A Second Life: Local acting student making a new start

If you could live your life over again, would you do anything different?
A student at a Vancouver acting school is going back almost 30 years and taking a different path.
When he was in high school in southern Ontario, Sotos Petrides had applied to enter journalism and acting programs for his post-secondary studies. Within the same week, he received letters of acceptance from both programs. He had to make a choice.
Petrides’ father – naturally – said journalism was a much better, safer choice. Acting is something you do for fun, journalism is something you do so you can earn a living and support a family. So, Petrides enrolled in journalism school.
Almost 30 years later, after a varied career, Petrides has chosen to take the other path and go to acting school.
“It’s the right time,” said Petrides during a recent conversation over coffee in Vancouver’s Marpole neighbourhood. “I have no mortgage, no kids. Nothing is holding me back from doing it.”
One of a dozen students in a year-long program at the New Image College of Fine Arts, Petrides isn’t the oldest in the class, but he’s close. Most students are in the 19 to 23 year-old range, most are female.
Petrides has already had two paid acting gigs, and he got a call about a third while we were in the coffee shop. They’re not major roles, but he was getting paid for all three, and he had only been in acting school for a few months. The money is barely enough to pay the rent, but he is now an “actor”.
“The industry here is small enough that it’s important to get along with everyone,” said Petrides. “I want to make friends every way I can. If people like you, they want you to succeed.”
Petrides will be able to call upon his own experiences and successful business career in developing new networks and relationships.
Born in Cyprus, 47 years ago, Petrides was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, where he got involved in theatre.
He studied “drama” - as they call it - for four years in high school. In fact, his high school troupe travelled around Ontario, doing performances based on Aesop’s fables for elementary school students.
Acting is in Petrides’ blood, and at the mid-point in life, he has decided to make a career in acting. His goal is to play a doctor, lawyer, father or businessman on a television series. It seems that’s where the really money is in acting.
“My previous careers and enterprises were serious,” explained Petrides. “My motivation at this point in my life is to pursue a new career in acting and to have fun.”

Citizen of the World

Sadira Rodrigues is the Director of Continuing Studies at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
She is an Art Historian & Curator with a Masters Degree from UBC. Sadira started her career at the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, where she was the first curator in residence.

She continued her career in the art world at the Vancouver Art Gallery where she led the Fuse program for a few years.

"I was teaching at Emily Carr and remember seeing the job posting for a Continuing Studies Director. A friend of mine kept encouraging me to apply for the position but I never thought I would get it, especially after the intimidating panel interview!" Sadira laughs.

But Sadira did get the position and she has spent the last few years re-vamping the Continuing Studies department, and with great success. Sadira is a born leader, she's full of contagious energy, positivity and a strong zest for life.

"I love my life! my family, partner and work! I'm an avid gardener and I love to cook. The people I work with are my second family. But I'm not a workaholic. I believe in the importance of balance between work and life."

Sadira has a fascinating and colorful background; she was born in Zambia, grew up in Zimbabwe, India and Paraguay before ending up in Canada with her brother and parents at the age of 14.

"My mother was a hippie and moved from India to Africa when she was 19 years old! My family is full of very strong female characters. Education and family is very important to us."

Sadira had only gone to catholic boarding school for girls, so when she came to Vancouver and went to a blended high school it was a real culture shock to her.

"I was completely distracted! I couldn't get my home work done!" Sadira laughs heartily. "My parents were quick to transfer me to a private girls only school within a few months."

Being such a citizen of the world, I wonder how Sadira feels, is she Canadian, Indian or African?

"I'm completely Canadian! I especially feel very Canadian when I go to India. But growing up in so many different countries at such a young, impressionable age taught me to be very empathetic and patient."

One of Sadira's passions in life is community based education.

"It's wonderful to be able to provide people from all walks of life access to an institution that they wouldn't have thought about going to. We work with Humanities 101 at UBC and we have provided people from downtown eastside, as well as aboriginal teens, access to a wide variety of programs. We also offer children of staff and faculty opportunities to part take in certain programs when there are spots available."

Sadira tells me about a turning point in her career.

"Working as a Manager of Arts Programs with 2010 Legacies Now was very eye opening for me. I travelled to 52 communities around BC and took part of 3 hour workshops organized by the Community Arts Council. I met artists of all kinds, and it was an amazing experience. So many of these artists didn't know how to apply for funding and how to get their art noticed. My experience was mostly with urban centres and working with Legacies Now opened my eyes to the whole art community in BC."

I wonder what Sadira dreams of, and what are her plans for the future?

"I would love to live on the Sunshine coast, or on a small Gulf island where I could grow my own food, and use it as a tool for education. I don't know when I would be able to do this, but it's so important to have dreams," Sadira smiles confidently.

Sadira is such a strong, capable and determined woman and we're so lucky at Emily Carr to have her in charge of our Continuing Studies department. She can certainly make dreams come true, not only for herself, but for our students as well.

Mystery Blog

My very wise teacher asked me tonight to introduce my blog....the problem is that I really don't know what my blog will look like yet.

The whole idea of creating a blog started over a few glasses of beers at the Pirate Pub this past summer. Another wise friend of mine, Nadia, told me that I really need to start writing down my life experiences and observations and why don't I get a blog up and running? it sounded like a perfect idea, as we sat there in the summer breeze, enjoying our beers, nibbling on nachos and fantasizing about our future.

Nadia wants to teach yoga, get a summer house, learn how to sail...the last wish came about as we admired the sailboats going by and wowed that one day, it would be us sitting on deck, watching the world go by as we sailed out towards the ocean. We had some grand plans that night, and the beers were flowing.

So back to my blog....other friends of mine cheered me on throughout the summer when they heard about my blog plans. My friend Benita found out about the Art of Blogging course that was being held at Emily Carr and phoned me on my summer holidays and told me to sign up immediately before the class was full. There was a sense of urgency in her voice. It sprung me into action and I made sure I signed up for the class as soon as I came back to work.

And yet, the whole purpose of my blog is still a bit of a mystery to me. What will it be for? who will read it? and what is the whole purpose of it? perhaps I'm just analyzing it too much. I should just sit down, post some of the stories I've written throughout the years and just take it from there. Just go with the flow. I'm always trying to ignore that little voice inside my head that keeps asking me why am I doing this and who will really care? perhaps someone out there will care what I write about, perhaps not. That remains to be seen.

A pivotal moment in my life

Involvement in politics during my high school years made me who I am today.

Apart from being involved in student council, including a one-year term as president, I also became involved in the Progressive Conservative Party provincially (Ontario) and federally.

My parents were party members, which laid the groundwork, but the person who brought me into party politics was someone I met through a summer job.

I was what is known as Red Tory – generally defined as someone who is fiscally conservative but progressive on social policy. I worked for Red Tory leadership candidates and cabinet ministers.

For the record, I have not voted for the federal Conservative Party since it was created through a merger of the Canadian Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party. I have voted for the Green Party candidate since that time – as have a number of other Red Tories – except once when I voted for the Liberal Party when Paul Martin was leader. Generally, the Conservative Party is too far to the right for my tastes.

Becoming active in party politics was significant in two ways: socially and to my career development.

I developed very close relationship in politics. Many of the friends I made in those early years are still my best friends today (and most of them don’t vote for the Conservatives either). My theory is that you build very strong bonds when you campaign together. You work together, on an event that has a very tight timeline and do-or-die conclusion date. You ride a rollercoaster of emotions together.

Most jobs I’ve had in my life flow from my involvement in party politics. I either worked directly in politics, or government relations, or I got jobs through friends I made in politics.

I strongly encourage young people to get involved in politics, regardless of which party they choose.

Most dramatic moment

The most dramatic moment in my life....was leaving Finland when I was 18 years old. My parents decided to immigrate to Canada and I was asked if I wanted to come along or stay in Finland. I was studying journalism at that time and already had a few job offers. I was just about engaged and had my whole life planned. I decided to leave it all behind and go to North America with my parents.

I had never even heard of British Columbia before. We ended up in Northern BC for the first few months and it was a bit of a shock to the system. We lived in a very small rural community and everyone knew about us before we had even arrived. I went to Northern Lights College in Fort St John for a term, before moving to Langley with my parents.

We lived in Canada for 2 years, and these were fun, adventurous, incredible years. I moved back to Scandinavia in the early 90's. I ended up in Stockholm, Sweden, and worked in a Greek travel agency. I travelled to Greece a lot during the next few years, and just about moved to Athens when I got a job offer there....but fate got in the way and I moved back to Vancouver in 1995.

My whole life changed after that first move to Canada when I was 18. From then on, my life has taken some interesting twists and turns. And continues to do so.

Dramatic Moments

Funny that...the most dramatic moment in my life. The political cartoons I researched for the project held many surprises. I began to think that all that had happened to me over the previous few years was pale in comparison to the world woes. Pearson, as proper and dapper as a PM could be in those days was a great fan of James Thurber and off I went into their histories via cartoons of the era.
It still hangs wherever I live to remind me of the moment: Thurbers cartoon of three frames depicting 'the worst moment in my life' shows an indivduals angst at his mothers death; then his divorce; the third frame one where the individual looks at the viewer and the caption "This is the worst moment of my life" for me said it all.
There's more to come.

Finding Your Way

Vickie learned to play tennis, at 11 years old, hitting a tennis ball against the Brighouse Elementary School wall. A pivotal point in her life. When she plays tennis she feels more comfortable in her skin. With tennis, “I can be so-so at some things and really good at others but you can still find the flow and experience the moment. It becomes an expression of who you are.” Tennis teaches you to exploit your strengths. Tennis has been a part of Vickie’s life on and off for 40 years.

First and Forever Loves, The movie Wizard of Oz, tobogganing, singing like a screech owl, her family and Babs. “Everything about her stood out – her energy, her sense of humour, her voice and the fact that she was a woman.” Let’s not forget pancakes and bacon with real maple syrup, Banff and Airmiles. She has earned cappuccino makers, telescopes, CDs, Roots, Chapters and Boston Pizza gift certificates.

Vickie’s dream is to be a “prolific writer and painter in the second half” of her life. Her greatest strength, her sense of humour, will help her accomplish her dream. “I think a sense of humour allows you to look at things from both sides. It’s about floating up, looking down and going Oh God and thinking I don’t totally get this but I need to get it out.“

A trip up the Andes down the Cloudforrest

Choquequirao

This ancient city in southern Peru, compared only to the Machu Picchu, or big mountain, makes for the absolutely perfect adventure trip. The access to this magical place, though treacherous, takes anyone through a life-changing journey. The willing who make the effort, will charrish the experience and can be taken as an alternate trail to the big mountain. The length of the trip can take up to six days.

The bus that departs for Abancay is usually on time and the place to get off is called Saywite. To walk to the town of Cachora should take about an hour and walking uphill to Playa Santa Rosa, another four, where an obligated stop through the night. The morning is usually quite muggy and an early stroll will take you to Choquequirao. A day should be enough to visit the complex including the Ushnu, a watching tower on top.

The only trail continues on to Machu Picchu, Vilcabamba, or the mighty Salcantay. I recommend the one to the ruins of Huancacalle and Vilcabamba, which are at a lower elevation; the vegetation is more plentiful and good guides do this trek regularly.

My pitch for this story is to relate ten days of adventures in the lower-Andes region of Peru. This trip is a true Indiana Jones adventure, is really off the beaten tourist path and it has the elements for a good story and can be used as an itinerary.

Albert's back in town

"How many goddamn lobbies does Sheraton Wall Centre have?!" my good old friend Albert was waiting in the South Tower while I was sitting in the lobby in the North tower for 20 minutes, wondering if he had managed to get lost somewhere on Burrard street.

We both walked outside, mobile phones in our ears and started looking for each other. And there he was , fashionable as always. A green army jacket with fur around the collar, a cool beige hat and big rim glasses. I was pleased to see that Albert was still Albert ; his funky style and his sarcastic sense of humour intact and in fine form as always.

Albert's been away from Vancouver for almost 9 years. He's been living in Okinawa, Japan, and in Hong Kong. He's travelled extensively while in Asia and he's fallen in love with all things Korean.

His eyes light up as he starts telling me about the amazing Korean pop culture. How the Korean movies, most of them dramatic with tragic endings, are gaining more and more popularity all over Asia. How the cool pop music can make anyone want to get up and dance. He blissfully recalls signing karaoke with a good friend in Korea. "Ah, the Korean girls! such grace and style!" he says with a glint in his eye.

Albert is quite the fashion icon himself. I remember meeting him for the first time 14 years ago when I started working at a travel agency where he was the resident expert. I was in awe of his impeccable style. Every morning he used to make a grand entrance as he strolled in dressed to the nines in unique and colourful outfits.

I had quite the healthy respect for Albert and his extensive knowledge about the travel industry as well. He didn't have much time for the new kid on the block and he wasn't the one you would turn to for too much help. But once I got the hang of things, we became fast buddies.

We shared some good laughs over the years, and we often went out to the bars after work with our colleagues. The travel agency we worked for was a bit like Fawlty Towers. Our crazy boss was endearing in some ways, and maddening in all other ways.

Albert is quite the linguist and is always learning new languages. He decided one day that he needed to learn Japanese. He took a language class and announced a few weeks later that he was moving to Japan. He lived in Okinawa for 4 years and perfected his Japanese skills.

"The beaches! the wonderful weather, the delicious food, the nice people..." Albert reminisces about his Japanese years. "But terrible working conditions. We worked from 8 am to 9 pm. We had Sundays off and one day in the middle of the week. "

After a few years, Albert grew tired of his Japanese adventures and decided to move to Hong Kong, where he grew up.

He lived on the countryside and rolls his eyes dramatically when he tells me about the commute to downtown Hong Kong. "The transit system is very expensive and I commuted 3 hours a day. Commuters are packed like sardines on the trains. The air pollution is terrible in Hong Kong but there is one good thing; the shopping! such amazing deals!" Albert's eyes light up as he tells me about all the affordable fashion, his vast collection of shoes and hats.

"My old friends have all moved on with their lives in different directions and I don't feel connected to them anymore. I've travelled so much since leaving Hong Kong for the first time, I have a different perspective of the world."

I wonder what Albert's hopes and dreams are for the future, and how it feels to be back after so many years abroad?

"It's so good to be back in Vancouver! I don't feel it's changed much but it's all good! I just want to be happy and healthy. I look forward to reconnect with old friends and I hope that tomorrow will be brighter than today" he says with a big smile. It's good to have Albert back in town.

I've been car-less for three months now. Day to day, my life is better without the car, although sometimes, it's a pain.

Every morning, my 8 year old son and I walk to school. It takes us a half an hour to get to school. Then I walk another half an hour to work. At pick-up time, I walk back to his school and then home with him, which means another hour of walking for me. That's two hours of walking. Two hours of being outside. And two very special hours of alone time for me and my kid. And, my dog enjoys all of this, too.

Walking has made me realize what a gorgeous fall we had. How many perfectly beautiful mornings greeted us as we started the day. I thoroughly enjoy these afternoon walks and I love walking home with my son, stopping for a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of soup at our favourite cafe. A new routine has evolved around our new lives as pedestrians. If it's dumping rain, I always have the option of grabbing a Car Coop car. Well, almost always. (More on that when I get to the parts of being car-less that, to quote, my son, suck.)

He still says he misses the car. "If we had the car, we could be there in about a minute," he often reminds me, as we head out. "We could sit and relax."

"YOU could sit and relax," I say. "I wouldn't be able to look at you while we talk. When you show me a cat in the window, I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off the road. Remember how you used to hate that?"

He shakes his head. "I liked sitting in the back and just relaxing."

"I like the adventures we have walking."

Yes, every day offers another new experience on the pedestrian trail. The colours of the leaves as our feet kick them up, the quirky people we pass, the stores I never noticed from the car, challenges posed by wind and rain and soggy feet. And inevitably, the times I'm late, or exhausted and I STILL have to walk, run, or whatever it takes. The times he doesn't feel his best, or hasn't had enough to eat, or right, when we look out in the morning to see the skies sobbing. And we still have to walk. I pull out my large umbrella and there you go. I often suggest he get a ride from friends, on those mornings, and prepare to make a call.

He shakes his head. .

"I wanna walk, Mom," he says. "C'mon."

Interviewing for profiles

This is a photograph of Oriana Fallaci, one of the best interviewers who ever lived. Oriana was an Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer. A former partisan duringWorld War II, she had a long and successful journalistic career.

She interviewed many internationally known leade

rs and celebrities such as the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Dalai Lama, Henry Kissinger, the Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, Deng Xiaoping, Willy Brandt, Zulfikar Ali

Bhutto, Walter Cronkite, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Federico Fellini,Sammy Davis Jr, Nguyen Cao Ky, Yasir Arafat, Indira Gandhi, Alexandro

s Panagoulis, Archbishop Makarios III, Golda Meir, Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Haile Selassie, Sean Conn

ery and Lech Wałęsa.

A little inspiration, I hope, to interview someone you admire or find fascinating, or evil!, this week.

Tips: tell the person you have a half an hour to an hour for the interview (up to you.)

Be sure to start ending it, 15 minutes before you've said you will. In other words, say something like, "I just want to let you know we have only 15 minutes left."

People do better with limited time, than feeling like it's open-ended.

If you don't know where to start, ask what were the turning points in a person's life, career, or thought process. What was the most dramatic moment of their life, the moment that makes them who they are.

The best interviewers are challenging as well as sympathetic. If you challenge a person, they are likely to speak more strongly about what they believe in.

Try to get people to tell you stories...Then tell theirs.

When you write it up, you CAN change their words a little to make them sound better. In other words, you CAN make their sentences flow, cut out ums and run on phrases. Tighten it up.

In terms of using their words, you only want to use quotes when the quotes are exceptionally strong and say it better than you can say it in your narrative about them. Try to write a profile, a short one, not a q and a.

You might refer to the New Yorker again to see how it's done when it's done as well as it can be done.

Building a Word Press Blolg

Tris Hussey is telling us how easy it is to use Wordpress. "Somebody else does everything for you."

It's a content management system. Content is divorced from graphics.

Like teenagers are divorced from their parents.

For Godsakes, don't buy anything from GoDaddy!

At Wordpress, they're responsible for keeping the lights on. They update it. Keep it free of hackers.

If maintaining a WordPress install is not high on your priority list, creating one with beautiful things is high on your priority list, stick to Wordpress.com

It's free! Score!

It's beyond cheap in terms of a domain name. It's $15 a year to get a domain name and map it to a Word Press site. That means when you say LindaSolomon.com is going to connect to this Wordpress blog called Linda Solomon wordpress blog.

Domains cost money. No getting around it. Unless you're government or university.

Wordpress has a policy that you own your content, not them. They'll make it easy for you. If you have to move, for a small fee, they'll redirect all the traffic from your old website to your new one.

No other host will do that. Tumblr will let you map domains, but they don't always let you say you are moving.

Enough geek talk for now!

The guy who wrote Wordpress write it when he was 18. Texas. Jesuit education. Genius. Firm believer in freedom of speech, freedom of expression. People in china don't sign up for Wordpress blogs, because he would not bend to China's rules. He firmly believes that you own your stuff. He makes it easy for you to import and export stuff. You're not locked in. It's cool and easy but you're not locked in.

It's a fun place to play, even if you aren't going to use it seriously. They're free and it's fun. It's easy to disguise who you are.

Get you own Wordpress.com account in seconds.

It has to have a starting place, a beginning address.

Sillycatsyvr....

Passwords: think of a short phrase...like Ilikecoffee
It's good because it's long. But it sucks because it's in the dictionary.
Hackers just run a bunch of dictionary words against it.
Words. Not so good.
Substitute out the letters for their geek equivalent. Avoid the letter "l"
Avoid the letter "o"
Easy way to make a strong password out of the above is instead of i use the letter 1, e becomes the letter 3, c can become a parentheses and o becomes 0 (zero)


Twitter was hacked a year ago, because one of the administrators had the word Password on her gmail account as the password. Once the hacker got in, they had access to all of the documents that had been shared on google docs including the passwords the servers.

They took over Twitter. They shut it down. Because one person had password as their password. That's where a Hacker...

Never give your password to Tech Support...

End password rant...

Tip from Oli

Space as Platform

I studied architecture - I never practiced but I was deeply shaped by the experience. Typically architecture students divide into two camps - the 'I want to save the world' and 'Architects are Gods/I aspire to be a starchitect' camps. Grossly generalized yes, but with some truth to it. I fell into the 'I want to save the world' segment, believing that good design could cure all the world ills - housing for the poor or homeless, places where we could make meaningful connections with other people, environmental crises of various kinds.

Last week I attended a conference Our Space, Our Places that brought together folks from non profits groups across the lower mainland to talk about real estate. One of the speakers, Margie Zeidler, also a former architecture student, recounted her renovation of an old manufacturing building in downtown Toronto into a thriving centre for the arts and creative industries. During a downturn in the 90s she took a risk, along with some friends and family supporters, and bought a large vacant building and set about to rent offices to artists and other organizations that are community focused. The building (401 Richmond) became a mecca for creative types and has become a landmark in the city's cultural scene. It is now overflowing with tenants so much so she went onto secure another building because the demand was so great.

In the new building Margie's company Urbanspace gave a generous grant to a group of entrepreneurs who wanted to create a shared space for organizations committed to social change. The Centre for Social Innovation, as it became known, provides deskspace and offices as a way to connect innovators and spark new ideas and ultimately social change. The predictable upside for many is that they typically have small staffs and so can rent a few desks and have access to board rooms, a kitchen and other office amenities. On the less predictable side, studies conducted on the 200+ organizations that base themselves at CSI show that the organizations are more productive, get business through their space neighbours and their employees are happier!

CSI's Eli Malinsky, Director, Programs and Partnerships shared their philosophy of 'space as platform'. Unlike my dreamy-eyed architecture student thinking, they believe that designing great spaces doesn't necessarily save the world. Sigh. But space creates opportunity - to bring people together, for ideas for ferment, for community bonds to be formed, for people to work towards common goals. CSI has become so successful they have recently purchased their own buildings, as a way, of creating their own sustainability.

And so for Vancouver non-profits, our friends from the east brought us some valuable lessons about the power of space to create something bigger than any group could do in isolation. About the power of space to allow for collaboration and the creation of community. Okay so maybe its not 'changing the world' but it is changing Toronto...and hopefully through their examples we could change Vancouver.

(Images are from Urbanspace website)

PLAISIR SUCRE WAS MY PLASIR…

Well, I’m not sure how to start this post any other way than telling you I just had my taste buds handed to me…it all started yesterday around noon, I was in a deep conversation with my good friends Mike and Tracy about the importance of supporting each other by attending the ‘work christmas party’ (this somehow involved me promising Mike a dance..which was a poor idea picture a drunk Elaine Benes), all of a sudden a man walked into the lab looking for grooves for his wife, I noticed his accent immediately, and asked what part of France he was from, he raised his eyebrows and exclaimed “Paris!” (but only the way someone from Paris can say it..it sounds more like Peri and is generally attached to a smile). As soon as he said it I to tell him about the French Restaurant Jake had taken me only the night before (La Brasserie) which instantly escalated the conversation fueled by his passion and knowledge for French cuisine, Fabrice (his name) mentioned La Crocodile and how it would trump any sort of experience that I may have had in any other French restaurant in Vancouver, we laughed and playfully defended our experiences at both. This conversation had mutated into a discussion over French pastries, I (of course) mentioned the to-die-for croissants we all know and love at 49th Parallel on 4th, he laughed ‘Ah my dear Oleef..you have not had a pastry yet..come to my bakery, I will show you a pastry, I will take care of you’. My eyebrows were raised, we shook on it and I promised him that he would see me.

So that brings me to this morning, a full day off, no plans in sight, Jake and I hopped in the truck and squirted up to 10th and Arbutus. As we approached Plasir Sucre the familiar eyes of the owner met mine through the glass, he was on the phone but it didn’t stop him from coming outside to greet both Jake and I. ‘Ah Oleef! You came! Come in! Let me take care of you…’ Jake and I walked into the packed boulangerie and were in aw. The aroma of exotic tea and spices mixed with the scent of fresh bread being baked took us by the collar and led us directly to a beautiful display of pastries. Fabrice immediately began filling a paperback with chocolate, almond and plain croissants, he handed them to me and looked me in the eye reminding me that he said he would take care of me if I came..I smiled and thanked him handing the bag of goodies to Jake, before I could do anything else he started to slice something and quickly handed both Jake and I a slice of freshly baked peppercorn bread. I had never tasted bread like this before, somehow he was able to keep the firm crust that lined a spice infused slice of heaven. He wrapped up the rest of the loaf and handed it to me, giving me another silencing look when I reached for my wallet. We sat down and opened the bag, Jake taking the almond croissant and (of course) I dove for the chocolate. We sat there in a haze of flavor, discussing the experience must be similar to how it must feel to taste really good food for the very first time. We spent some time thanking our new friend, admiring some of the other dishes people were having and smelling some of the bakeries beautiful selection of tea’s. I was very happy I met Fabrice, and so was my stomach! Jake ended up telling two people about the little shop on as we ventured back to the truck (no joke-finishing the second croissants).

Need more proof? http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1501365/restaurant/Kitsilano/Plaisir-Sucre-Vancouver

Follow me on twitter @olimaughan or www.olimaughan.com

Forbidden Fruit

Before we ordered the deep fried chili crab, my Sweetie’s cell phone buzzed taking her away from the menu to focus on a text message. “Excuse me,” chair backed away from the table, fingers tapped electronic buttons, phone pulled to ear, “I have a call to make.” Me, nervously looking from guest to guest at our large round table, shrugging an apology before immersing myself in the colourful, leather-bound menu.

Somewhere between the eggplant and the sweet garlic scallops, the same annoying text message interrupted the conversation for a moment. And again, after birthday cake, this time causing me to raise both my eyebrows and glare into my Sweetie’s distracted face.

On the drive home, shortly after dropping off one of our guests, another call. “Yes, yes,” she said. “But isn’t it too late now? No. Are you sure? Okay, I’ll be there in five minutes.” Me, driving, intensely focused on the road, shiny from a recent rainfall, pretending not to listen.

“Turn left at the next block,” was my instruction. “Half way down the block, the house with the lights on. Stop there.” I pull in front of the house and someone runs over and hands Sweetie a closed container. “Thanks,” she says. “I’ll call you later.” And then I drive home.

After parking and getting out of the car, Sweetie grabs my hand and pulls me around to the back deck. In the dark of night, she hands me a spoon and slowly opens the container. I furl my brow and shake my head. “Durian,” she announces, “try it. It’s too stinky to bring in the house!” We held our breath and dug into the creamy fruit. The forbidden fruit.

Photo: WikiMedia Commons.

The Royal Jewels

This week's post is brought to you care of One Eyed Queen's blog. Hope you enjoy!

A town by the Sea

A town by the Sea

Chorrillos, its name refers to the streams of water that used to run down the sea wall into the Pacific Ocean. The historic Morro stands as a reminder of battles fought centuries ago and now tells the story of the district that once was the jewel of the Pacific. A different battle is happening in the kitchens of many restaurants in the port-town of Chorrillos, which were once rarely visited by locals, now they host celebrity chefs such as Anthony Bourdain and Gaston Acurio.
The proximity to the source makes Sonia’s Restaurant a favorite among connoisseurs of fresh fish and seafood. A short distance away from this success story is the fish terminal, and Sonia’s husband is one of the brave seamen that passes though it every day.
Approximately twenty-five years ago when I first visited Sonia’s Restaurant, and as a child I discovered the power of fresh seafood. People from every corner of Lima’s society were eating on the same cheap table-tops covered in plastic, rustic wooden chairs and constantly-watered dirt floor, so the dust woudn’t blow up. The classic ceviche, the mussels “a la chalaca” or the specialty of the house, Mushame, were a never ending story.

Incredibly, when the fishing boats arrived bringing more fresh fish and all through the day other fishermen would come by to offer specialties from the sea. The boat parked outside for all the kids to admire and as a reference since Sonia's did not have a visible sign outside. Still located in this familiar neighborhood, this restaurant became a sort of shrine even in times of high crime and poverty.
Chorrillos, once a wealthy neighborhood until the early 1800's when war devastated the city of Lima and it burned to the ground. Its charming people and the views of the coast, also a warmer micro climate and always clear skies, makes for a good stroll through the Malecon and descend to the fish market, and also sample some of their specialty dishes. Another side visit is going to Herradura Beach, either by boat or by car.

There will always be stories to tell about this heroic town and its people, but the memories we preserve will never wash away with the tide.

Hastings, Tsawwassen, Hillcrest, Kitsilano Saunas

Sweat is sweet. Earlier this week at Kitsilano Community Centre, I learned about three other great public saunas in the area. Oldest on the list - Hastings Steam and Sauna located on E. Hastings since 1926. Maybe a bit of a splurge, it costs $20.00 for 90 minutes. A touch of luxury, your own private sauna, includes sheets and towels. Clean and private.

Next a thirty minute drive from Vancouver, Tsawwassen Community Centre sauna costs $3.50 entrance fee. A community vibe, locals come and talk about anything ranging from politics to eating spots. Non-stop talk.

Next, Hillcrest Community Centre built for the Olympics. The facility houses a sauna, steam and whirlpool. Expect no privacy at this beautiful facility, people come in droves. Your entrance fee costs less than $6.00. Entrance includes aerobic swimming classes, jump in.

Sometimes I skip the workout and go directly to the sauna. My current favourite Kitsilano Community Centre. Quiet. Regulars abound, chatty newcomers are glared into submission unless they’re talking about saunas.

The Case for Term Limits

Should premiers and prime ministers be limited to two terms in office?

The current political situation in British Columbia gives cause to look at the issue.

Wikipedia says term limits “curb the potential for dictatorships, where a leader effectively becomes ‘president for life’.”

No one would suggest that Premier Campbell was on his way to becoming ‘premier for life’. His time in office was clearly coming to an end.

But if the province had term limit legislation in place, the transition to a new premier would have begun three years ago. This whole HST debacle and the economic and political uncertainty that it has created would have never happened.

If the same government stays in power too long, it is almost certain that it will somehow lose its way. They become too comfortable with the levers of power, and feel invincible after a couple of back-to- back election victories. Eventually they make a mistake, or a series of mistakes.

Old governments tend to act with impunity. New governments tend to be more closely wired to the voters.

“Throw the bastards out!” is the simple solution. But with a two-party legislature, voters can’t always bring themselves to vote for the “other” party.

The best protection against “tired” governments is term limit legislation.

Instead of seeking a third term in 2009, Premier Campbell would have been replaced as leader of the BC Liberals before the election. The new leader probably would have been selected in late 2008.

In fact, about half way through the second term Premier Campbell would have gradually started to become a “lame duck” premier. Instead of bringing on new initiatives, he would have started to loosen the reins so the party could take a fresh look at its policies and begin building a fresh platform for the next election.

There would be minimal uncertainty and more stability because the timing for all of this would have been known in advance – if B.C. had term limit legislation.

The goal of any mainstream political party is to win power and keep it for as long as possible. They do this by building a platform, recruiting candidates and raising money.

It’s important to have strong political parties in our first-past-the-post electoral system. The sudden emergence of new parties and massive swings in the number of seats held by existing parties are amusing fodder for columnists, but it doesn’t make for good government.

out damn spot! or action for 'off the cuff'

Social media...how is it social? Here we are, eleven people sitting silently at computers writing whatever comes to mind. I won't even have to read what anyone has written, nor will they . Not terrifically interative. Social. It's the NFB project all over again. People enervated that there could actually be two endings to a film so watchers could interact with the content. Wow. The novelty of the idea took the breath out of them.

I don't necessarily want people to care about what I think but I do want them to think. I want some passion back in human discourse. Somewhere back there we started not interacting with children (possible pedophile); engaging in dialogue with someone from another culture (racist); not say something that varied from a manifesto that some bureaucrat considered objectionable (politically correct) or that violated some individual's human rights.

I just want every day life to be social once again. Where we all interact in a somewhat scripted way called being mannerly to one another. What I truly mean I guess is whatever happened to civil society? When we spoke with courtesy to one another, made eye contact and actually stopped whatever else we were doing to acknowledge another?

Life has taken me on many detours from wherever I originally thought I was going. Whatever rut presented itself and was wallowed in changed the course of my life's path. Most of it person led. I feel cheated of the possible experiences by the daily eyes down finger- dwiddling countenance of most of the populace.

Random acts of kindness were in vogue not so terribly long ago. It always gives me great joy the days I encounter some person, usually older who has taken time with their person. I give them a touch and comment and how well they look. The light that comes to their faces...what an amazing gift!

Red Steel-Toed Cowboy Boots

As a woman, I had the interesting fortune of working in the construction industry. At one point I led a large development project - one of two women in a cast of twenty plus people in the core team. As the leader I worked in different settings - at times in conference rooms in the company of tie wearing professionals all with multiple degrees and designations after their name. Other times I walked the dusty, noisy site in my red steel toed cowboy boots or drank thick, black 'coffee' in the well worn ATCO trailer while sorting out plumbing details with a subcontractor.

'How do you manage as a thirty something female?' was the question people would ask me. With the design team there is an air of civility - no one would openly challenged leadership. That's not how it works.

Not so on site.

Part way through the project we replaced our site supervisor - the person who runs the day-to-day construction operations. Supers are god - they rule the site, often with an iron hand. Initially the contractor forbade me from meeting him. He had to be prepared for our meeting. Finally, when it was deemed acceptable I met Gerry - 5'3", with a slight build, starring at me from under his personalized silver hard hat. His first words to me - 'I like tall women'.

'Okay', I thought. 'I now know why the meeting was postponed'. I am being tested, and maybe harassed. Not the interaction I expected in the design team, and one I had not yet encountered on site. What to do? I decide to go with it and see what happens. It let it roll off my back and I ask him how his first week on site has been.

Later I wondered - was that the wrong decision? Was I setting myself up for some more testing?

In retrospect it was a good decision. I passed the test by not playing the game - by not taking the bait. As we worked together Gerry and I came to have deep respect for one another. He ran the site like a tight ship and I appreciated and acknowledged him for that. Likewise, I kept the political forces at bay so he could do his job.

And then there were times where we had to work together. Then I listened. I wanted his opinion on the options and the risk/rewards. I think because of that the tensions the contractor feared did not come to pass. In the end we were a good team - we learned to respect each other and what we each brought to the table. And I can truthfully say 'I like short supers'.

I Am a Teacher

It's official... I am a teacher. It's something I've known about myself for most of my adult life, but couldn't rightfully claim that title until just a couple months ago. Now I can't deny it... I've been there and done that.

I've just finished a stint as the instructor of a seven-week course at Vancouver Film School on the subject of Social Responsibility in Entertainment & Media. When I took it on, I feared I'd be a complete failure at it. Even though I "knew" a teacher waited inside of me for her chance to get out, and even though many of my friends and family encouraged me through the years, suggesting that I'd be a natural at it, I didn't completely trust any of those voices. But the time came for the Universe to hand me this test, and the time came for me to accept the challenge.

I landed this job the way I usually do, through someone I know. In this case, it was someone I'd known for all of ten minutes. Someone had given me tickets to a Women in Film screening and reception at District 319, and I started chatting with a long-haired guy about my age standing next to me before the film started. Turns out we both used to work in the music industry back in the day (the long hair on a guy my age was a dead giveaway), so we started comparing notes. When I mentioned that I'd been working in socially responsible business for the last few years, I swear I saw a light bulb go on over his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his business card. Turns out he's part of the team running the new Entertainment Business Management program at VFS, and he was looking for someone to teach this course that was starting in early September... might that be something I was interested in? AbsoLUTEly.

I've been looking for a way into teaching for as long as I can remember, but never felt that I had enough expertise in any subject to be any good at it. This time, though, I felt like I actually had the credentials that would make me feel confident enough to give it a shot. I gave him a call the next day, we talked about it, I said it sounded great, and the next thing you know, I was a VFS instructor.

I had about a month to prepare for the course, and I delved into the curriculum with more gusto than a cat in a can of tuna (okay, maybe that's not possible, but you catch my drift). Another instructor had developed and taught the curriculum a couple times before, so a plethora of materials were at my disposal. However, as I looked through them, I realized that most of the articles and powerpoint decks focused more on the negative side of social responsibility - that is, what the entertainment industry is doing wrong, the negative impacts of media on society, the lines that shouldn't be crossed, the legal sand traps, and so on. Yuch. Boring AND depressing. I mean, if I came out of a class where all we talked about was violence in gaming, I'd just be bummed out.

Fortunately, my Vancouver contacts include a lot of amazing people who are involved with efforts like Media That Matters, and so I was able to tap into that network and bring a lot of really positive examples to the students of ways that they can use their positions of power in the entertainment industry to create a better world.

At the end of the day, I felt great about the information I was able to share with these future leaders in the entertainment industry, who might not otherwise have thought about the power they have to make a positive difference in the world (since the rest of their classes are teaching them how to make a ton of money in the business!). I made a connection. I might have made a difference. I am a teacher.

My 20% time

i do my job because i love it. plain and simple, the hours work, i am free to create from nothing and the possibilities are endless. i inspire people virtually through film, pictures and simple conversations. i like to call myself a day changer and often enjoy walking on the risky tight rope of innovation. this job has changed me a few times. it’s made me see the power in perspective and why creativity is so important in the world. it’s made me wonder what we do to and expect from creative minds. someone told me once about Google’s 20% time. the 20 percent time is a well-known part of Google’s philosophy, it enables engineers to spend one day a week working on projects that aren’t necessarily in their job descriptions. they use this time to innovate. they are free to dream, create and develop something new, or fix some existing process that might be broken. i have one day a week reserved for this time. i don’t watch tv, i often have piles of books, magazines and art work strewn about…often there’s music playing and incense burning. and then i just write. i write everything from crazy ideas to short stories. i will often paint or edit pictures i have taken that week, from there i some how extract something relatable to a slew of people that “follow” me. it’s a process that is the equivalent to locking myself in closet of dreams. i often think that this is what dali or alexander mcqueen must have done. i do this for my sanity…i fear if i didn’t i would never sleep (or get anything done). i also feel that the world needs people that foster their creativity. we expect so much from our creative people, we turn them into celebrities and set up unrealistic expectations that don’t allow their natural creative process to develop and flourish. this is my 20%. this video captures the people the ground me and push me to keep dreaming.

To be an evil capitlist or not?

This is a question that haunts me. I once owned a business and the strange thing is that I never intended to. I just wanted to make buildings green and so that means offering a service and that meant that I was a business. A business with a mission. Our secret mission was to 'transform the way buildings are built'. Through that process I learned that I love business - I love the process - the strategic planning, the accountability, that I am providing a service that has a value...that for others I am adding value.

Recently I spent a good chunk of time at the Kennedy School of Government - a place where the question ' ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country', seems to be alive and thriving. People are very clear about the cause to which they were in service. I left there thinking government is the place where service is really possible. If you are driven by that inner whispering. Which apparently I am. And yet I am not sure I have the personality for for government, having now been an entrepreneur for ten years.

So I feel the draw of being of service, and the draw of business...sometimes lately I have felt like they are two internal horses are headed in different directions. It is slightly uncomfortable! Not unlike when I founded my original company these things were resolved in the details....finding how I could contribute. And so now again - in the last few days some of the veil of confusion is lifting and I see some ways, some opportunities where I can use the forces of capitalism in service of the good!

Stay tuned for news of Urban Fabrics new service offering!

Why am I Blogging?

Why am I blogging? Ideally I want to generate traffic to my website and build my business. Hopefully my blog entries attract regular readers that think to hire me as a consultant. My blog will force me to write a new weekly topic.

I like the idea that my blog could become a platform to exchange ideas and build awareness of other perspectives. I work at home and I’m most creative when I’m exchanging ideas. It’s basically a way to participate in the global community. My blog will be business focused, although the daily observational blog sounds like a lot of fun.

I also like that every week you take a risk when you post a blog entry. Will my idea fail, will anyone read my blog, will I share too much, will I share too little, will I have a question that I don’t know the answer, will I run out of ideas, will I write a great post. Sometimes I’ll be successful and sometimes I’ll fail. It forces me to get okay with this notion and just put myself out there. I’ll be committing my words to a permanent record. Here is to starting.

Travel writing: why it sucks

A travel writer who I follow posted an insightful video on how much of today's travel writing is awful. London-based writer Andrew Mueller explains that travel writing is failing, sounding like ad copy. It could be furthering curiosity and understanding and challenging readers to think, learn, laugh and travel.

His examples are relevant to all writing and the 20-minutes is worth the watch.

Watch the video here.

Letting The Days Go By

At some point along the way this summer, I told someone out loud that I was a writer. I remember the moment well, and probably commented on it in this blog at the time. I was dropping something off at an office downtown when I ran into an acquaintance of mine who works there. She politely asked me what I was doing these days, and I blurted out, “I’m a writer,” shocking myself as I said it. It struck me as an audacious attempt to “fake it ’til you make it,” to declare myself that to which I aspire, knowing full well it was a total stretch. I’m just starting to accept the premise that for some of us, the “impostor syndrome” is actually a legitimate part of the road to success when we’re learning something new.

The thing is, outside of the occasional post to my own blog, I’ve done very little writing of late. Now though, thanks to a recent episode of a kind-of-goofy-yet-deep TV series, that’s changing. I’m focusing more on taking action to make my dreams turn into my reality.

For those of you who’ve never heard of “Being Erica” (and I imagine there are many, considering it’s on CBC), it’s a bit like therapy for the masses disguised as an episodic television series. The main character is the aptly named and adorable Erica Strange, a woman in her early 30′s who gets to go back to relive a regret from her past each episode, in order to come back and make a positive change in her present.

Now in its third season, the show’s current theme is “transformation,” so you can imagine that has some appeal for me. Erica’s moved from individual to group “time travel” therapy, so now we have a whole new cast of characters to learn about. A couple weeks ago, the episode focused on Adam, the hunky Irishman in the group who’s sure to be a romantic interest for our Erica. Adam used to be a thug, but it turns out that he’s actually a really brilliant and talented guy who just made one wrong choice a long time ago that set him down a dark path.

After being sent back in time to relive a key moment of regret, Adam gets the unprecedented opportunity to see what his life could have looked like if he’d made a different choice in that moment. In his view of the future as it might have been, he’s a successful business owner, living in a gorgeous house, driving a fancy car, married to a beautiful woman, and the father of a baby girl. (In the background, David Byrne sings, “Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down,” so perfectly matching the scene.)

It’s clear to us that this is everything Adam really wants but has never allowed himself to imagine. Once he sees his “dream life,” though, he feels like it was just a cruel trick, because he doesn’t believe he can ever really have any of it. He is convinced that he has to live with the consequences of the bad choices he made in the past, and has a million excuses as to why that dream can never come true. That is, until Erica confronts Adam and explains to him that the only thing stopping him from having what he really wants is his fear that his past still defines him. Really, she reminds him, we always have the power to choose a new direction. By the end of the episode, Adam has realized that Erica’s right, and goes to sign up for classes that will help him move into his dream career.

When the show ended, all I could think was, “I need to get moving. I need to take action.” I still don’t know what my “dream” looks like exactly, but I know that I love to write. And I actually love to read what I write out loud. So I started putting out feelers for places in town where I can read my stories out loud. I thought I’d start by just showing up at some open mics and seeing how they work, but suddenly a chance to sign up to read at a “legitimate” writers studio appeared, and I just went for it and got a slot. So now I’m going to be reading out loud. Woah and wow and yeah is all I can say.

So thank you, Erica Strange, fictional though you might be, for helping me to see that we can make our dreams come true. Sometimes all it takes is a little bravado and some action.

quinoa peru's mission

quinoaperu was designed to host a wide variety of aspects in Peruvian cuisine. Quinoa is a grain that comes from the high plains in Peru and Bolivia and has been a staple food for the Andean communities for millenia before Europeans colonized the region. In the past decade the consumption of quinoa has spread to many western nations for its high protein content and balanced set of amino acids.

The importance of quinoa in Peruvian cuisine is relative since it is only a small representation of products that have been preserved and transformed from many cultures, ages and time periods. That is exactly what Peruvian cuisine is, a mix of Pre-Columbian cultures with Spanish flavors, and contributions by Chinese and African immigrants.

In the past twenty years the cooking revolution in Peru has also being taking strength and now it is ready to share it with the world. Our mission is first and foremost to inform of changes, news, developments and recommendations in this growing market that is all about the foods of Peru.


As part of this project, quinoaperu will take on many social media tools to reach a broader range of communities throughout the World Wide Web. This at the end, will provide the user a wide array of possibilities to chose from when visiting Peru and trying out the best Peru has to offer in gastronomics.

The French Connection Image

In my usual hurry...forgot to add this lovely Paris photo! no, not taken by me, but by someone talented