So I don’t have any actual news… but I wanted to let you know that I recently opened an Etsy shop to sell some of my photo prints. Might as well do something with those! Here are some of the listings, if you’re interested:

Check them out (and feel free to order one )!

Cheers,
Tamara

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my life gave to me: 12 million project hours, 11 thousand keyframes in Maya, 10 times the workload of last year, 9 hundred lines of code (probably more), 8 render nodes in the school’s render farm (why?!), 7 trips to see my landlady about my bug infestation, 6 weeks remaining in my internship, 5 near-all-nighters pulled so far, 4 cups of tea a day, 3 humongous classes, 2 bus trips a day on packed buses, and 1 very, very tired Tamara!

And my obligatory notes:

1. Please do not buy me cosmetics, lotions, skin care, or any products of the kind. If you want to go this route, please buy me gift cards instead (Body Shop, LUSH, Lilou, et al). I’ve become so picky about what I put on my skin that I don’t want to risk you giving me something I will absolutely not use.

2. My preference for gifts in general is towards experiences (for example, a trip to a spa… or something) and consumables (food, money, gift cards, movie passes, etc.). Despite the fact that I have rather large wishlists on various sites, tangible things which persist (DVDs, books, etc.), are second priority, especially when I will be moving again in the middle of next year and I am trying to keep the number of possessions I own to a minimum!

3. Quality over quantity. Always.

List:

- Any sort of experience (spa visit, tickets to a play, travel pass, etc.)

- Money towards new camera lenses. A new camera lens would cost me between $250 – $320 right now (going rate on Future Shop’s website)

- Anything from Ten Thousand Villages, Teaopia, Happy Goat Coffee Co., or Second Cup

- Anything off my Amazon.ca wishlist (if you are doing this, please use the “buy” buttons on the wishlist itself, this will ensure the item gets removed and no duplicate buying will occur) or ThinkGeek wishlist (for all of the above, keep it under $40… some of the items are pretty pricey).

- Gift cards or certificates off the following list: iTunes, Tim Hortons, Second Cup, HMV, Spring, Payless ShoeSource, Amazon.ca, La Senza, The Body Shop, LUSH, IKEA, Paypal (yes, you can get Paypal certificates!), Lilou Organics

- A gift certificate from YouBar (for a box of custom nutrition bars–http://www.youbars.com/gifts). This one is pricey, so if you’re buying me this, don’t get me anything else! Also, I’m not sure if the included shipping is Canadian or not, so they might have to be contacted directly… or you could just give me money towards making my own set of bars.

- Another good gift which I will appreciate is giving a donation in my name to a charity from the following list:
- Charity:Water
- Stop the Traffik
- Restore NYC
- Equality Now!
- Calgary Food Bank
- Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter
- Little Warriors
- Farm Forward
- MEOW Foundation

Please do not give me any of the following:

- Gift cards to clothing stores

- Coffee (beans, instant, etc.)

- Cosmetics / lotions

- Anything religious (excluding Christmas-themed things, obviously)– I have my own views on religion and beliefs, and I don’t have an interest in reading/watching religious books/movies, so please refrain from giving these as gifts.

I seem to remember having a comment from someone last year about my “do not give” list; I think someone thought it was arrogant of me to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak. I can see their point. But I feel it is useful to provide a list of things which won’t be useful to me, as a preventive measure. This way, the gift-giver can rest assured he/she is giving me something I want or will use, or both. So it is there again this year.

Any questions, comments, etc.? Let me know . And feel free to pass this list or link on to anyone who needs ideas .

I don’t know if you knew this already, but I love traveling by train. I used to do it quite a lot as a kid (fares were cheap!), and now do it whenever possible… Living in Ontario has given me many more opportunities to do it in the last 4 years than I have in my lifetime. There’s just something about it that strikes a chord with me… maybe because it’s such an old-fashioned way to travel, maybe because it takes time, maybe because it’s something different… maybe because it doesn’t have the hassles of plane travel (yet, anyway). In some respects, it has quite a few advantages over planes; take this post, for example– I’m writing it and posting it from a train at the moment (somewhere between Ottawa and Toronto, just past Kingston).

If there’s one trip I’ve always wanted to do (and I actually looked at the logistics of it earlier on this trip), it’s to travel from coast-to-coast (in Canada) on a train, Vancouver to Halifax. Or Halifax to Vancouver, whichever (this is more likely if I start from Ottawa, anyway). It’d take three different train journeys (Halifax -> Montreal, Montreal -> Toronto, Toronto -> Vancouver), and would take quite a long time, but it’d be time well-spent, in my opinion.

It’s going on my bucket list.

Incidentally, if anyone wants to pitch in towards a Canrailpass (between $872 – $1003 for a high-season coast-to-coast pass), which will allow me to do this, let me know .

Dear Suzy Shier,

Please look up the definitions of the words ‘peek’ and ‘peak’ before using one prominently in an email newsletter. Or read on:

peak /pik/ noun
- The pointed top of a mountain or ridge
- A mountain with a pointed summit
- The pointed top of anything
- The highest or most important point or level
- the maximum point, degree, or volume of anything

peek /pik/ verb
- To look or glance quickly or furtively, especially through a small opening or from a concealed location
- A quick or furtive look or glance; peep
[dictionary.com] 

I’m pretty sure only one of those can be used to describe getting a first look at clothing. It really bothers me when large companies with large audiences can’t be bothered to proofread– or their proofreaders aren’t doing their jobs. Both ways lead to pointing and laughing, and potential public humiliation (and irritated blog posts), none of which are good for a brand. Just saying.

Just wanted to draw your attention to the other blog I’m currently blogging at– Ottawa Move. I’m a student social media intern, and so far have written three four posts for them (plus made one two videos). So, if you’re interested, feel free to check out my writing/media through the links below (fyi– it’s about real estate. If this doesn’t appeal to you… check it out anyway )

The Many Layers of Little Italy

Little Italy’s Flavours, Flowers, and Festivals

Condominium Living in Ottawa

Ottawa’s Chinatown and LeBreton: Where Traditions and Modern Living Collide

Ottawa’s Little Italy [video]

Ottawa’s Chinatown and LeBreton [video]

First I should explain that this school semester has been the busiest, most stressful one I have ever had, and it shows no signs of letting up. It also happens to be a semester where I am juggling numerous personal issues and situations, as well as my oh-so-wise decision to take on a part-time internship. While I know I can do it all, I am not sure what state I am going to be in, mentally, at the end of this semester…

Which brings me to the quote I read today when I was reading a chapter of Linchpin (Seth Godin)… well, re-reading, actually. I do take breaks occasionally, and in those breaks, I occasionally read. It just seemed so timely, so here it is:

“Everyday is a new chance to choose.

Choose to change your perspective.
Choose to flip the switch in your mind. Turn on the light and stop fretting about with insecurity and doubt.
Choose to do your work and be free of distraction.
Choose to see the best in someone, or choose to bring out the worst in them.
Choose to be a laser beam, with focused intention, or a scattered ray of light that doesn’t do any good.”
- Ishita Gupta

Obviously I’d rather be the laser beam. It just remains for me to decide on what my intention is…

Speakers were: Brittany Forsyth, Shopify; Mike Freeman, Shopify; Luc Levesque, TravelPod (Trip Advisor); Doug Tetzner, Odgers Berndtson, and Harley Finkelstein, Shopify

How have things changed?
- More information readily available
- Can find connections more easily
- Have to target employers specifically
- Think “where can I add value to this job? Is this a good fit for me?”
- More focused on applicant’s background

What should your thought process be when looking into a potential employer?
- Do research on company and HR/hiring people
- What is the corporate culture?

What are the trends right now?
- Custom landing pages targeted to your strengths
- Doing tangible things potential employers can look at
- Employers want to know “can they perform?” and “are they passionate about the job?”
- Making good use of social media and profiles
- References > resumes

Are you an advantageous hire?
- De-risk your hire
- Don’t just submit an resume, do something tangible
- Trusted references (especially mutual ones) are very important!
- Show skill set in interview, if possible
- Have good questions prepared for the interview
- Show up for a conversation in the interview

Being outside the box
- Employers are now “expecting” creative and unique applications
- Don’t just copy and paste keywords from job descriptions
- Cover letters are still important
- Make sure you can walk the talk
- Don’t be afraid to take the risk
- Create an online personality that reflects skills

Level of engagement
- People have the info, not all interact with company (they should)
- People are now better prepared
- Tailor materials to each company
- Know your audience

Relationships?
- About who you know
- Find employees within company and network with them
- Make a list of people who know and like you and submit that with resume (bosses, preferably)

Do’s and Don’ts
- Do NOT use “to whom it may concern” in your cover letter!
- Don’t be afraid to let your personality show in your materials (resume, etc.)
- Resumes don’t have to be point form
- Keep a blog!
- Constructive disagreement can be good
- Try a video-based resume
- Follow up after an interview
- Try not to use skills-based resumes
- Put your interests on your resume
- Don’t play hardball in the interview! (especially with salary)

“Forcing yourself to do something you hate, so you come up with something you’d rather be doing.”

On Inspiration:
- Surround yourself with creativity
- Cut out distractions
- Nature
- Get away from the computer
- Try unknown applications
- Nostalgia

On Strategies:
- Don’t restrict the flow of ideas (quantity– make lots of ideas!)
- Make it look cool
- Don’t present the client with more than one comp

On Uniqueness (wheaties):
-  Be fearless
- Listen well
- Collaborate well
- Understand clients
- Have principles

Things to keep in mind about tablets:
- Context is important
- Very portable, so location is important
- What content is used?
- Keep in mind where a user’s thumbs are when holding a device

Skeuomorphic Design:
- Animations and transitions are very important!
- Ergonomics
- Interaction proximity

Check out:
- teknision.com
- Julian Dolce 
- Scott McCloud

What makes a great UX (User Experience) designer? (i.e. How not to be a board monkey)

1) Passion
- Love what you do
- What gets you up in the morning?
- Do you have pursuits outside of the office?

2) Mental Quickness
- Speed chess (sometimes in interviews!)
- Manipulating interactions to create opportunities to act
- 3 steps ahead

3) Creative Vision
- Don’t hide or make excuses

4) Strategic Acumen
- Understanding business realities
- Defending design choices
- Client-facing readiness
- Be able to sum things up in a sentence

5) The Fundamentals
- Communicating vision
- ‘What’s wrong with this picture?’ challenge
- Portfolio
- Not having to think about the basics

6) Attention to Detail
- Visual polish
- Spelling mistakes?
- Giving more than is asked for

7) Zoom Control
- Being able to see both the worm’s eye AND the bird’s eye view
- No tunnel vision

8 ) Comfort in Numbers
- Knowledge of analytics
- Knowledge of past clients, project performance
- Education

9) Translation Skills
- Talking to designers, developers, marketers, etc…
- Keeping a reading list / blogroll (good idea to make this public)
- Having a background in other fields

10) Awareness and Inspiration
- Ability to abstract ideas
- Ability to communicate

11) Platform Jumping
- Understanding nuances
- Pushing platforms’ capabilities
- No dead ends

12) Lessons Learned
- Know biggest failures and what the response was
- Intangible knowledge
- Learn from mistakes

13) People Skills
- Would you want to go drinking with this person?
- Know the line
- Making other people look good

Check out:
- epicmix.com