would feel very disappointed if people expected me by definition to follow back. I engage with everyone, but I don’t have the brain space to follow everyone. Not even with the Twitter lists or the TweetDeck/HootSuite columns.

I find as well that I enjoy the pitching policy that my friend Kate Trgovac has on her site. I find that some folks pitch me but then fail to follow up. Or I forget to write about their stuff and they simply write me off for the next event (for which, most likely, I may actually have time and/or want to write about).

As with anything I do, and with social media itself, my policies will probably evolve, but there are a few elements that I have begun to firm up with regards to my Twitter policy and my pitching policy.

Twitter (e.g. following me)

– I’m a noisy Tweeter. Follow me at your own risk. I won’t be upset if you unfollow me (and this is particularly true if we are friends – since, most likely, we are already connected via other social networking sites).
– I don’t respond well to pressure (of any kind). More often than not, I might actually decide NOT to do whatever I’m being pressured to do.
– Don’t take it personally. I don’t have the brain capacity to follow everyone back.
– I do engage with just about everyone who sends me an @ reply. So, feel free to @ reply me even if you don’t follow me (lots of people do that).
– I am incredibly appreciative of Follow Fridays and Twitter Lists. I just don’t do them. Rest assured, I really appreciate any gestures of kindness.

Pitching me

– Read my blog. That means, read at least a few entries. Realize that I write about a very broad variety of things.
– Don’t pitch me with a generic “Hello”. My name is Raul. It’s clearly written on every entry. Try to personalize it as much as you can.
– I have Acrobat Reader, but given the volume of requests I receive to write about stuff, you’d make my life 3 times easier if you provided me with text that I can just cut-and-paste. Easy peasy.
– Photos – it’d be fantastic if you could send me links to Creative-Commons-licensed photos from the get-go. Makes it easier for me to insert in my entry.
– I receive hundreds of emails a day. If I tell you “yeah, I’d love to write about this but I may forget” – please follow up. I won’t get mad if you send me three emails. Trust me, I’m way more understanding than people think.
– Pitching me via Twitter works only if you send me a personalized email to follow up. I receive hundreds of @ replies every day. I can’t recall everything even if I want to.

So, these are working drafts – feedback, as usual, is always appreciated.

Stock Up (Kerrisdale)

After I moved to the UBC campus from where I used to live when I first arrived in Vancouver (37th and Blenheim, in Kerrisdale), I almost never would come back to Kerrisdale. It’s not a bad neighbourhood at all — it is actually considered one of the most affluent. I have walked around the area, and have had a lot of fun shopping on 41st Avenue between East Boulevard and Vine.

I have always cherished small places in areas that are relatively remote (most of the time, because of my consulting, I spend my time downtown Vancouver), and as it so happens, the one little quaint place I have lately had a chance to spend some time at (and enjoy great coffee and free wifi) is Stock Up, in Kerrisdale (near 45th Avenue and East Boulevard).

Stock Up is open 7am to 7pm every day. I never arrive that early (7am) but I’ve been there before 8:00am and it’s pure bliss. I’m serious. It’s totally quiet and the music isn’t overwhelming, the baking goods are great and the coffee is substantially good. I would strongly recommend Stock Up for anyone who wants to get some writing/geeking out done.

Legend Power Complimentary Webinar on Voltage Optimization Technology

Via my friend Monique Trottier I found out about a webinar that is going to take place on Tuesday December 8th – details below.

Learn How Voltage Optimization Technology Can Reduce Your Facility’s Power Cost by 6-10%

Guest Speaker: Dr. William Dunford, Moderator: Erik Wolfe, Legend Power Systems
* Key Applications for Cost Savings With Automated Voltage Regulation
* An overview of how new Automated Voltage Optimization technology can reduce overall power consumption by 6-10%
* Featured BC Hydro audit results from IKEA, Loblaws, and case study overview

Time: 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST
Location: Online Webinar
Registration Online

It sounds like a good webinar and I’d be interested to hear more of what Legend Power is doing.

UXCamp Vancouver 09 #uxcv09

The organizers of UX Camp Vancouver ’09 are two very close friends of mine (David Drucker and J. Karen Parker), both of them user experience/information architecture/user interface specialists. Another really close friend of mine (Lynne Polischiuk) is also very involved in UX. So I figured that even if I couldn’t make it to UX Camp Vancouver, I would add a capture of their tweets. Follow along with the hashtag #uxcv09.

While it’s completely sold out, it’s probably important to know that UX Camp Vancouver is taking place at Vancouver Film School. Kudos to Karen and David for organizing!

Win tickets to Uzume Taiko at the Roundhouse

Once upon a time, I dated someone who was a scholar of Japanese history. Quite obviously, the best way to learn a language and learn about a culture is by dating (or marrying) someone who is interested in said cultural background. This was the case for me, and even though we are no longer dating, I remain interested in the Japanese cultural heritage

Using a diverse collection of percussive and melodic instruments as well as taiko drums, Uzume Taiko has developed a dynamic fusion of old and new styles of drumming — bringing a vibrant, contemporary sensibility to an ancient art. [Uzume Taiko websites]

In their return to Vancouver, Uzume Taiko drummers will give a concert that sees them return to their traditional roots and demonstrate the purity of this powerful Japanese form. They will be joined on stage by bamboo flutist Alvin Ryuzen Ramos on December 11, 12 at Roundhouse Community Centre – 181 Roundhouse Mews (Pacific Blvd. at Davie St.)

Tickets are $20 (general) / $12 (students / seniors); discount on advance tickets through Brown Paper Tickets 1.800.838.3006  http://www.brownpapertickets.com For more Information: 604.873.6373 or visit their website.

I am giving away 2 (two) pairs of tickets for each day (one for Dec 11 and one for Dec 12). I will be drawing a winner on Tuesday December 8 at 1:30pm. To win, all you need to do is drop a comment on this blog entry. This sounds like it will be a great show!

Gingerbread Lane at the @HyattVancouver

Last year, I was the judge of the Gingerbread Lane competition at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver. This year, I was invited by the Gingerbread Man (see photo) to the launch on November 24th. Unfortunately, that week (as you may recall) I was very sick so I couldn’t make it. But I just wanted to announce to you that the exhibit is on right now, and you should go and check it out.

My good friend Rebecca Bollwitt and I passed by on our way out from the Senior PR Communicators Roundtable, an event that our common friend Dixon Tam from Contemporary Communications invited us (both Rebecca and I spoke at the Roundtable). The Gingerbread Lane is a beautiful exhibit and it was nice to see it before it was officially launched. You can access the Hyatt Regency Vancouver via transit on the Skytrain (Burrard Station).

On being a jack of all trades

Human beings like classifying things. It’s in our nature. I, unfortunately, defy classification and/or “pigeon-hole”-ing. So, I did take issue when I read a tweet that said “wow, you’re a Jack of All Trades!” Uh, no… I’m NOT a Jack of All Trades. I’m someone who has been blessed with opportunities for work, research, teaching and consulting in a very broad variety of industries. I have been lucky. Very lucky.

I have been involved with and surrounded by extremely bright minds, from my birth (my parents are amazingly smart and my brothers are incredible, seriously outstanding) to when I did my undergraduate, my Masters and my PhD. I have had a very broad education (undergraduate in chemical engineering, Masters in Business Administration with a focus on strategic management and technology management, and doctorate in resource management and environmental studies), a largely eclectic work life (I’ve worked in the soft drinks industry, in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology, I’ve done consulting projects for leather and footwear, and I’ve been involved with the work of my parents as lawyers). And yes, recently I’ve done a lot of social media work, including consulting. Heck, I’m collaborating in a project on mental health!

What can I say? I’m a versatile individual, not a Jack-of-All-Trades. I take issue with anyone who can assume that I’m the kind of guy who is not a master of any kind of job. I prefer the Princeton Dictionary definition “a person who does a number of jobs reasonably well” than the aphorism “Jack of all trades, master of none” describing a person with multiple skills, but no expert proficiency.