Did You Know . . . April 2, 2009
Posted by MelissaHK in life.Tags: culture, environment, life
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One of my favourite blogs is The Best Article Every Day. For March 31, they posted a great little video geared to make you think and offer a little perspective. I’m not sure if all of the facts are 100% spot on, so you might want to fact check before you start quoting anything. But I really liked the video not because it is surprising or even contains all new information, but because it really does make you think.
Family Forest March 23, 2009
Posted by MelissaHK in life.Tags: family, journey, life
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For those of you following my blog, I know a lot has been going on that I would normally post about. But I have been off the grid for a little while because my stepfather passed away on March 7. Naturally, I headed off to New Brunswick to be with family for the week.
It was actually strange how many wonderful moments there were in sharing our loss. I was amazed at how many people made it to St. Stephen to be with family. With just Paul’s brothers and sisters and their children, as well as his own children and grandchildren, there are about 50 of us altogether, and only 4 nieces and nephews did not make it back. A couple of my blood relatives came as well, from my mom and her mom’s side of the family. We are much smaller, only about 10 to 15 of us.
My mom commented several times about how having so much family coming home made it so much easier in that first week. Of course, the hard part comes now, but she has all the great memories that she had with him as well as so many shared by other people as well as their support.
I also had not realized this, but my grandfather (my mom’s father) passed away 20 years ago almost to the day, on March 9, 1989.
Then, on March 8, I received an email from a cousin on my birth dad’s side. Strange how life works sometimes. I never knew my dad very well, as he and my mom separated when I was 6. I did see him when I was 13 or 14, but then we lost contact by the time as 21 or 22. I’m not sure where he is now, or even if he is still alive, and neither does my cousin. But maybe with this new contact with my cousin, something will start to grow for me in this family particular family tree.
My family of friends have been really supportive as well. Whether they were on the other side of the globe or in my own backyard, they were all there, strong and true.
It’s really amazing how I feel like I have a family forest, rather than just a tree.
A little Melissa news October 29, 2008
Posted by MelissaHK in life.Tags: crfc, life
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The Community Radio Fund of Canada held its first Board of Directors meeting on October 28 and 29 in Ottawa. You can get the official scoop on the website. But for me, I am happy to be appointed to the position of Executive Director! Pretty exciting for me. The Fund has been a pretty big part of my work life since November 2004. I am honoured to be able to see the Fund through its next steps.
The appointment is for the interim ED. I’m going to be in the role until at least the end of June 2009. By then the Fund Board should likely have a clear idea of its capacity and needs and what it needs in its staff. At that time, there will be a public hiring process.
Everyone needs a little break October 19, 2008
Posted by MelissaHK in life.Tags: life
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Hi there. This post is pretty much for anyone who might be subscribing to my feed. It’s been a while since I’ve made the time to visit my blog and share a few things. There’s a few things I’ve been hanging on to, so I’m going to try to post them today. I might even go log in to my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts! Ah, communications. Sometimes there’s just a little bit too much to keep track of. Lovely. My Facebook friends are wondering where I am, I am socked that there are people following my Twitter feed since my last update was well over a month ago, and even my cats are wondering what tha heck I’m doing these days. Here’s to feeling good about visiting the Grid for a bit.
Ottawa Fringe Reviews: The Sum of Ourselves June 25, 2008
Posted by MelissaHK in theatre.Tags: energy, fringe, journey, life, ottawa, reviews, theatre
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Reviews: Totem Figures, Teaching the Fringe
As I was walking to the SAW Gallery this evening, I was thinking to myself that I was feeling a little bit of Fringe burnout. Yes, I’ve seen some great shows, and no, I can’t feel nearly as burnt out as the Fringe staff and volunteers or certainly the performers, directors, and stage managers. But still, feeling a bit tired all the same. However, (and yes, a nod to those who’ve seen Cutler’s show), the shows I saw this evening may very well have rung the truest for me for the entire Fringe (Circumference excepted). And I love the fact that there is a CHUO ad on the SAW page in the program guide.
One final note before my thoughts on tonight’s shows, I have given a couple of “bad reviews” this last week. I know many people feel this is part of the reviewer’s job, that they owe it to their audience to tell them to not go see this show and to avoid that show at all costs, etc. But honestly, and as someone who has been on the receiving end of bad reviews, I’m deciding to not buy into that. I’ve removed the “bad review” portions I posted on this blog and have replaced them with different thoughts. Because ultimately, who am I to be doling out critiques of someone else? Does it make me feel good about myself? It certainly can’t help those I’m writing about. It’s not that I think my reviews were even particularly that bad, but just that I wonder what good are they doing anyone anyway? And whose to say that my opinion really matters in the grand scheme of things. Art is art, and it is most definitely subjective. So if you enjoy reading what I am writing, then great. But whether you agree or not, please take it all with a grain of salt.
Totem Figures by TJ Dawe (Big Sandwich Productions, Vancouver): I loved the show. If I have the chance to see it again, I will. A lot went through my mind during this performance, and much more will continue afterwards. It wasn’t that TJ Dawe was saying anything I didn’t already know, it’s just that he put it in a way that made me listen. To both him and myself. You should go listen to what he has to say, and in the meantime, here is what I was thinking.
We are the sum of our experiences and the creators of our own meaning. Great words to live by that I’ve been saying for quite a few years now. But what do they mean? I sometimes feel that I am simply going through the motions — I get up, feed my cats, go to work, clean the litter, play guitar, watch TV, go to sleep, get up, feed the cats, . . . and the routine continues. I often talk about how I believe the journey is the destination, like it is my life mantra. But then I somehow forget to believe in it.
I don’t believe in many things. When I remember to, I do believe in the journey. I believe in energy, that it is us, it is life. I believe in trees, the earth, rocks and what they tell. But why? This play reminds me that maybe I just need to stop and take a look back, to see my own patters of my life. What are my influences? What were past influences that aren’t there now? What has always been there? Indeed, what are the faces on my Mt. Rushmore?
I highly recommend “Totem Figures.” TJ Dawe is a wonderful storyteller. From Luke Skywalker to George Carlin to high school pep rallies, Dawe may help you draw your own connections, too. www.tjdawe.com
Teaching the Fringe by Keir Cutler (Doctor Keir Co., Westmount, QC): Definitely one of my favourites to date. What a great story, although maybe not so great for Cutler to experience at the time. He has such a great way of telling it, too. Aside from Totem Figures, this is the only show I’ve seen all Fringe where the actor is really acting as themselves with no other characters joining them along the way. Oh, I’m sure there are true autobiographical elements to almost all of the shows, some more than others, but to me both Totem Figures and Teaching the Fringe push my notion of what a play really is. It’s kind of like a spoken word performance meets a play, do you know what I mean? I mean, Cutler was acting, but as himself. As for the show, I don’t want to say a whole lot as I really enjoyed watching it all unfold. But I will say I am really curious to see how this show is met in Winnipeg. Keep us posted, Keir Cutler!
