CAPM Arrival

Look what I found in the mail today! I must admit, the thick paper and gold embossed seal make me feel a bit better about the past four months of school/work/business-juggling torture.

My Internet Highlight of the Week

August 3rd, 2009 marked a memorable occasion: The day Penguin acknowledged me on Twitter. At the time, being acknowledged by Penguin on Twitter was like shaking a celebrity’s hand for me. It gave me a euphoric, giddy high. Over the past couple of years, there have been a few other times where I have had the same exciting feeling of going out in the world and rubbing shoulders with people I admire.

I received a similar thrill a couple of weeks ago when I visited Diaspora Dialogue’s website. I’ve been an avid follower of this Toronto-based arts organization since I happened upon it a couple of years ago. Imagine my surprise when I visited their site and saw they linked to one of my YorkScene articles. I was shocked and giddy. I print-screened it and saved it. It made my day.

How awesome is it to admire an organization for so long, only to find your name on the top of their homepage one day? Very awesome!

To read the YorkScene article, check it out here. The article also appears on Live in Limbo and Nerd Girl Pinups, so if you’re into Ontario talent or like books as much as hot chicks who dig Star Wars, check the article out on those platforms, too!

Project Management Progress

As previously mentioned, this January I started a course in Foundations of Project Management. The course proved to be extremely challenging. Though hard work gave me an 80% average for coursework, the course’s final exam left me feeling downcast. Meticulously applying knowledge to plans and charters was one thing, but rote memorization of processes, inputs, outputs, tools and techniques was something different.

My certification exam was scheduled shortly after my course’s final exam but, after leaving school, I knew I might not obtain my certification unless I really hit the books. What ensued was 12 hours straight of studying each day until my certification exam. And I’m happy to say that the studying paid off.

I am officially a Certified Associate of Project Management! Now, I just need about a year more of related work experience before I can write my PMP exam. Would anyone like to employ me in a project managing capacity? I need relevant work experience, please! : )

52 Book Challenge Follow Up

Ever since posting about it on YorkScene, a few people have asked me how my 52 Book Challenge  has been going.

I have a confession to make: Even after two years of participating in the 52 Book Challenge and publicly proclaiming my continued dedication to it in 2011… This year, I have read a total of 0 books.

How is it possible that I haven’t finished reading a single book in the past 3 months?

I have nothing to defend myself with except to say that life kind of just happened this year. In addition to a full-time day job, I am also enrolled in a post-grad course working towards my CAPM, and am enrolled in the Humber School for Writer’s Correspondence Course in Creative Writing. The day job takes up a good chunk of my time (at least 8 hours, of course), and when I come home at night my choice is to either complete Project Management or Creative Writing homework. Often I choose to do Project Management work because I feel guilty not acing something that could so benefit my career. As for reading, it takes the back burner because I feel foolish putting something so “impractical” first.

Halfway through February, however, I noticed something odd. I was dissatisfied and grumpy all the time. I couldn’t figure out why, except that I hardly had time to meet my deadlines, spend with my family and friends and, most frustrating of all, to read. Yet again, passion fell prey to practicality.

The practical matters of life seemed to choke out all sense of creativity. By the end of the day, after pushing paper and numbers and numerous cups of coffee, the urge to write was gone. It’s hard to justify giving time to creativity and books when other “more important” things are at play.

I realized things had to change. Even if I had a higher pay cheque, or the entire alphabet in certifications after my name, I realized I wouldn’t be happy if I couldn’t confront the awful beast of writing, and I could never relax if I couldn’t ease my mind with books. As a result, I decided to make the effort to read more. And I’m almost close to the end of my first book of 2011 (Ilustrado by Miguel Syujco. It really is as masterful as everyone says it is!).

How have your reading challenges been going? And how do you make time in your life for the things you love? Does creativity or passion ever take the backseat to the everyday and, if so, how do you find a balance? Give me tips, please. I’m still trying to navigate the fine line between art and real life.

Book Launch: Farzana Doctor’s Six Metres of Pavement

What happens when you make the biggest mistake of your life? Farzana Doctor’s newest book, Six Meters of Pavement, deals with questions of regret and redemption in the story of a father who accidentally kills his baby daughter by forgetting her in the backseat of his car.

Early in March, the Toronto-based This is Not a Reading Series hosted the book launch for Farzana Doctor’s latest book, offering a night of good conversation, storytelling and music at the Gladstone Hotel. To read more about my night at the Gladstone, check out my Live in Limbo article here.

 

Shop Spotlight: Heroes World

In light of my previous post about nice places, the Markham-based comics and games store, Heroes World, is a really, really nice place. You may have heard me mention Heroes World before – I only have good things to say about it – but it was a real pleasure for me to write a full-length feature on the store, which appeared on the home page of CGMonthly.com.

To hear more about this comics and games shop and the role it plays in the Markham community, check it out. If you live in Markham, Heroes World is your best bet on finding the comic or obscure game of your choice. This place single-handedly provided for my game board addiction and recommended half the awesome comics I’ve reviewed. Hopefully they can do the same for you!

 

The Central: A love story, Or Skullkickers: A review

Months and months ago, I attended the launch of Jim Zubkavich’s Skullkickers, Issue 1. Taking place on September 22, I hopped over to the Beguiling for my first time ever before heading to the Central for the launch and some drinks.

To be honest, I felt quite lost in the Beguiling. If you’ve never been, it’s a small comic book shop spanning the height of a two-story building. With narrow paths through packed shelves, I felt bewildered and out of place in a shop where everyone seemed to know each other’s names. As someone who’s just a tad (#understatement) socially awkward and naturally reclusive, I kind of wanted to go home. No doubt the Central would also be chock full of friends and family. Attending the launch would practically be like crashing a party! But I had travelled all the way and had agreed to meet an old co-worker next door, so I headed over (quite reluctantly, I’ll admit).

When all was said and done, I’m glad I went. It was fun seeing a friend and meeting old acquaintances. Even more, it was nice to meet the author and hear him talk about his comic journey and creation.

A month later I drafted up a review and sent it over to C&G Monthly, where it now appears here!

I know this coverage is coming 5 months late, but I wanted to give special tribute to Skullkickers and that evening spent at the Central. My acquaintance with that small bar led to many nights spent drinking apricot beer to the slow jams the venue plays after midnight, and attending other events such as the Plasticine Poetry nights held once a month. And those nights led to memorable moments with new and old friends, the rediscovery of long-forgotten music, and the introduction to poets I love and admire, like Jacob Scheier.

Events like those held at the Central – ones that can bring you out of your comfort zone and into something better, newer, and more exciting – serve as breaths of fresh air in an otherwise routine, predictable sort of life.

Wow! Did I digress! The reason why I originally sat down to write this article was so I could post my Skullkickers link. But then again, I set Skullkickers apart because it recalls a moment for me – a place and time I think of fondly. I strongly advise you guys to check out the local arts and culture scene happening in your town.

And for Toronto readers, is there anything coming up that I should check out? I’m looking for another breath of fresh air!

My Problem with Journalism

In 2010, I profiled Yann Martel for Side Street’s December issue. The interview can be read its entirety in the Side Street Review’s December magazine, and recently a snippet of it was made available online on SideStreetReview.com. The snippet appearing online reads as follows:

I didn’t know very much about Yann Martel before speaking with him. In fact, from what I did know of him, I didn’t really like him. All I knew was that he wrote an award-winning bestseller and, after that, took a hiatus from writing during which he seemed to be keeping himself ever-present in the Canadian literary scene by writing Stephen Harper biweekly book reviews. The Harper project seemed to go on for ages with no response and, frankly, I felt like it was a project that was undertaken to ensure the man and his book remained present in the public eye, just to keep the royalties rolling.
I suppose you could say that if I thought of Martel at all, I thought of him with a negative—at best, indifferent—point of view.

With the distance of time and space between my Martel article and I, reading it again made me realize how harsh it sounds. Of course, it was partly written to sound that way. I know that each article is better if it tells the truth conversationally, accessibly, and with a hook. I strove for all of the above with my Martel article, but did not realize that it sounded so jealous and distrustful.

If you read the article in its entirety, you’ll see that my mind quickly changed after speaking with Martel. Unfortunately, that part isn’t available online.

I loved talking with Martel. My conversation with him inspired me even months afterwards. He rekindled my passion for writing and reminded me why writing is a valuable pursuit, relentless, and painful, and cruel as it sometimes is. And, more than his inspiration, I appreciated his kindness. Unlike other celebrities, he didn’t simply talk on and on about himself or recite tired and remembered lines, but he asked about me and tried to relate his stories to my life. That made a huge difference. It felt more like a conversation – a meeting of minds.

Perhaps Martel didn’t feel that way, and perhaps he doesn’t even remember me anymore, but it meant a lot to me at the time that an author of his stature could talk to me so patiently. And after all that, reading my cold introduction kind of broke my heart. I immediately regretted anything rude that I’d written. Even worse, as the nature of the business calls, my article was edited for length. To balance off my harsh beginning, I included a sugar sweet end. Fluff, I know, but I meant every word of it, and I wanted to include a conciliatory ending – a “sorry for the start” that was supposed to make up for any mean words I’d said. That ending was cut. It made for a tighter, better article, but, man, did I miss it.

I know I’ve gone on and on about Martel, but his profile reinforced my current trouble with journalism. Articles are written under pressure, for an audience. You’re assigned books and games and celebrities and you need to have an opinion (most preferably an attention-grabbing one) on all of it. You push all this out at a fast rate and once your words are in print, you can’t retract what you say. Even if you regret it later, ink is permanent.

Sometimes, when placing my opinion out there about the books, games, and people I meet, I forget the authority of the written word. It’s a failing that I have, and one that I need to overcome. Sometimes I feel like journalism is a match, and it helps me burn bridges. I love it and I hate it, so I’m hot and cold with it, writing voraciously in brief spurts, then keeping my silence and telling myself I won’t write again. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to write for magazines, but sometimes it worries me.

This has been a long rant, but I guess I just wanted to get the reflection out there. That, and I also wanted to say: Mr. Martel (if you’re reading this), thanks a lot for the chat. It meant a lot to me

New Graphic Novels on CGMonthly.com

I recently checked out CGMonthly.com and noticed a whole bunch of reviews I’d written that I’d failed to post about. If you’re looking for your next comic read, maybe you can check out a few of the books featured below:


Looking for something beautifully drawn and deeply touching? Check out Cyril Pedrosa’s Three Shadows – a tale of a father’s struggle to protect his child from three shadowy menaces.

Looking for something psychedelic and mind-bending? Try out Dash Shaw’s Body World, which traverses the plain of what happens when a new drug is found in the middle of suburban paradise.

Looking for something kickass and uber popular? Pick up any of the Scott Pilgrim books, such as Scott Pilgrim’s Infinite Sadness or Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together.

Looking for a coming of age read? Skim by Mariko Tamaki deals with a teenage girl learning about her sexuality.

Looking for a fantastical bildungsroman? Amulet Book 1 by Kazu Kibuishi is the first in a series of an other world adventure.

Looking for a graphic novel that grapples with issues of belief and the afterlife? Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel by is a gripping adventure with a deeper meaning.

Hopefully the above will satisfy your artists’ thirst. Each one is worth a read. Enjoy!