On Sunday April 10, 2011, I had the pleasure of attending the “Toronto Bakes For Japan” Bake Sale that took place at 5 locations in Toronto. When I walked in the door, I was overwhelmed by the amount of baking that was available; and I was only at the Liberty Noodle location in Liberty Village!

Overwhelming contributions from you!

Sushi anyone!?!

My friend, Niya Bajaj, an event planner and social extrovert had taken this idea to heights that I had not anticipated. Her team of volunteers and her fellow organizer, Heena Punwani, had motivated, inspired and encouraged Toronto into putting together a massive spread of baking to help the people of Japan, following the earthquake that happened there on March 11, 2011.

There was also an auction of art, specialty baked goods and gift certificates for restaurants, spas and other locations in the city. One of the most impressive items up for auction was a cake that looked like sushi on a wooden stand! I can tell you that when I saw it, I thought it was sushi! I understand that @allcondohotels bought the sushi cake! I hope they enjoyed it! It was a very impressive item!

I also had the opportunity to visit the crew that was working at Cafe Diplomatico all day on Sunday and they had some interesting stories of their time on the patio! Their day had started in the rain, but thankfully the weather had warmed up and the sun had come out! They had provided people with snacks to enjoy while doing laundry nearby or to enjoy with their coffee on the patio. These folks had given up their day to sit outdoors and help raise money for the people in Japan. Their efforts should not go without a huge “Thank You”.

The same thanks should go to the other locations that hosted the volunteers and were generous with their support and time for the volunteers to sell their product. I had the opportunity to meet Sang Kim, and learn about his Toronto to Japan effort that helps raise spirits via sending short videos to people in Japan. Liberty Noodle played a large role in this effort and hosted a sushi making event on April 2, 2011 in conjunction with Sang. Please check out their website and visit them for dinner or one of their special events. It is now on my calendar to do so!

I really liked that all of the items were stylishly packaged. The level of care and concern that everyone had committed to their products was evident just from looking over the tables. There was a large selection to choose from and almost every item was labeled with the ingredients that went into the product. Every detail was taken care of especially for those with food allergies!

OMG! Was this ever good!

I didn

I even caught Jo shopping for some baked goods! Imagine that!

@clickflickca selecting his baked goods!

I know that I left Liberty Noodle with an armload of baked goods (that were all delicious), a good feeling in my heart! Thanks should also go to The Rivoli, Amaranto Cafe, Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market and Yoshi’s Sweets that also hosted volunteers over the weekend.

As of writing this, the efforts of this team of volunteers was approaching $30,000 raised for the Red Cross in Japan and they are still working. If you would like to help them, please visit their website and contact them for how you can help donate. They and the people in Japan will appreciate it.

I like that it is made by a Canadian company. I like that it has a “real” keyboard. That said, I have had multiple reasons lately to question my loyalty to the company that got me past the cell phone time of my life to where I am now.

I started with a BlackBerry Pearl, because I didn’t want my smartphone to look like a “device”. I wanted to try a BlackBerry but maintain the size and style of a regular cell phone.  It worked…until it died suddenly, after only 2 years of service. I upgraded to my current Bold 9700 in February of 2010 and as it turns out, I liked the full keyboard, the operating system and the web browser a lot more. That was until recently.

The truth of the matter is that I am tired of seeing apps that exist for iPhone and Android, but not for BlackBerry. I love using my Boingo service and they recently launched a new app. Not for BlackBerry. Companies have more apps for iPhone and Android than Blackberry, based on what I have seen when visiting company websites and reviewing magazine advertising. Why is this? As a supporter and fan of things that are mobile, access and availability are key issues for me. When I have less of either on the device I am using, I have to question if I have made the right choice.

The reason I would like to test an Android is to see, in real-time, how the device would function in my hands; the way that I use my phone. The reason I say this is that it would have been great if I could have taken OS 6 for the BlackBerry for a “test drive” before I installed it. I did that recently and I basically have been rebuilding my phone for a week. All the usual “stock” sounds are now gone, so I have been resetting all my profiles on the phone. I have been tackling a reduced battery life for some unexplainable reason. I lost almost half of the free memory on my phone just by completing the upgrade. I am really questioning why I should continue to punish myself like this!? I guess this is why changing devices makes me nervous. Is the grass really greener? Should I continue to dance with the devil I know?

I am excited for the launch of BBM at the end of April for the iPhone and Android. That may be the straw that sees me move to a new device. A bigger screen, better integration with my computer at home and more apps. What have I got to lose?  If the launch does happen and the functionality is there then I may be off to the races with an alternate handset as soon as the shackles of my current contract are released.

When you get the right combination of bread and filling it is MAGIC!!  The combination of firmer bread and some fillings, just works.  Other times, an uber-fresh roll works with some deli meat and fresh cheese.  One of my favs is a slice of meatloaf (homemade or store-bought), a dab of spicy pasta sauce or spicy salsa and a slice of swiss cheese.  Toast that sucker open-faced in the toaster oven until the sauce and meatloaf are warm and the cheese is just starting to melt.  Put it together and that is the perfect combination of crunchy bread on the outside and fresh roll on the inside.  The combination of spicy sauce and the bite of the cheese works well with the meatloaf.  Try it and tell my what you think!

As for sandwich bread, there are so many choices.  Rolls, loaves of bread, wraps.  Some of the best sandwiches require the perfect bread.  Corned Beef on Rye.  You need a good rye bread and there are plenty of opinions on what rye bread is best. Marble, Light Rye or Dark Rye, they are all good and all serve their purpose.  Ciabatta buns, Foccacia bread, Flatbreads, Pitas and Wraps are all viable options too.  I have spread peanut butter and jam on the inside of a wrap and you know what, it works.  The wrap suits that sort of filling.

As for the fillings themselves, this is where creativity comes in! They are as unique as the individual themselves.  You can be creative and risqué or standard and predictable.  Sometimes a good ol’ fashioned grilled cheese or BLT just works.  The standbys of PB & J work too, especially if you are a kid (or a kid a heart).  Personally one of my favourite sandwiches is something I call a Stag & Doe Sandwich (aka The Dagwood Sandwich).  This monstrosity basically involves walking up to the meat platter at the buffet table and placing one slice of EVERY deli meat on the tray onto your roll.  This means you can have roast beef, turkey, ham, salami and any other number of deli slices on there! Then add some olives, pickles, tomatoes, mustard and mayo (again, whatever is there).  Close the sucker up and prepare to “tackle” it!  If you have ever seen, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, you likely know about the “Philadelphia Hunch”.  This is a method of eating a HUGE sandwich and keeping it all together.  You might need to perfect this to tackle this sucker!

In conclusion, I guess it doesn’t matter what you find the best part of a sandwich.  It is that you take some creativity and try it out.  Do you have to eat a few “duds” along the way…sure.  The payoff is that winning combination that just “works”! If you have found one of those combinations, leave it in the comments below.  I would love to try some of your creations!

Love it or hate it we get one day every few years to decide who is going to be our Prime Minister, our government and our public face to the world for the next 4-5 years (we hope).  If we don’t elect a majority government, then the perch of a minority government is a little more precarious and we get to do this a little more often; as we just found out.  This is not uncommon in our history and I encourage you to read up on the history of governments in Canada, here and the history of elections and majority/minority governments, here.

I have long felt and believe that voting is one of the most important things you get to do as an adult.  As a rule we like to complain about things in Canada.  The price of gas, the number of winning “cups” we get from Tim Hortons, the weather, winter cold, summer heat and the government.  The truth is we have very little control over most of those things.  We do get some control over the government.  We control who is elected and why.

In order to complain about what is happening and the rules and laws that are being written by the government, you have to take a stand.  You don’t have to share who you vote for but on Election Day; you only have to get out, mark a ballot properly and care about the decision you are making.   The more effort you put into your decision and encouraging those around you to do the same, the better the results will be.  It is no different from anything else in society and daily life.

I have always voted based on the platform laid out by the party leaders.  No matter who is running locally, the platform on the national level is what matters, in my opinion.  That is what will impact me and my livelihood the most. An old friend of mine used to say, “Vote for the party, not the individual”. They ran for office, so I have to believe they knew what they were talking about.

Any elected official will try to help you on the local level once they are in power. They will be expected by the party leader to “tow the party line” as well. They are as tied to that platform as anyone. That’s why voting for the ideology, ideas and roadmap that best suits you and your livelihood is important.  Our job in an election is to put the right person into leadership and in this case it is on the national level. That’s why voting for party, platform and leader is critical, in my view. Sure, the parties have historically made bad decisions once in power by turning their backs on the platform they laid out.  This only works once.  In order to preserve their interest in governing they learn that turning their backs on those that got them there is not a wise idea.

I personally hope and believe that government is on the road to better things.  The last municipal elections seemed to show a real interest in change, better leadership and better government right through Southern Ontario.  I am hopeful that this will happen on the Federal level on May 2, 2011.

It is true that everyone only gets ONE vote.  It is also true that every vote counts.  There are parts of the world where people go to war for the right to vote.  We get to do so freely on May 2.  Please don’t take the right to vote lightly or for granted.

Your vote is your say and it counts!

Personally, it’s my belief that business relationships are still based on a phone call.  I work in a business that requires me to call my contacts and discuss issues that are impacting our customers.  Talking about these issues on the phone is far easier than trying to squeeze all of the necessary information into an email or text. There is also the opportunity to ensure that there are no misunderstandings when we talk on the phone. Don’t get me wrong, we do use email for business related information.  Paperwork that used to be sent via fax, requiring paper on both ends, is sent electronically.  Routine correspondence to confirm or update customer orders is also sent via email. This helps reduce the environmental impact that we are having in our daily operations, for sure.

I know that with family members, texting and BBM closes the distance when someone lives out-of-town or is on vacation. I do think that BBM poses a different issue than texting or email. All of these types of communications come directly to my phone. The difference is that I view BBM as a “conversation”, something that is interactive on both ends. I approach BBM conversations the same way I approach face-to-face conversations. I give them my attention, the trouble is that it is easy to get distracted.

When it comes to text or email, I look at these communication methods as less interactive and more convenient. The ability for me to respond to them from my phone is great. I don’t give them the same priority level as a BBM. I like the option of being able to leave a text or email for someone and know that they will get it at their convenience. That their response will arrive, “when they have time”. If I text or email someone I am not looking for that “engagement” that I am with a BBM.

When it comes to personal relationships and even dating, another entire level gets added to the mix, in my opinion. I am generally very private and guarded with my PIN and my phone number. Gauging whether to offer a phone number, email or PIN is always tough. Given that I see BBM as a more instant form of communication in my world, I generally like to reserve that for friends that I see routinely and make plans with often. That said, my PIN is on my personal card, so the potential is there for a professional or new contact to add me to BBM.

This question has been of interest to me for some time. I have raised it on Twitter in the past, asking about this BBM commercial, which suggests that people are relatively forthcoming with their PIN to allow BBM communication.  The response I received on Twitter does not necessarily reflect the commercial. Most people say that they are relatively guarded with their PIN and prefer to reserve it for people that they know.  I would think that from a dating perspective, the initial stages of dating are far better suited to the telephone and the two-way conversation. Failing that then IM (Windows Live Messenger, etc) works too. Once that connection is established then moving to texting and BBM is certainly a viable option, in my opinion.

What do you think? What are your thoughts? Do you generally call, text or BBM?  Please leave a comment below, find me on Twitter or email me and let me know what you think.  I look forward to your comments.

I knew about Jamie’s show where he took under-privileged kids and taught them how to cook, in one of his restaurants. That he took them from the streets to productive members of society. I knew that I liked his cooking shows on The Food Network and that he had written some decent cookbooks. His shows are engaging and his recipes seem simple. Alas, my purpose here is not to talk about his cooking and his recipes.

My purpose is to talk about the social good he is working on and what he is trying to do, because he wants to. Because it’s important to him.

Luckily, I caught a tweet by someone recently that connected me to this video. Jamie is working to make a difference in the world and even though his efforts are focused in the US and the UK, his message is certainly applicable to Canada. I had no idea about TED, what they did or that a TED prize even existed. I now know more about their organization and Jamie as well. The TED website is here and Jamie’s personal website is here. Check them out if you have the time. It’s worth it.

Those of you that know me know I love to cook.  If you didn’t know that have a look around here and you will find stories about my Homemade Salsa.  That’s likely why his message hit home with me.  I learned about food and cooking helping my Grandmother in her kitchen and in her garden.  For that I am certainly grateful.  I love Jamie’s idea of teaching children 10 recipes that will save their lives. Teaching them what carrots, beets, potatoes, tomatoes and healthy foods are is so important.

Have a look at the TED video – it is worth 20 minutes of your time. I know that it has made be think of things in a different way. The changes that he talks about are simple and basic. There is no reason why some or all of the things that he talks about cannot become routine.  I look forward to your comments on what you think and what you might do to make a change or difference during 2011. Feel free to comment here, catch me on Twitter or drop me an email.

Resources:

TED Prize : Wishes Big Enough to Change the World » Congratulations Jamie Oliver – 2010 TED Prize Winner.

The link to the actual episode of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight can be found here.

Something happened on March 25, 2010

When I walked into Tryst nightclub that night, I didn’t even know what the word #tweetup meant! I had no idea what to expect when I arrived knowing one person – Joallore (@clickflickca). Now if you know only one person, he is a good person to know. He has been participating in Social Media related events for a long time and knows a lot of people. He is gracious with introductions and disarming when meeting new people. These are all skills that I have improved on in his company during the last year.

I just attended my 2nd #TwestivalTO on March 24, 2011. At this point, I have sent almost 15,000 tweets and I have just over 1,200 followers. I had less than 100 of both on March 25, 2010! Have a look at these graphs! One shows my tweets by month since I joined Twitter and the other shows my activity in March 2011 as a comparison to the graph above.

A picture of a year "on" Twitter

What a difference a year makes!

Do I know what I am “doing” now? I would say, I have a better idea, but like Twitter itself,  the role that it plays each day in my life changes. Do I tweet more now, “Yes”. I like the interaction and conversation that I have with people on Twitter.  I miss the conversation when I am “offline”. It adds to the interactions that I have during the day, so just like talking over coffee with a co-worker, Twitter is something that I can do while I watch TV, have a coffee, watch a ballgame or listen to some tunes.

During the past year, people who are not on Twitter have asked me what I tweet about. I usually say, “Whatever comes to mind”. I get to talk about whatever is on my mind on Twitter and usually I can find a like-minded audience to share in the conversation.  The topic could be coffee, beer, BBQ, grilling, food, recipes, baseball, hockey, vacations, movies, music. The topics are endless and the support network is vast.

What I love about Twitter is that if you need information on a faraway place, you send it out and sure enough someone will tweet back with a resource for a restaurant or an all-night photocopy place! If you are having a bad day you send out a tweet for “+” vibes and your feed lights up with messages of support and good thoughts. You wake up on your birthday and your feed is alive with endless birthday wishes that stream in from Twitter friends around the globe! You put an idea for dinner or a get-together out there and suddenly you have 10+ people signed up to try a restaurant. The connections are personal and they have far-reaching potential.

I am now glad to include amongst my friends fellow foodies, movie fanatics, social creatures and sports fans. We have come together over the past year via various events and introductions and now see each other on a regular basis. These are all positive changes. These people are smart, funny and educated in a number of ways. Most of them are skilled professionals that share an interest in something that I like doing. There are also a number of people who I interact with regularly that I have yet to meet. I hope that 2011 gives me the opportunity to visit some of these people and meet with them, “In Real Life” (#IRL). It is always fun to finally put a face to a personality that you have talked with on Twitter.

How do I see Twitter? I see it as something that is fun and exactly what you make of it. It can be a social tool, a business tool, a marketing tool or all of those things. You can connect with every type of person on a number of levels via the “conversation” that is happening. I try to be myself on Twitter and I try to stay true to some guiding principles for myself (eg: minimal swearing). Do I tweet often, yes, but I also like to talk a lot. I am an extrovert and a social creature by nature. I always have been. Twitter lets me get out and talking to people even if I am on a coffee break, in a shopping mall or sitting in a foreign city.

I have shared in the joy of a tweep celebrating the birth of a new child.  I have seen the pictures of people’s vacations and have seen twitpics of meals that I must go and try! Some of the food that people find is absolutely amazing!  No matter how silly it seems I also love it when people share twitpics of sunsets and sunrises!  The world is full of fantastic photographers and seeing a gorgeous sunset is just a nice addition to any day, in my books.  I have shared my memories and photos from various roadtrips and vacations, as they happened. Why not, one of the first questions people you haven’t seen for a while ask is, “What’s new?”. The saying is that, “A picture is worth 1,000 words”, isn’t it?

Twitter has given me the opportunity to go to San Francisco (#VXToronto, @virginamerica), try multiple restaurants in and around Toronto, meet new people in Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener and points in between (@TWestofTO, #RandomTO, #JaysTO). I have shared thoughts on movies and the #Oscars, the #Grammys, bonded over the Olympics (#Van2010reunion, #Vancouver2010) and even organized an event to celebrate the survival of a #BlackBerry taking a “swim”!! (#BeerDunk2010). I also organized an event in October 2010 (#FeedYourDragon), with my friends at Mickey’s Pizza (@FeedYourDragon), that helped raise over $200 for the World Food Program(@WFP) and taught us all how to make some of the best pizza we have ever eaten!!

There are loads of people who have guided me on the path in the past year, but the one that organized the majority of the events that I went to was @clickflickca (Jo). We are old friends, but after the last year I think that we are now good friends. Without his energy and enthusiasm for connecting people the graphs that I have included in this post would not look the way that they do.  My thanks to you, my friend, for the guidance you provided even if you didn’t realize it.

I look forward to what the next 12 months on Twitter will bring.  I am hoping that I can find a way to make Social Media part of my career and daily life.  I enjoy it that much.  How that is going to come together, I am not sure but I am working on it (if you would like to help me in this endeavour, get in touch with me via email or twitter, please).   I am sure that the #tweetups will continue as the number of things to do in Toronto and Southern Ontario is endless!! Where we go next, who knows!! I am sure it will be a blast and I look forward to it (and tweeting about it)!!

Note: Please visit – Tweetstats if you like the graphs that are included here. They run an awesome website!

I find this stuff interesting and if you do, here is a TweetCloud of my first year on Twitter (via Tweetstats):

I have made a little progress on some of my goals for the year. I have seen 2 movies since the start of the year; The Tourist and The Fighter. Both were good movies and I don’t disagree with the buzz that Christian Bale will get some attention at Oscar time. He plays the role of a drug addicted boxer in The Fighter and he does an outstanding job.

As far as my other goals, I have managed to make some progress on reading my book that I have had on the go. Other than that I haven’t been able to implement much in 7 days or less!!

When talking about changes I find it interesting how my cell phone usage has changed over the years. When I first had a cell phone, all I ever used it for was voice calls. Texting, BBM and data applications would not have been possible on the green lit screen in those days!! Times changed and I progressed to texts and the occasional picture message on my phone.

Once I entered the world of Blackberry, the way I used my phone changed completely. Now I am more concerned with my phone being able to run apps, access the web and connect to social media content. I rarely use my phone to actually call someone now. That may be different if I was using my phone for business, but in the personal/social setting that I use my phone, I am more likely to BBM/Text/Email someone then call them.

What about you? How do you use your phone? Has that changed recently? If you just got a SmartPhone for Christmas do you think that the way you use your phone will change in 2011? Take a second and join the poll below.

I look forward to your comments and the results from these polls!!

I am sure that this will not be an easy task, but it might be fun!?! I am going to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers here and on other sites, to help me along the way!! If you see something you like please let me know.  If you have ideas or opinions you want to share, please leave a comment or click on the “Like” button, so that I know how I’m doing!!

Not an earth shattering post for today, but it’s a start for sure!! The world returns to “normal” tomorrow!! Let’s see if I can manage to work another “To Do” onto my list then!!

Today, I am going to try and figure out some of the functionality of WordPress and making this blog site a little more, “personal” and interesting.  I hope to incorporate a few more items into the page this year.  I also hope to have a few more regular entries for you (I was not good at posting last year).  I plan to learn more about HTML and all things related to online content and websites, this year.  This has never been part of my focus for the internet, but 2011 seems like a good time to start learning!

That is all part of looking forward to the next 365 days.  The coming days are like an unwritten book, pages waiting to be filled.   The book for 2010 has been closed.  The stories have been written, the pictures taken, the memories etched.  It’s time to start working on the next book that won’t close until December 31, 2011.

Today I am going to work on reading some of the interesting articles that are part of this website.  I am hoping to find some new and insightful information that will help me in my quest! I’ll keep you posted!