Saturday, January 30, 2010

Fly On The Wall @ #YYC4Haiti

I spent my Thursday night feeling like Big Brother watching the live stream of the biggest and best "tweetup" event Calgary has ever seen, #YYC3Haiti.

This was my first "tweetup" event, and unfortunately I was unable to attend due to my own health issues. Thank goodness for the event organizers who decided to stream the event live on Ustream. I was able to feel involved in the event from the comfort of my bed.

I was so excited about this event, as I had watched how this event transpired from the very first tweet from @C_DIG (Camilla Di Giuseppe)"#YYCTWEETUP - All 4 a tweetup where we can raise funds 4 #Haiti Relief. I believe #YYC can pull off something very special. Who's in? RT pls 6:00 PM Jan 14th". This one tweet got the ball rolling, and rolling fast. It was amazing to watch all of #YYC come together and jump on board for this event. I spent my time leading up to the event sending out emails, tweets and wall posts on Facebook to bring as much attention as possible to this event and do my part in raising awareness about the relief efforts for Haiti.


The event was going to start at 5:30, the geek that I am was already to go and viewing the live stream a 1/2 hour before the event even started. I wasn't excited at all..lol. I watched as our host for the evening, @ispeakcanadian, aka Sarah, prepared herself for the live feed. I was not envying Sarah, as we all know how live interviews can be nerve racking, as you never know what people may say, and you have to be on your toes for the possibility of anything. And trust me, everything and anything did happen during the live feed and Sarah handled herself famously.

What I enjoyed the most about watching the live feed was putting faces to many of the tweeters I have had the pleasure of following on Twitter. It also gave me the opportunity to be introduced to other, like minded, Calgary tweeters that I may never have came across if it wasn't for #YYC4Haiti.

I was really impressed with how @ispeakcanadian incorporated some, if not all, of the questions that were being thrown at her by people tweeting, I was one of them. I had made a comment about how there were a lot of female eye candy in attendance at the event (Stampede Queen/Princess, Cheerleaders, etc) and I was wondering where the male eye candy was for us females. Sarah did not disappoint...she found some of the best eye candy in attendance and interviewed them, and I totally agreed with her choices (@roger was one of them...yummy)

One of the funniest moments of the evening for me was the smell of bacon. Yes, you heard me right, the smell of bacon was so overwhelming I could smell it in my bedroom. I was wondering where the smell was coming from, when, lo and behold, the biggest piece of bacon I had ever seen appeared on camera.


As soon as I saw this, I tweeted the following: "OMG the guy dressed up as a piece of bacon at #yyc4haiti too funny. Did he lose a bet?" I received a bunch of responses introducing me to Jerry Aulenbach (@ZoomJer) and was told that this is what he does. Thank you @ZoomJer for the best laugh I had in a long time. Keep up the good work.

My priceless moment of the evening would have to be the interview with the magician. The magician himself was forgettable, but the expression on @ispeakcanadians face during his magic trick was priceless.


All in all I had an awesome time participating in #YYC4Haiti. A moment, that hit home for me, was when the emcee at the event, sorry cannot recall his name right now, quoted the lords prayer "Give us our daily bread" and requested that everyone in attendance give their daily salary. This moved me enough that I instantly went to the Red Cross site and donated my daily wage of $225. This wasn't the first time I donated, as I have been busy donating via text since the earthquake happened, but his request hit home and I had to act.

The success of this event is in the amount raised for Haiti relief, well over $25,000. I am proud to live in a city where so many citizens have such great civic pride to come together like this as a whole and help those less fortunate than us. This event would not have been a success with out the outstanding work done by the following ladies: @C_DIG, @alex_ruiz, @that_angela and @ispeakcanadian. Ladies without your tireless effort this event would not have been as successful as it was. You inspired Calgary to come together for a great cause and I am truly happy to have been apart of it.

Miss Candy

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

#YYC4HAITI

The devastation in Haiti has been on the fore front of everyone's mind lately, including mine. I have cried, prayed and rejoiced, day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute. Once again I am overwhelmed with emotion on how the world has come together to do the best they can to help this, almost non existent, area rise from the ashes. I have witnessed God's best work at hand during this disaster.

One group of ladies has impressed me the most and they are the women behind #YYC4HAITI. @that_angela, @C_DIG, @alex_ruiz took Twitter by storm and have put an amazing event together to raise fund for relief in Haiti. I have followed these ladies tweets to early hours in the morning as they prepare for this amazing events. Visit the #YYC4HAITI site to see all of the hard work they have put in to this http://yyc4haiti.com/main. I promise you these women have put their entire heart and soul into this event and I give you ladies a standing ovation for all your hard work.

Here is a description of the event that I borrowed from the invite on Facebook:

______________________________________________________________


Join us at YYC4Haiti, the biggest charity Tweetup Calgary has ever seen!

January 28 2010, Flames Central is hosting Calgary's fundraising event for the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Relief. Emcee Steve Pollard will be your host to an historic evening of FUN, ENTERTAINMENT, AMAZING PRICES and let's not forget our main goal: RAISING tons of MONEY for the people of Haiti!

● Free entrance, donations accepted
● Calgary Flames - Phoenix Coyotes on Pay Per View
● $5, $10 and $20 Raffle tickets, hard not to win anything!
● Fantastic prices to win, generously donated by our sponsors
● Have your pictures taken with one of the Cheerleaders of the Calgary Roughnecks Drill Crew or the Calgary Outriders!
● Live streaming video
● Did we mention that we're going to have A BLAST?!


Our $15,000 Grand Price for the evening has been donated by Strategic Group of Calgary!

A destination package to beautiful Kelowna, B.C., this spring.
The prize includes:
● Four days and four nights at the Okanagan Delta Grand Royal Private Residence Club, May 6-9, 2010 – coinciding with Okanagan Wine Festival
● 3,000-sq-ft waterfront villa
● Suite sleeps six comfortably – all rooms have king-size beds and views of the waterfront
● Kitchen, dining room and all amenities of home
● Brunch for up to six people at the Grand Bay Cafe
● Return flight for two to Kelowna, via WestJet

Strategic Group is one of Alberta’s largest private owners and developers of commercial real estate. The company owns 71 properties which equal approximately 4.5 million sq. ft. of space, including office buildings, shopping centres, industrial facilities, residential units and development projects.


If you don't win the Grand Prize, you can still try your luck with our Second Price!

Round trip airfare to anywhere WestJet flies, generously donated by WestJet!
Where do you want to go?
● Bridgetown, Barbados
● Montego Bay, Jamaica
● Nassau, Bahamas
● Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
● Or visit www.westjet.ca to view all their destinations!

The caring and dedicated nature of their people is what makes WestJet a different kind of airline!

And we have tons of other FANTASTIC prizes you can win either by raffle ticket or auction:
● Autographed Calgary Flames Jerseys
● Calgary Flames tickets
● Lift tickets for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies
● Prints and artwork
● Fitness memberships
● Electronics
● Event tickets
● Photography sessions
● Many many more! Visit www.yyc4haiti.com for a list of all the items

We hope to see you January 28, 2010! The biggest fundraising event in Western Canada!
___________________________________________________________

I am so proud to be a Calgarian. If you want to attend this event RSVP on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=294505628046&ref=ts

Miss Candy

Am I Still A Woman?

That is the question that I have allowed to enter my mind lately, since I found out I will be having a hysterectomy instead of an ablation, as my doctor felt that the endometrial ablation would be only a band aid for my problem and may not even resolve my issue. So instead of risking me having to suffering any longer, my doctor feels a hysterectomy is the best avenue to take.

I am an intelligent woman. I know I am still a woman and will be until the day I die. I know it is just my mind trying to play tricks on me and confuse me into thinking I am going to be less woman without my womb. 99.9% of the time I do not let my mind trick me, Im too smart for that. That .1% of the time, has me writing this post.

The most sadness that is upon me is from the fact I will no longer be able to have babies. I had my daughter very young and was dreaming of one day having another child, that dream is no more. Yes, I can adopt, yes there are many different options for having another child. That is not the point. The opportunity to feel something growing in me, kicking and moving will never happen again. I was so young with my first child I did not take the time to cherish those moments when I was pregnant. This is what saddens me the most about all of this.

On a positive note, I am grateful that I will no longer be suffering and will be able to get my life back on track and some resemblance of normalcy. Im very excited that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am grateful that I was lucky enough to experience the joy of pregnancy with my daughter, as I know there are many woman who never get that opportunity. I count my blessings.

Now if I could only get my long term disability claim approved.

Miss Candy

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Haiti Earthquake Caught on Tape

100,000 DEAD in Earthquake in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti 12 Jan 2010 Aftermath

Reason, Season, Lifetime

This is an oldie but goodie that I have recieved numerous times via email, but it is one of my favorite, so I thought I would share it with you:


People come into your life or a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet need you
have expressed outwardly or inwardly.
They have come to assist you through
a difficulty, to provide you with
guidance and support, to aid you
physically, emotionally or
spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they
are.
They are there for the reason you need
them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your
part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something
to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up or out and force
you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need
has been met, our desire fulfilled;
their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered
and it is now time to move on.
When people come into your life for a
season, it is because your turn has
come to share, grow or learn. They may
bring you an experience of peace or
make you laugh. They may teach you
something you have never done. They
usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy.
Believe it! It is real!
But, only for a season.

Lifetime relationships teach you
lifetime lessons; those things you must
build upon in order to have a solid
emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person/people (anyway); and
put what you have
learned to use in all other
relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but
friendship is clairvoyant.
I know why you are in my life and I
love you for that reason.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

AVATAR: Will History Repeat it's Self?

I just finished watching AVATAR. Amazing movie kept my interest for the entire 2.5 hours. Highly recommend this movie.

This movie definitely got me thinking. When humans find another livable planet with a living race on it, are we going to destroy the planet's natural resources for the mighty dollar, the same way we have destroyed earth's? I hope not. I hope that we learn from our mistakes and cherish and honour natural resources they way they should be and not take them for granted the way we have.

And if there are other living beings on the planet I hope they will fight hard the way the AVATARS did to not allow any foreign visitors, like ourselves, to come in and destroy what it so beautiful. NATURE. Shame on the human race if history repeats itself.

Miss Candy