Creative commentary plus crafty composition

Posts tagged ‘Lifestyle & Travel’

TOP 10 ‘Practical’ Valentine’s Day Gifts

In less than one week another of those often pressure-packed, gift giving days arrives: February 14th, AKA Valentine’s Day.

I can recall as a child in elementary school filling out sweet and simple cards to be given to classmates.  Starting even at such a young age, the message sinks in: this is a day to try to treat at least one other person in a special way.  Of course, as one gets older, effort and expense become more integral parts of the equation. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Lifestyle & Travel, Top 10

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Wishful Tax Deductions & Credits

As we move into another February, it’s getting to that time for many of us to look at our income tax status for the previous year. 

We can pat ourselves on the back for the good actions we took to help lower taxes (such as make regular tax-deductible contributions to a retirement savings plan or contributions to charities eligible for tax credits).  We may also have some time left for catch-up opportunities, such as the 60 days grace period for contributions to an RRSP (in Canada). (more…)

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Financial commentary, Humour, Lifestyle & Travel, Social & political humour, Top 10

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Writing Blogs vs. Writing Books

I’ve written quite a wide number of blogs.

I’ve also recently finished the last draft of my first book.  (I did craft a full length screenplay years ago.  Perhaps deservedly, it’s sitting in a file drawer; a worthy effort, but some re-work from exhibiting film-worthy credentials.)

While it is probably obvious that there are meaningful differences in the approach and execution of the short, to-the-point, blog versus the wide, hopefully well-structured arc, of the full-length story, these are not all necessarily obvious. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Arts commentary, Lifestyle & Travel, Opinion, Personal Development

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The Write Way

I have finally finished the last draft chronicling my career in the financial services industry.  I have committed to this being the final revision: sooner or later you have to pronounce it so.  (Unless it were to become a screenplay, which would mean no end to potential changes.)  In addition to the months needed to sort through my files and records, it only took me almost five years to complete this project. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Lifestyle & Travel, Opinion, Personal Development

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TOP 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2019

The last year of the second decade of the new millennium is upon us; goals both new and refined remain to be clarified & charged up…

  • Lose weight by carrying fewer heavy memories and hefty resolutions
  • Cut and paste pictures of yourself on scenes of faraway places to reduce the size and expense of your bucket list
  • Resolve not to worry about stock market volatility by focusing instead on using more coupons
  • Promise yourself that the next time a fork in the road appears, you’ll take the tines necessary to consider what lies ahead
  • Establish a time capsule business for multi-generational inheritances
  • Discover a new species and become its trusted advisor in multilateral negotiations
  • Memorize the first and last lines of classic books so you sound like you are well read
  • Develop a new social networking site which functions to pass judgement on other social networking sites
  • Start up a Fisherman’s almanac with multiple choice weather predictions allowing the reader to act like a paid forecaster
  • Take a study at home course on how to interact more proactively with others

Objectives like these should set the stage for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Lifestyle & Travel, Personal Development, Social & political humour, Top 10, Uncategorized

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Toast Time

A mini presentation that the vast majority of us likely have to make at one time or another is the Toast.

Whether it’s at a family gathering, or at a send-off for a friend or co-worker, this mini-speech is one where we want to make the best impression possible: on the person or group being saluted with the Toast, and on attendees who depend on us to elevate the occasion with our words and gusto. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Lifestyle & Travel, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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Socially Correct Holiday Season Slogans

Let’s put out to pasture the term ‘political correctness’!

Not only has this expression increasingly fallen out of favour based on its accumulated baggage, built on decades of use, but the word political doesn’t stand up anymore as encompassing enough to cover the inexorable intrusion of social media and expression.

Therefore, let’s henceforth categorize any relevant references under the theoretically broader, more modern term of ‘social correctness’. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Lifestyle & Travel, Opinion, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Reaction Times

 

Anyone able to reflect on this, based on years of personal experience or through research, knows that one of the biggest evolutions since the latter half of the twentieth century has been the speed of communications. Technology has become an indelible, intrusive catalyst of delivery; combined with more recent omnipresence of the internet and social media, has meant being part of a revolution in daily life around the world. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Lifestyle & Travel, Opinion, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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What’s in a Name?

One of the rotating features of many clubs is a theme for the meeting.

A few years ago, our Toastmasters club evolved from periodically featuring a meeting theme to making this a regular part of the weekly agenda.  It should be noted it serves as a backdrop influencing some components, such as the Toast or Table Topics, but core roles such as formal speaking or evaluating follow their own course and may or may not intersect with the theme. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Lifestyle & Travel, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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A Modern Halloween Life

If there’s a message underlying many escapades in The Simpsons’ annual Halloween “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, it’s that simply twisting the slant of everyday routines can be sufficient to make reality a black humour version of unnerving, or worse.  This emerges most overtly when the backdrop is parody, shaped by the tone of this venerable take on animated life.

The most memorable moments stem from great writing, about altered states.  These stand out, like in life itself, the dust settling in varying layers of destiny. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Lifestyle & Travel, Top 10, Uncategorized

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