Tag: After Work Drinks Toronto

#AfterWorkDrinksTO 8: The Dress for Success Edition

After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Friendly Faces

Last updated on April 13th, 2021 at 11:32 pm

After Work Drinks Toronto 8—#AWDTO—

As an event becomes more popular, you can’t keep it free forever. From its humble beginnings in February 2012 where every tweetup starts—a group of people from Twitter meeting up to go out and have a good time—After Work Drinks Toronto keeps raising the (wait for it) bar for events of its kind, building greater partnerships to make sure that anyone going can have an amazing time.

There’s only one way to start this post—I’ve never seen a tweetup get so full so quickly. By the time the event was an hour in, there were easily already 40-50 people in the bar area, ready to slake their thirsts with Mount Gay Silver Mojito cocktails (ridiculously addictive), Melville’s Craft Lager and Innis & Gunn beers and a decent selection of red and white wines!

Much like before, I volunteered my time and camera to Amanda and Graham because I believe in what they’re doing with After Work Drinks Toronto (or AWDTO for short). [Disclaimer: In return, they were kind enough to give me a free ticket, but that’s not why I offered my services in the first place.] Nothing worthwhile happens overnight, and through their hard work and diligence, AWDTO is really coming into its own. Each instalment continues to set the bar higher, and I hope we continue to see many more as we finally head into the summer!

  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Melville's Raspberry Fruit Beer
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Amanda Blake addressing the crowd
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Robin James Wynne addressing the crowd
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Graham Rowlands
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Graham Rowlands

The night went well—it was a mish-mash of food; drink, comments from our wonderful organizers (Amanda and Graham, as mentioned above) and sponsors (Mahit Lehang from First Choice Bartenders representing Melville’s Craft Lager and Innis & Gunn; representatives from Mount Gay Rum; and of course, Robin James Wynne, mixologist at Fynn’s Temple Bar); prize giveaways (none of which I won, don’t worry); caricatures (by Valerie White); music (by Matt Morgan and Craig Johnston of the Emerson Street Rhythm Band—at times accompanied by Joey deVilla); and just a lot of being social.

There was all sorts of activity going on, from discussion to dancing—if you looked out the corner of your eye, you could even see Christine helping run her weekly #RBchat Twitter chat at one of the tables! When you got in, you got an envelope containing tickets for beer sampling (of the Melville’s Fruit Beer—Innis & Gunn beer was on special for $5 a pint, though!), a Mount Gay Silver Mojito and  wine; a raffle ticket; and a playing card to play in the Best Poker Hand Draw, where you’d team up with four other people to come up with the best poker hand for a prize (a clever icebreaker)! They also drew for the person who was best-dressed as voted by the crowd, with the winner going to the County in the City festival with a friend!

While not conducive to heavy foot traffic, the Fynn’s of Temple Bar definitely has all the makings of an excellent pub…

Food Was Amazing

If I wasn’t trying to take photos and mingle, I would’ve stolen plates of bacon-wrapped scallops, pulled pork taquitos and duck confit on tangy pineapple flatbread and sat in a corner all night stuffing my face. The apps were glorious, and my stomach wasn’t taking “no” for an answer! The full list of food was as follows:

  • Duck confit on tangy pineapple flatbread
  • Pulled pork taquitos
  • Seared mahi mahi sliders
  • Potato & kale croquettes
  • Bacon-wrapped scallops with red pepper mayo
  • Spicy pork dumplings

Drinks A-Flowin’

I only had time to try a Melville’s raspberry Craft Lager and a Mount Gay Silver Mojito (which, again, was utterly delicious and ridiculously addictive), but there was a ton being offered up that night:

  • Mount Gay Silver Mojito (a strawberry basil peppered mojito)
  • Beer samples: Innis & Gunn’s Melville’s Fruit Beers in strawberry, raspberry and ginger beer flavours
  • Wines
    • Whites: Henry of Pelham Spring rivalry, Domain Faively Chablis, Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc, and Uma Torrontes
    • Reds: Creekside Estates Shiraz, Torres Tempranillo, Pelham Catherine Cuvee Rose, Malivoire Ladybug Rose

Live Music

  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Joey Devilla
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Craig Johnston on Trumpet
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Craig Johnston on Trumpet
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Craig Johnston on the axe
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Matt Morgan and Craig Johnston of the Emerson Street Rhythm Band

The night’s entertainment were Matt Morgan and Craig Johnston of the Emerson Street Rhythm Band who were both talented and entertaining, doing a mix of crowd-pleasers (see Neil Diamonds “Sweet Caroline”, for example) and always making sure to interact with the crowd and keep the energy levels riding high! You can see some more details on the experience on Joey deVilla’s blog, who would accompany them for several songs later into the night!

Great Service

Robin and his Fynn’s staff were amazing—all smiles and service as they made sure that gusts were well-fed and having a great time (I will not confirm whether the alcohol samples paid any contribution to the great time being had)!

Killer Caricatures

I just missed the window to get one done, but Valerie White was super-talented, whipping up amazing profile drawings of various attendees in mere minutes for a pay-what-you-can donation to Dress for Success! Here’s some of the awesome that she whipped up:

  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Valerie White sketching an AWDTO attendee
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Anne with her caricature
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Valerie White sketching Pauline Grant
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Jon Gauthier and Janet with Janet's caricature
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Joallore Alon checking on his caricature

What You Missed

In the end the event raised $383.45 for Dress for Success, and though I don’t know the specific turnout, from the photos and who I know was there, I’d guess a good 50 or so people in attendance, experiencing what AWDTO had to offer.

But that’s not what you missed.

  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Fun Tweeples
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Crowd shot!
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Friendly Tweeps Shashena, Anum and Jamie
  • After Work Drinks Toronto 8 — #AWDTO — Crowd shot

What you really missed at After Work Drinks Toronto this time around was an opportunity to expand your social circles beyond what they are right now. The chance to meet people actually interested in exploring new things with you and not just out to give you excuses for why they can’t come (I heard of at least 2 groups of new friends going out for a bite after the event!) Events like AWDTO help remind us that we’re in control of our lives—in control of who we choose to hang around and what we choose to do with our time.

After Work Drinks Toronto reeks of possibility—so hopefully you make it out to the 9th instalment!

Change your life!

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

After Work Drinks Toronto 8: The Dress for Success Edition

The tweets displayed on the wall at After Work Drinks Toronto: Movember Edition

Last updated on April 5th, 2021 at 03:54 am

If you want to make the most out of social media, one of the most important things you need to do is meet people. Gone are the days where you can simply exist behind a screen name and expect to change your life—people want a person they can relate to; someone they can understand… and no amount of detail on an online profile ever does this justice.

I met my first online friend back in 2005, and I haven’t stopped since—it’s a massive world out there; how’re you going to know how you fit into it if you don’t start exploring?

IMG_4287

After Work Drinks Toronto (or AWDTO) has always been a good place to start doing this. Run by Amanda Blake with help from her boyfriend Graham Rowlands and a cast of friends, AWDTO has always been about enjoying a casual time out with friends (both old and new) over drinks, and preferably on a patio (but definitely not with the weather Toronto’s been having as of late!) I’ve been to a couple so far, and even though I constantly think that I’ve met everyone I could meet on social media in Toronto, I’m always pleasant surprised to come across even more at AWDTO sessions, such as Adeline, who’s a nutritional consultant, brought cupcakes to my birthday party last year and sees me as her “older brother”; and Taylor, who I’d wanted to meet for ages and never got the opportunity to do so!

#AWDTO Movember (166 of 168)

Since the AWDTO Movember edition, AWDTO has given back as a not-for-profit event, and this time is no exception! $5 of every ticket goes back to the Dress for Success charity, which focuses on promoting “the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life” (and coincidentally based out of my church in The Annex!) And if you’re wondering—the rest of the cash goes back to the event and to make sure that future AWDTOs are just as amazing!

This edition of After Work Drinks Toronto will feature:

  • the best of Scotland with an Innis & Gunn sampling;
  • a special pint pricing on Innis & Gunn for AfterWorkDrinksTO guests;
  • a Caribbean getaway with a Special AfterWorkDrinksTO Mount Gay Rum cocktail prepared by Robin James Wynne @djrobinjames, a Canadian award-winning mixologist and Mount Gay rep;
  • getting fancy with Select Wines for a wine tasting (region TBA);
  • a great selection of canapes to pair with the drinks;
  • a live band playing awesome funk and Motown music (dancing encouraged!); and
  • great prize giveaways & swag!
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So come out. Meet new people. Do something different. After Work Drinks Toronto 8 is $20 in advance (and are no longer being sold at the door—this party’s gotten that live!!!) and at Fynns of Temple Bar on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Find further details at https://afterworkdrinksto.eventbrite.com/ and we’ll definitely see you there!

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

Of Motive and Movember

Ain't Mo-body messin' with my clique....
Everyone looking good after another successful event!

Last updated on May 18th, 2021 at 12:10 pm

Jim Sullivan, special guest speaker, sharing his story of surviving prostate cancer
Jim Sullivan, special guest speaker, sharing his story of surviving prostate cancer.

What’s the difference between a good person and the ones to be wary of? Or a good and an evil action? What helps us to draw the line between right and wrong in anything we do?

Reasoning. Intent. Motive.

Motive. Motive makes all the difference. It defines the things we do for personal gain versus those we do for people simply because we care about them. It’s why we look down on the common thief yet admire Robin Hood. Motive defines how we are perceived, always working in the background behind every decision we make.

So Is It WRONG To Be Selfish???

From L-R, @AmandaBlake9, myself with the GOTSTYLE prize pack, @michaelkim, @fastdrvr
We can all be a little selfish sometimes—as seen from my notoriety for winning stuff…

Yesterday we took a look at selfishness. When I brought forth the idea that selflessness is completely possible, I got some interesting counter-points, like:

“There’s no such thing as true selflessness. The act of giving or pursuit to assist others is in and of itself a means of self indulgence.”

— Justin Baisden

“Being selfish is an important part of our own survival. If we don’t always consider ourselves first, the probability of our own survival declines immensely. I don’t even know that it’s a bad thing. Our social conditioning throughout the ages is that the strong survive. “

— Zach Bussey

“Yes, people derive satisfaction from doing things that benefit others. But I think in many (if not most cases) we would do something “selfless” because we genuinely want to see someone else benefit/prosper/succeed.”

— Erik Kingissepp

Summarizing:

  • everyone’s a bit selfish—so what?
  • we need selfishness to survive
  • selfishness isn’t the root of the problem; the real problem is when our self-interests don’t align with the interests of the greater population

I’d agree with Erik, though, and would argue that motive is the key difference between selfishness and self-interest.

My reasons for being at The Big Give definitely started out as selfish—my notorious luck in full swing, friends had already told me that I’d be going home with a ridiculous amount of swag on top of whatever else I happened to win. To me, attending wasn’t even an option. But there’s a blurry line between our selfishness simply adding to our lives… and that selfishness negatively affecting the lives of others. It’s fine to do something for your sake alone now and then, but too much of it will make you unpleasant company to just about anybody.

With that said, the very next day, it was time to change the tune. Amanda Blake, a friend of mine, was throwing one of her After Work Drinks Toronto (#AWDTO) events, where she’d asked me to attend as the official photographer. And because I like Amanda and the great person that she is, I said yes. But why else?

Continue reading “Of Motive and Movember”
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