So the end of the year is upon us, which generally means that tomorrow night, a lot of people are going out partying and going to do things they regret the next morning. And after that, they’ll make resolutions to never do those things again.
My kind of holiday.
Of course, a lot of people take the end of the year to reflect and look back at the year that was (I know I’ve been doing a bitof that lately and will likely be doing more as the days go on) and see how their actions will affect the year to come.
In that spirit, I’ve created a few charts and graphs to illustrate some important parts of 2007 in my life, and I’m going to share a few of those with you, because charts and graphs are often a lot more fun than just plain text.
The chart below tracks my activity over the past year on my most important web properties: Squandrous in blue, Eloquation in green, Flickr in yellow, Twitter in red, and blogTO in purple. Of course, this doesn’t include any of my activity on awesome services like Dopplr, Last.fm, Upcoming, Facebook and many others, but it’s a start.
In the end, all this chart really shows is that I’m really addicted to Twitter and that I need to get away from my computer from time to time.
2007 in the air
I’ve spent a good chunk of this past year away from Toronto, and the majority (as in, more than 99%) of the traveling I have done has been for work. To those of you who are about to embark on careers that require you to travel for three weeks of the month, be sure you know what you’re getting in to.
While I’ll be traveling a whole lot less next year, I’m pretty glad I was able to go to so many different cities and countries this year. While they were mostly concentrated in Europe, I’m still thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to experience new cultures — and especially cuisines. Here’s a map that gives you a quick look at where I’ve been this year.
The first thing that popped into my head when I looked at that map was that I needed to travel to Asia and South America next year. The next thing that popped into my head was that perhaps I had traveled enough for an average lifetime.
After the (relative) success of the Soundtrack to my Year post (the idea for which I shamelessly stole from Andy Budd) I decided to recycle the idea but use photos instead of songs. Smart idea, no?
I’m not much of a photographer to be honest, but there are a few photos that I took this year that are representative of the things I did and the fun I had this year. This doesn’t mean that they are my favorite photos, or that they are my best photos that I have taken; all it does mean is that I have come to associate certain parts of my life with certain photos, and this is that album for 2007:
I just finished reading Alain de Botton’s Essays In Love, and was reflecting upon the perfect de Botton made in using the word “essays” in his title.
As someone who spent over ten years in a French-language education system, the word “essay” has always been tied to the concept of trial and error. The French word “essai” literally means to attempt an therefore an essay to me is an exercise in trying to articulate — through text — thought previously unvoiced.
Looked at in this new light, de Botton’s book takes on a whole new meaning: his essays in love are quite literally attempts (not all successful) to rationalize the highly irrational concept of love.
Partly because I get intimidated around pretty and talented women, and partly because I thought that reply would sound a little pompous, I ended up just replying with a simple, “whatever comes to my head.”
In all honesty, Sameer Vasta is an essayist. My oeuvre consists of attempts (of varying success levels) to ask questions, answer those questions, and address the issues based on my knowledge and experiences. And while I write essentially for myself, it is because of you, the readers, that I must attempt to be clear, concise, and compelling.
Paul Graham, in his excellent piece entitled The Age of the Essay, explains this concept well:
“In a real essay you’re writing for yourself. You’re thinking out loud. But not quite. Just as inviting people over forces you to clean up your apartment, writing something that other people will read forces you to think well.”
So to that pretty and talented woman I met a few weeks ago at the bloggers meet-up, I apologize for lying. I don’t write about “whatever comes to my head.” I ask, I answer, I elucidate, I articulate. In short, I try, I attempt to tell stories every time I put pen to paper. (Yes, I write all my posts out on paper before typing them out.)
On that note, Merry Christmas everyone, and here’s to another great year of stories and essays ahead.
About a week ago, Jay Smooth posted one of the best videos I have seen on the web in a long while. I’ve been taking a lot of time over the past few weeks to evaluate the way I approach work and life in general, so Jay’s post was quite timely.
I know most of you have seen it because you check ill Doctrine every day (and if you don’t, you really should, it’s the best video blog out there) but for reference sake, I’m embedding the video here so you can watch it before you read the rest of this post.
Jay brings up one of the big questions that plague people like me every day: how do I stop that circle of self-doubt that prevents me from getting work done, and worst of all, prevents me from being confident enough that the work I do is good enough.
For the most part, I feel as though I have a pretty good handle on procrastination. Of course, there are times where I will catch myself with 30 browser tabs open and a podcast I’m barely listening to playing in the background, but in general I do feel like I am productive with my time, rather than just being busy.
My little hater instead focuses on confidence. Like Jay, I often question whether the output of my labor (and this also applies to this blog, but not to the same extent since it’s not my paying gig) is good enough to warrant the resources that other people and I devote to my work. And because I work in the creative world, in the realm of ideas and concepts, this often translates into a very scary feeling: I occasionally lose faith in the validity of my own thoughts and ideas.
When you don’t have faith in your ideas and your entire oeuvre is based in your ability to share your ideas (I do work in web content strategy, after all) with other people, that’s when the little hater is causing the most damage.
In the past, I used to be able to shake that little hater pretty easily: I would review some of my previous projects and see how far they have come because of my input, and I would speak to other people who engage in new media in order to get feedback and inspiration. Because my work relies so much on the engagement of other people, this would work in quieting that little hater.
Recently, however, a lot of my work has moved away from implementation and gone into strategy and management. It’s hard to see results of your work when you are not involved directly in implementation, and it’s even harder to get feedback when nobody actually gets to see your work. My little hater’s voice is getting louder, and I’m having trouble making it shut up.
They say that smart people take good ideas and reuse them to make something original of their own. In that spirit, I’m taking a fantastic blog post idea by Andy Budd and using it here on Eloquation. It’s fun. In fact, I encourage you all to do the same.
Just like Andy, “I tend to associate specific events in my life with specific songs” and there have been several events this year that have come with their own appropriate theme song. This doesn’t mean that they are my favorite songs, or that I listen to them regularly; all it does mean is that I have come to associate certain parts of my life with certain songs, and this is that list for 2007:
January: “Shut Your Eyes” by Snow Patrol
January was a weird month: I was preparing for my new gig in Europe and was also dealing with a few things on the personal front. Sometimes, I just felt like shutting my eyes and disappearing, but still wanted to be surrounded by the snow around me that kept me calm.
February: “Way Back Into Love” by Hugh Grant and Haley Bennett
The highlight of February was definitely my trip to Montreal, where I got to hang out with some of my favorite people, play in the snow, sing karaoke in a mall, and watch Music & Lyrics on Valentine’s Day.
March: “One Word” by Elliott Yamin
I’ll admit it, I was a little addicted to American Idol earlier this year. I promise I’ll do better to fight my Idol addiction in 2008, but with the WGA strike going on, it might be tough to find alternatives.
April: “French Tattoo” by The Fugitives
In April, I saw The Fugitives perform, I met a lovely French woman while I was in Brussels, and was in a very artistic mood. And I slept in a lot.
May: “Fragile Wind” by Nitin Sawhney
My grandmother was diagnosed with gastric cancer in May and subsequently spent over 14 weeks in the hospital following her surgery, reminding me just how fragile life can be, but how strong my grandmother really is.
June: “Here (In Your Arms)” by Hellogoodbye
I’m not going to say much about June, because it was a special month, and the person that made it special knows who they are and what they did. So thanks. That’s all.
July: “Extraordinary” by Mandy Moore
July was a month was my month of exploration: I tried new activities, and I actually excelled at several of them. I launched new projects, I took on new work, I lost eight pounds. I felt unstoppable.
August: “Umbrella” by Rihanna
I think I heard the words “ella ella eh eh” more than the word “hello” in August. Some things just stick in your head — and in the head of the collective consciousness — and never really become dislodged.
September: “Anyone Else But You” by The Moldy Peaches
The highlight of every September is clearly the Toronto International Film Festival. There, I had the chance to see the phenomenal film Juno — which also had a fantastic soundtrack — and make some new friends.
October: “Julia” by Taken by Trees
I traveled to Halifax in October for the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word and not only got to meet some of the best poets in the entire country, but had the chance to eat lobster and brave a rainstorm with an amazing friend. Thanks for letting me crash at your place!
November: “Get It On Tonite” by Montell Jordan
I had the chance to travel to Uganda with one of the nicest people I have ever met, and many an evening this month were spent partying and dancing in the Pearl of Africa.
December: “I Made A Resolution” by Sea Wolf
December is a month of resolution-making. For me, December has also been a month where I have been reevaluating a few of my career, relationship, and life choices.
So that’s my list. Funny enough, they were all easy choices except for August. I really struggled with August, mainly because I don’t remember most of it for some reason.
Not sure what the list says about me other than the fact that I love cheesy love songs. Going through this exercise was a great way to recollect some of the high points and low points of the year, and I highly recommend you all do it as well. Thanks again to Andy for the inspiration.
Before I begin, I want to send my condolences to the family and friends of Aqsa Parvez, the young girl who was strangled to death by her father in Mississauga last week. There is no excuse for such kind of heinous and violent domestic abuse, and I sincerely hope that Muhammad Parvez is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
That being said, I’d like to reiterate that the person on trial right now is Muhammad Parvez, and not every Muslim in Canada. If any major issues have been brought to light because of this incident, they should be the problems of domestic abuse and generational communication gaps, and not the problem with Islam.
Canadian media need to stop referring to the hijab as “Islamic dress.”
The wearing of the hijab, contrary to popular belief, is not an Islamic tradition, but a cultural practice that was adopted after the Muslim empire spread into the Persian and Byzantine societies. I once took a class with renown Islamic scholar John Esposito, who was adamant in proclaiming the fact that the Qur’an does not require the veiling of women through either the burqa or the hijab, but instead only emphasizes modesty and humility in dress and conduct.
By characterizing the hijab as Islamic dress, the Canadian media is already guilty of generalization and unnecessary extrapolation. In essence, most types of clothing can not be attributed to religion, but instead have roots in a particular cultural context.
With that aside, I’d like to reiterate once again that the murder of Aqsa Parvez is not a Muslim problem.
Nowhere does Islam condone the senseless murder of a brother or sister in humanity. Nowhere does it condone the oppression of any segment of society — women, children, the elderly — in the name of religion. Instead, it preaches tolerance and understanding: after all, the final judgment of any human is reserved for God.
These concepts may be hard to believe for some, particularly in light of some of the actions and edicts that are receiving media attention in other parts of the world. What people need to realize is that these extremists — a faction of society that exists regardless of race or creed — are not acting in the name of Islam, but instead are using the name of Islam to justify their actions.
There are those that will be quick to dismiss by saying (and I’ve heard this countless times before) things like, “if Islam really isn’t like this, why aren’t more Muslims speaking out against it?” For those people, I’d like to let you know that the significant majority of Muslims are, indeed, doing what they can to stop these kinds of injustices. Sadly, the media isn’t always the quickest to pick up on the good: it doesn’t sell advertising.
The best way to reverse these preconceived notions about the religion, however, is not only by talking. Instead, it is important to portray the other side of the faith, the one that emphasizes compassion, pluralism, and a commitment to the wellbeing of humanity. Organizations like the Aga Khan Development Network do a good job of conveying this message of the building of civil society, and need to be recognized as key examples of the vision of Islam as “a thinking, spiritual faith, one that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds the dignity of man.”
Before I end this post, I’d like to point out an angle that seems to be ignored in Canadian media (which is still too engrossed in painting the Aqsa Parvez tragedy as a clash of faith) and that I mentioned in a comment on one particularly ignorant, misguided, and naively racist post on the subject:
What needs to be addressed, instead, is the growing cultural divide between immigrant parents and Canadian-raised children, regardless of faith or country of origin.
Perhaps once people stop the sensationalizing and get back to critical analysis, we can have an enlightened debate on that issue and really start trying to fix “the problem.”
I know I promised that I wouldn’t write about film again on this site until January, but sometimes I change my mind. Please forgive me for this, but I needed to get a few thoughts about movies off my chest, and leaving it on Squandrous just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
All that aside, the Golden Globe nominations were announced yesterday, and while I’m not incredibly surprised by any of the announcements, I can’t say that they are completely reflective of the best in film this year.
I won’t list all the nominees here, but I do want to point out a few things that caught my attention:
Where’s the love for Ratatouille?
Seriously, Pixar’s offering was by far one of the greatest films of the year (ever made?) and it only got mentioned for Best Animated Film. It really should have picked up a Best Picture - Comedy/Musical nod.
Why was Persepolis forgotten?
I’m glad that the French film was nominated for Best Foreign Language film, but it was animated, so why no nod in that category? It is was infinitely better than Bee Movie.
Yay for Cate Blanchett!
This woman can act and she was fantastic in both Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I’m Not There. I’m glad she got the respect and got nominated for both.
TV gets it right.
I’m loving the respect that Pushing Daisies, easily the best show on the tube, got a few nominations. I particularly love the fact that Anna Friel got the respect she deserves for her performance on that show, and love the fact that Donald Sutherland got a nod for his role on Dirty Sexy Money (another awesome show) as well.
Atonement? Huh?
Okay, it was a good film, but a movie that deserves seven nominations and all the critical accolades? I’m not sure about that. Kudos to Joe Wright and Ian McEwan, I guess.
Those are some first impressions, of course.
I’ll have more thoughts on the nominations later, because after all, I still haven’t seen three of the nominated films (There Will Be Blood, Walk Hard, The Great Debaters) and probably won’t finish all of them until the end of next week.
Even after a year where I traveled so much for work that I swore I wouldn’t get on another airplane for at least six months, I’ve once again been bitten by the travel bug. This time, I blame the New York Times’ list of 53 places to go in 2008, which makes every single destination seem so appealing I had to exercise an immense amount of self-control to stop myself from using up all my air miles.
After reminding myself of my vow not to travel extensively next year and really get to know Toronto, I started to wonder how exactly the New York Times came up with their list. What qualifies a city as a must-visit place? Good hotels? Interesting attractions? Affordability (I doubt it)? Great bars?
I may not know much about the NYT selection process, but having visited 26 of the 53 places in the past two years, I do have some thoughts on their choices and their omissions.
Great Inclusions
Lisbon: Of all the cities I’ve had the chance to visit this year, Lisbon has clearly been the standout. The weather is fantastic, the people are welcoming, the street art is intricate, the architecture is inspiring, and best of all, it uses the waterfront better than most cities I know. The Parque das Nações (featuring some buildings designed by my favorite architect Santiago Calatrava) is one of the best oceanfront neighborhoods I have ever visited, and the baixa downtown area is full of small shops and cafes that will keep you occupied for weeks.
Kilimanjaro: Sure, I’m a bit biased because I was born in East Africa, but it’s hard to find another peak in the world that has inspired more lofty literature. What the NYT doesn’t mention is that the peak of Kilimanjaro gives you a great view of Kenya and Tanzania and even Lake Victoria, and the cities of Moshi and Arusha at the base of the mountain are full of people that are welcoming and wonderful.
Northwest Passage: People are often scared of cold climates. When most people think of a vacation, they think of beaches in sunny locales, and not ice fields on glaciers. That’s too bad, because there are few sights in the world as breath-taking as seeing mountains of ice coming out of the Arctic Ocean. And maybe you can catch the Northern Lights while you’re up in the area as well.
London: Having spent more time in London than any other city (not counting Toronto, of course) this year, I’ll admit that it is quite the lively city, with great cultural landmarks and attractions. What people don’t realize is that all that grandeur is accompanied by a sense of pomp and arrogance that permeates from every building and every street. Plus, why should people make a special trip to London when every flight passes through there anyways? Just take a few nights out on the way to places like Lisbon or Tanzania.
Las Vegas: Vegas is the one city where you can experience everything. Almost literally. The question I have, however, is why people would go to Vegas to see replicas of famous landmarks when they can travel and see the real thing. Want to see the Eiffel Tower, the pyramids, the canals? How about making trips to France, Egypt, and Italy instead of gambling your money away in Nevada?
Vienna: Tons of green space, city-wide wi-fi, amazing night life, and an architectural heritage that is mesmerizing: just a few things to love about Vienna. In fact, I wouldn’t list this city as a place to visit—it is definitely a place I where I would love to live.
Osaka: Think Tokyo is a bit too crowded for you? Well, Osaka provides less of an assault on your senses while still providing an intense and vigorous travel experience. The juxtaposition between the traditional and modern is striking but seamless, and you really can’t go wrong with authentic Japanese food. I can almost taste the unagi right now.
Kabul: Sure, Afghanistan may not seem like a tourist destination, but seeing how Kabul is now relatively stable and that luxury hotels like the Serena are cropping up everywhere, this might be the best time to visit the city. Kabul was always a jewel in the Persian Empire, and even now, after being ripped apart by war, there is a rich cultural heritage to be explored.
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