Without Maps

I’m still in lalaland as my brain lingers on thoughts of travel. This happens to me every time I go somewhere...even if it is just to the other side of the country. I’m always pumped with this sense of adventure that I cling to for as long as possible...so allow me to indulge myself.

One of my favourite parts of traveling is exploring places by myself. It’s such a liberating feeling to know that you can just pick up and go whenever and wherever and not need anyone to do it with. It’s terribly empowering. Not just that but I have a certain way of traveling that I know doesn’t jive well with a lot of people. I don’t like having concrete plans or rigid schedules, rather just a general idea of what I want to see and do. You discover so much more when you’re open to let the day take you where it wants to. You discover gems that aren’t on the maps and you meet people you may never otherwise meet. There’s that thrilling feeling of uncertainty that just keeps you on your toes all day.

I got to do that while in Vancouver with random excursions all throughout my time there. I traveled up to Capilano on a whim and got to see the natural beauty of Northern Vancouver. While there I made a new friend from New Zealand, Matt, who randomly became my traveling partner and handy photographer for the next two days. I also randomly decided to check out the Chinatown in the city...a place I usually don’t enjoy visiting. But there I found the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, a sweet little garden authentically designed in the Chinese tradition. It was odd to see this little piece of China in the middle of Vancouver...but ‘tis the celebrated diversity of this good ol’ nation of mine that makes it just an everyday spot.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden

The next day I ventured off to Victoria, BC (photos here)...totally was not in my itinerary, but as usual, excited by the thought of adventure. Didn’t really know how to get there...had such a complicated array of transportation -- a bus, a train, a ferry, a shuttle -- making for a trip that took nearly five hours (one way!). But the scenery en route was so gorgeous. Had a horizon full of islands throughout the ferry ride, a welcome view at any time! Plus, I happily got to visit the capital of British Columbia, a small city with a certain old school charm to it.

Hatley Castle in Victoria

I love that uncertainty of travel. Not knowing where exactly you’re going and having no maps laid out in front of you...just relying on a combination of the guidance of others and your own inner compass. A little slice of “carpe diem”.

Happy Birthday, MCL!

Holy whoa. Two blog posts in less than 24 hours. Rare but necessary as I just realized that today is the one year anniversary of My City Lives and I just have to send out my love. For those of you who don’t already know, MCL is an online platform that lets you capture and share your daily experiences around the city on video. Presented on an interactive map, these web stories show exactly where each video was filmed so you can learn more about the city based on the stories of others. It's unique and poetic and downright brilliant.

I had the pleasure of collaborating with MCL on behalf of blogUT to shoot some videos exploring the University of Toronto campus. I live and breathe that campus and this city and I just loved being able to document the everyday spaces that make for those simple but extraordinary moments that is la vie.

With MCL Co-Founder Adil & blogUT video partner, Coleman.

I often blog about my travels and love for other cities (see below) but the truth is, Toronto is in my blood. The vibrance of this city just makes me swell with pride and a quick scan through the many videos on the MCL website will show you just what I’m talking about. From our many coffee shops (a staple in my life) to the spaces of innovation, from the obscure spots to find your hipster girlfriend to our Corktown "ukelele jams", MCL captures what makes this city, well, live. It's more than a website, it's a place of discovery.

So with that, happy birthday, MCL! Thanks for bringing in the human dimension that makes our city the pure awesome that it is. Here’s to growing old and grey and taking on more cities than that interactive map of yours can even handle ;)

Sending my love to my friends at MCL (apologies for my sad Photoshop "skills")

Beautiful British Columbia

The license plates in BC say, “Beautiful British Columbia”. Simple, to the point, and so very, very true.
 
I’ve just spent the last week bearing witness to the “Beautiful British Columbia” while visiting my best friend who recently moved to Vancouver. I was stunned the moment I stepped out of her home as I had the landscape of endless mountains just instantly fill my view. As I walked the streets of downtown Vancouver, I was thrilled to see those mountains peek in between the gaps of the skyscrapers as if playing a little game of hide and seek with the people of the city. The mountains really were just breathtaking....so unassuming in its grandness and merely acting as a humble backdrop for the city. Just so laid back and cool. How I’d love to wake up with that view every morning...

Waterfront

Took in a lot of nature in the past week...a rarity in my regular hustle and bustle downtown life in Toronto. A nice change of pace considering all the school and work madness that’s been consuming (and will now resume consuming) my days. I went out to see the Capilano Suspension Bridge right in the thick of the rainforest and some 200+ feet high above the waters of the Capilano Canyon.

And Carm and I took a road trip up to the mountains yesterday to enjoy the peaceful quiet of Lynn Canyon, which was quite possibly the highlight of my trip. Way up high in the Lynn Canyon Valley, we hiked (using this word very lightly) to a nice secluded area where we spent the afternoon playing by a stream dotted with rocks. It was such a glorious day full of sunshine and just the right amount of cold. So much calm and quiet, I wish I could go back and just spend the day there reading or writing. Such a perfect day, I felt like I was in a movie or something. Le sigh...I’m daydreaming as I write this....

Lynn Canyon Valley

Thinking back and trying to savour every moment of my trip, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride of living here in Canada. It’s crazy how diverse this country is...not only demographically and culturally, but geographically as well. It’s such a vast nation full of surprises. I travelled out east to Nova Scotia last year at around this time of the year and the land told a different story there as well, with the ocean endlessly stretching out, seemingly merging with the sky at some point. East to West, North to South, each region in Canada has a different vibe to it. It’s exciting and invigorating to know that. Makes me want to grab a car and some friends and just drive all over the country. I’ve still so much to see and learn.

But anyway, I’m just really happy that I took the time out to go see both my friend and another part of my country. It’s always such a great feeling to go out and explore something new...

Here’s to discovering a wider world!

**To view more photos from the trip, click here.

Love for Social Media Week

Last week was the second annual Social Media Week, gathering people in nine major cities around the world to join a burgeoning conversation about the emerging trends in online and mobile technologies. It's been an entire year since I was first slowly dipping my toes in this exciting and fast paced world! I remember attending a few events last year to broaden my mind on what social media was all about and to connect with the vibrant tech-savvy community in Toronto.

It's been quite the ride since then and this year I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to actually host an event with Journalists for Human Rights. Of course, I stuck to my passion and what I know best and put together a talk about using social media to spread human rights awareness with my friend and education superstar Carissa MacLennan. We tried to keep our session as intimate, interactive, and hands-on as we could to really drive home our point that though social media is an incredibly powerful tool, there is no law that says it will inevitably produce good. When dealing with something as crucial as human rights, we have a responsibility to use social media in a critical, purposeful, and effective way and our Rights Media framework is a conceptual toolkit that is meant to do just that.

Below is a condensed version of our presentation (minus the many media analysis activities our attendees so brilliantly deconstructed!) to give you a sense of how exactly you can achieve this.

On behalf of jhr, a huge thank you to the SMWTO organizing team and the staff at St. Andrew's Club and Conference Centre for making the whole planning process of this event an absolute breeze on my part! You're all rockstars in my books. And of course, thanks to those who came out and engaged in this very important conversation...hope you'll keep the dialogue going!

Until next year ; )

Workshopping it out.Starting our talk. Photo from @amirad