Change A Millennial Perspective

The one thing that excites me about being a millennial is the same thing that scares me. That is…change. The concept in itself is not a new one but has been around from creation or evolution depending on your outlook on life (I believe in the former) but the speed at which it occurs or seems to be occurring is both frightening and exciting. Though still a child while my parents were coming to age (obviously) the world seemed to have taken a slower pace in the way things were orchestrated. Presently though before you can construct a proper tweet or instagram upload, the stoplight is changing (#firstworldtechnology problems). It all appears to be happening so quickly that before you have grasped the concept of the tipping point Malcolm Gladwell is coming up with something new …Elite Institution Cognitive Disorder…..) At the same time before you can finish your coffee in the morning Dr. Oz is telling you why coffee is bad for you and why the pants you’re wearing will reduce your chance of having children, or why ginger is the new super fruit but two weeks ago it was garlic and the week before that kale… all before walking out your front door.

What intrigues me though is how all this ties into our jobs and how we make a living. As fast as you land a job after graduating (fast here being relative as for some persons 9 months may be pretty quick while 9 days seems like eternity for others), you see the headlines flashing “10 ways to increase your productivity at work”. Before you have a name plate or have established your place in the proverbial food chain, you’re already being bombarded with ways to improve before having even set a standard. For those (self included) who have started the journey and making the “almighty dollar” (could be mightier if you ask me) you begin asking yourself; what am I doing? How can I do it better? Should I do it better? How long before I’m promoted? And most importantly why do we do things the same way just because that’s the way we met them being done and no one ever asked the question why?

For my generation, being stuck between a younger generation that is changing at the speed of light and behind a generation just waiting to retire is by all means intellectual and motivational purgatory. I speak not of the developing world as I imagine their plight to be much different than ours in the Caribbean. I do speak of being raised in an era where pen and pencil were the way of life and human interaction took place without middlemen (i.e. laptops, tablets, smart phones etc.). Here I had the distinct impression that this was going to be the way of life until the end of life. But all this changed so suddenly it’s as if you woke up using ios6 not realizing ios7 has been launched and already running for 24 hrs while you took a 1 hr nap. Now you’re plugged into the matrix trying to learn the basics. But we do what we must cause ours is a generation of thrust. We will and must go forward at any cost. Though we have come to enjoy the peace and tranquility of our forefather’s way of life, the current demand for change keeps us motivated. As your boss will accept nothing short of blood for not seeing that BBM was vastly becoming antiquated, so will they accept nothing less than constant innovation. Whether it’s in the way algebra is taught or mosquitoes are caught (those handheld zappers pack a mean punch) what they thrive on is what we must provide, and today that thing is change.

Hopefully by then pigs will actually be able to fly and we will have a chance to say like generations before us, we did it! Not for us, but for you.

T Dot

Though I’m not the jet setting backpacking hitchhiking traveler I wake up wishing I was on the weekends, I have been to a few places on the map…(stress the few). One such place was Toronto last spring, though it wasn’t quite spring as the temperature barely nudged over the double figures and was even down to the minus figures during the evenings. Most people dubbed her as the ex girlfriend who refused to leave. Despite such I had a chance to see firsthand what this amazing city had to offer.

Weather

Being born and raised on an island means that “I an I rasta no kustom to dem kinda tepatres same way so I man haffu bungle up and kep warm” translation: whereas persons from the great white north are accustomed to their climate, I on the other hand was very much clad in scarf, jacket, hat and gloves where as my counterparts were chilling in sweat pants and a hoodies. For no other reason than Mother Nature being her usual by her own book self, the picnic weather never materialized as I had hoped. When it did warm up though, it was nice to be outdoors taking in the sights.

Tourist Stuff

Being that I was a “tourist” I did what most persons do when they visit Canada/Toronto, go to Niagara Falls. At this time of the year though I would not advise it as the Niagara area was even colder than Toronto and though many persons were getting away for the holiday weekend, not many were posing for pictures around the falls as it was semi-frozen and extremely cold. The change of scenery was definitely welcomed and embraced. Despite the Maid of the Mist and the behind the falls attractions being closed the Niagara area has numerous activities to enjoy. A dinosaur park for the kids, Dave & Busters, Nightmares Fare Factory and a host of other arcades, haunted houses and novelty shops to say the least.

If you are visiting Toronto though and you have the time to spare I would also recommend taking a trip to Montreal. The four (4) train ride via VIARAIL gives you a chance to view the wide open planes of the countryside. Montreal though is quite different to Toronto. You can almost distinctly pick out the tourists (I) from the locals. I would want to believe that 99% of the population is bilingual with French being their more preferred language. Store attendants and other service personnel greet you in both forms and respond based on your response. Me making the mistake of merely saying hello in French lead to the attendant rattling on as if I had any clue as to what she was saying. A lesson learn I told myself.

Old Montreal also has a quainter, old fashion British feel to it with brick buildings and a town square as well as alley ways with small restaurants and souvenir shops. It’s as if I were in a museum or walking back in time to the 18th century. If you’ve got the time there are horse drawn carriage rides where you get a brief history lesson from your driver. It was as the French would say “magnifique”.



Food & Shopping

For those looking to “shop it up” as my girlfriend describes it, you will have more than your share of stores and brand names to choose from. Between The Bay and Eaton Center in downtown Toronto you can find just about everything for your closet and beyond. Yorkdale and Vaughn Mills malls are also pretty extensive in their store front offerings. Smaller malls like Woodbine and Albion also offer good bargain opportunities as well. Major names like Sears and Wal-Mart are well represented though Target is just opening up shop so to speak. So if you have a passion for fashion and shopping you’ll have your fill once you can pay the bill.

Being a recovering fat kid (honorary member of fat kids anonymous) I’m always on the lookout for good food. A few items stick out on my list from the places my fellow connoisseur and I dined at. Most notably was the macaroni pie at the Gabardine restaurant in the financial district (http://www.thegabardine.com/). We Caribbean people have a thing for macaroni pie in case you might not have known. No wedding, funeral, birthday party, christening, church lunch, Christmas dinner, New Year’s dinner, BBQ, or beach picnic is complete without it. As such the chef at the Gabardine would make himself a small fortune if he were to move to the islands.

Grazzie’s Italian restaurant is also worthy of notable mention as their pasta dishes are delightful. I recommend getting there a few minutes before you’re actually hungry as there always seems to be a waiting line ( a sign of good food no doubt). Reuben’s and Schwartz’s in Montreal were also quite pleasing to my palate. The smoked meat Schwartz’s is apparently quite legendary as there were emails on their walls from persons requesting their product from as far as Australia.

The Kensington Market area off Queen Street is a unique a village I have witnessed in a city setting. Eclectic would be too easy of an adjective to use to describe this area.The "homey" feel that it has to it may be because many of the homes are now stores that offer a wide variety of items, trinkets, fiddles and diddles etc. If you like to go off the unbeaten path, then this is definitely your neck of the woods. Be sure to get some Kimchi fries from Banh Mi Boys, they are ah-wait for it - mazing.


All in all my first adventure was indeed a great one and I am definitely looking forward to the second and third etc…

THE RUNNER

Eyes open. Mind awakened. Dreams of yesterday become goals of today. Greatness empowered by strength, determination and a resolve that knows no bounds. As with the day before he laces up not merely shoes but conduits to the future he dreams of. Determined to out run his dreaded past and leap sole first into the future.

He races towards the rising sun determined to reach the ocean before the sun breaks the morning sky. Heart pounding, feet drilling into the pavement. Inch by inch he nears his destiny. Racing against time, chance and the unmotivated self that befalls all manner of men. Sweat burns his eyes as he digs deep to his core to spark the fire that burns within. The open road is his sanctuary, darkness his canvas and silences his fortitude. The morning air is cold and thick. Glimpses of the sun rising beyond the horizon push him forward. With each stride muscles awaken as cells die and are reborn. The machine that is his body comes alive like a vessel in flight. His mind is focused, his body seamless as the deep blue sea. His thoughts focused on the day at hand. Mountains to conquer. Battles to win as the war wages on. Every step forward is a moment closer to the reality where he breaks free from the mundane and embraces the exceptional idealism. In his eyes he is a work in progress that strives each day to be better and better until the dream is realized. Some call him driven but to others he is the runner.

By: Shawn Maile

Manners Maketh A Man

My first blog post for the year comes two months in. Hopefully everyone made it through January (longest month ever after getting paid in December) safely and have now settled into February quite nicely. For those who have resolved to make changes in their lives, hats off to you. For those who have not, hats off to you too.

This post was inspired last Saturday afternoon while I was picking up my cousins classmate for them to go hang out. While he was getting in I heard his mom says “John” (not his real name)”yes mom”, “ do you have everything you need in life?’. At this time I looked over at my aunt who looked back at this 11 year old kid with the same blank expression I had. His mother then said without missing a beat “manners and clean underwear”.

Well this made my day as we all couldn’t help but laugh. Strangely enough though his mother was more stern than amused. It got me thinking that not many parents in today’s society enforce the value of good manners on their children. Though light hearted the moment may have been, the seriousness of it was definitely loud and clear. In my day and age I could not go a day in school without hearing one of my teachers repeat the adage “Manners maketh a man”. Of course at per-teenage years such sayings meant little or nothing. It was only until entering the world of work I realized how far your repertoire of pleasantries and “manners” can carry you. Whereas skill, knowledge and networking might get you in the door, other factors like agreeableness, personality and positive work ethic might keep you there and help you to excel.

So for 2013, when heading out to the wonderful world of work, be sure not to forget your manners or more so your clean underwear.