Inspired in large part by The New York Times' 36 Hours travel series, and dedicated to anyone looking to spend time in Vancouver, British Columbia; this is my idea of a perfect day in our beautiful city.

Illustration by Marisa Seguin

9 a.m.
Fuel up with breakfast at Medina Cafe. This restaurant is a local favorite, and their delicious mini waffles are a must (try 'em with milk chocolate lavender). Avoid the rush by getting there before 11am.

See more of my snapshots on Flickr

10:30 a.m.
Shop in Gastown. Whether it's for clothes at Lynn Steven, One of a Few and Roden Gray, household trinkets and gifts at Old Faithful Shop, or second-hand books at MacLeod's Books, there's always lots of goodness to browse through in Gastown. It's also a five-minute walk from Chinatown.

11:30 a.m.
Make your way towards the West End, stopping at Jack Poole Plaza by the Vancouver Convention Center. The VCC's living green roof and architecture really celebrates our view of the North Shore mountains -- and not only does the plaza house the Olympic cauldron as a permanent landmark, it's also where Douglas Coupland's Digital Orca can be found.

Image Source: Jaunted

12 p.m.
Lunch at Kingyo. Kingyo's only one of many authentic Japanese izakayas that Vancouver has to offer -- but when it comes to lunches, it's the best. You can not go wrong with any of their rice bowls or lunch sets. I would eat there every day if I could.

1:30 p.m.
Rent a kayak out of the West End. Vancouver's Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Center is super convenient and it's a wonderful, leisurely way to see the city and get some fresh air. You can always hop off at Granville Island for a quick browse -- but if the water isn't your thing, a bike ride or stroll around Stanley Park is just as relaxing, too.

4 p.m.
Browse the Vancouver Art Gallery (open til 9pm on Tuesdays). I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Cone Collection of Henri Matisse pieces this season; it will be up from May 26 to September 30. Director Kathleen Bartels has done an incredible job running the gallery, and they have a wonderful variety of Canadian and international artists represented year-round.

Henri Matisse Large Reclining Nude, 1935

6:30 p.m.
Unwind and grab pre-dinner drinks at Reflections. Located at Rosewood Hotel Georgia's inner courtyard, it's one of the more sophisticated outdoor lounges in the city.

8 p.m.
Dine at Au Petit Chavignol. Wine. Cheese. Antipasto. Repeat. This is the sort of restaurant that you almost want to keep a secret because it's so good. It's wonderfully unpretentious, and the service is attentive, relaxed, and knowledgeable.

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Creative offline initiatives frequently incorporate digital interaction through sensor-tracking tools such as the Kinect (remember Chris O'Shea's air guitar prototype back in 2010?). More recently, Lab212 also used Kinect to create this interactive galaxy of stars with the assistance of a video projector, swing, and openFrameworks:

In the same vein – but with much more sophiticated results – comes ZeroN. ZeroN is a system that was developed at the MIT Media Lab by Jinha Lee, a Ph.D. student and research assistant. After working on the concept and execution for almost two years, Lee has put forth a "physical and digital interaction element that floats and moves in space by computer-controlled magnetic levitation" (source).

Image Source: Jinha Lee

The system allows for tangible interaction between modalities which are usually confined to 2D surfaces, so that they are able to levitate mid-air and be controlled by both computers and the human touch. According to Lee's 2011 thesis, ZeroN also combines optical tracking and image projection on to the levitating object — allowing users to use the system in a game of ping pong just as easily as they would to film an intricate virtual rendering.

For further information about Lee's work, visit his site.

This is an extended, personal take on a post that I originally wrote for the DDB Canada blog.

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Harvard Business School's annual Newport Ball was held at The OceanCliff Hotel in Rhode Island on Friday, April 27th. The venue was set up beautifully, and not even the crazy winds and unexpectedly cold weather out in the tents could detract from the fun indoors.

We were able to grab these quick photos upon our arrival; I wish we'd snapped some more, but the drinks were flowing and there was dancing and mingling to be had -- a girl's gotta prioritize.

The entire weekend was such a treat. After a groggy brunch with Matt's classmates on Saturday morning, a few of us opted for some fresh air with a visit to the Cliff Walk and a tour of The Breakers, which I can not recommend enough.

We topped off the weekend by donning our best preppy attire for a lobster boil dinner bash. It was here that I joined Section H in an impromptu dance party on the tables while we waited for our food. Because nothing says preppy (or sophistication) quite like flailing my arms to Carly Rae Jepsen. Love it.

What a great weekend. Big thanks to Section H and the partners for always making me feel so welcome. It seems only fitting that I sign off with this hilarious photo, taken mere moments before the full-out dancing erupted on the tables. I could have taken more pics during the actual dancing -- but again, a girl's gotta prioritize. And the music was calling.

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I love this time of year; It brings out some amazing colors -- and even with our recent bout of unpredictable weather, serves as a reminder that summer is just around the corner. I've been enjoying time out at English Bay, and my plane ticket to visit Boston is booked.

There are also lots of little things that I'm looking forward to in the coming weeks. Listed below are a few of my favorite Pinterest finds and small-scale plans for this season (click on any of the images to view in Pinterest):

1) Try making soap at home
Now that I have all the necessary ingredients (thanks, Lisa!), I can't wait to unleash my inner domestic Tyler Durden to make Martha proud.

2) Bake for friends
I whipped up some brownies and cupcakes this weekend.. next up: macarons (I'm feeling extra inspired after buying a macaron cookbook at my friend Ashleigh's garage sale on Saturday). Not to mention, THIS will be the season that I finally perfect my apple pie recipe -- this adorable packaging idea is incentive enough.

3) Brunch!
There's nothing better than Sunday brunch with the girls, and it needs to happen more often now that we're coming out of our winter hibernation. I can't wait to try out some of these ideas at home for them.

4) Make homemade jams and sauces
These will make for such great little gifts.

5) Continue to splurge on flowers
It's the one luxury I won't ever give up. Pink peonies are my favorite for spring - pair them with lime green accents, and you're done.

Join me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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This is an extended, personal take on a post I originally wrote for the DDB Canada blog.

A new piece of video content for Samsung Portugal's Explore Your Dual World campaign features projection mapping on a human. It was created for the launch of Samsung's first dual SIM card smartphone, and looks to emphasize the multiple dimensions of its product offerings.

While we've seen incredible examples of project mapping on buildings, cars, and even shoes and on water, I really enjoy the loose narrative tied behind this experimental video -- in less than two minutes, the man serving as a canvas is morphed into intricate patterns, objects, and tools such as maps (a nod to some of the capabilities of Samsung's new smartphone).

In less than 48 hours, this video has reached over 100,000 views on YouTube alone.

If last year's Dermablend video (below) is any indication, there is something to be said not just about using humans as the canvas, but the value of allowing shareable creative content to live on beyond their respective campaigns. Dermablend's campaign promoted its line of corrective cosmetics by partnering with Rico Genest (a.k.a. Zombie Boy) for this memorable product demo - and while the campaign appears to have wrapped up, the video continues to be shared across the social realm.

But back to projection mapping on humans.

Nothing beats my personal favorite, the Google Image Search fashion show (below). This 30-second TV spot was created by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo in December 2010; it celebrates some of Google's lesser-known image search features and was part of a larger campaign called Google And More.

Clean. Simple. Love everything about it. I also remember being in Japan when this campaign launched, and it was such fun to see corresponding print ads featured in the train stations - lots of beautiful pops of color.

It's certainly not as sophisticated as the new Samsung video -- but again, it's been over a year and this shareable online content will far outlast the campaign.

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For more photos, join me at Flickr.

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My idea of the perfect Sunday involves sleeping in and watching movies in bed all day.

Having said that, there's also something about going to the theater and watching films on the big screen. This is the legacy that my father left for me -- a love for film (and my nose; I got that from him, too).

These are two movies that I'm really looking forward to catching in the cinema this weekend:

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary that follows 85 year-old Jiro Ono and his life as what many people consider the greatest sushi chef in the world. There's something wonderfully bittersweet and complicated about the way the trailer looks at Jiro's relationship with his eldest son (the uncontested heir to Jiro's legacy) that really strikes a chord -- not to mention, the mouth-watering food shots.

I first learned of Monsieur Lazhar when it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards. 

From what I know, the film follows an Algerian teacher named Bashir Lazhar who starts working at an elementary school in Montreal after another teacher passes away. There are two key storylines which weigh heavily in the trailer(s) -- that of the students coming to terms with the loss of their teacher, and Lazhar's painful personal past and current risk of deportation from the country.

If you have any personal movie recommendations, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to leave a comment or find me on Twitter: @kumii.

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This is an extended, personal take on a post I originally wrote for the DDB Canada blog.

During his 2008 campaign, US President Barack Obama and his team famously leveraged online resources and social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to rally voters. During this first term, they have continued to participate across multiple channels in an effort to provide Americans with access to content such as weekly addresses, copies of speeches, infographics explaining new policies, and even behind-the-scenes glimpses into the White House. Most recently, a live Google+ hangout session allowed Americans to partake in a real-time discussion directly with the President himself.

With the upcoming presidential election in November, Obama's team continues to utilize the web for his re-election campaign; this week, with a 17-minute documentary shared on YouTube. Directed by Academy Award-winner Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth), The Road We've Traveled is narrated by actor Tom Hanks and features several interviews with key political leaders as they discuss Obama's first term and how he handled notable obstacles around the economy, health care, and the capturing of Osama bin Laden. Instead of uploading multiple 2-minute attack ads, the Obama team attempts to bring the focus back to what has been accomplished in the past four years through this more in-depth approach.

Earlier this year, we discussed the value of creating strong content - and how it can both entice and empower advocates, fans, and news organizations to share a brand's messaging across their respective channels. The Road We've Traveled is an excellent example of this mechanism in play; it demonstrates a polished narrative and clear call to action for Americans looking to support Barack Obama in the upcoming election.

The President's campaign team is certainly not the first to try their hand at long-form online video content to encourage political/social activism. Invisible Children's now notorious Kony 2012 video about Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony is 30 minutes. It registered over 112 million total views in nine days, leading researcher Visible Measures to proclaim it the most viral video in history (source).

Even as far back as June 2009 (yes, ancient times!), we saw a YouTube video triggering an equally emotional response from its viewers in Europe. Running at 1 hour and 30 minutes, Yann Arthus-Bertrand's HOME was financed by PPR and introduced during the European parliamentary elections, which to this day marks the largest trans-national elections in history.

At the time, HOME was cited as playing a significant role in causing one of the biggest upsets during the election - winning 16% of the votes for Europe Ecologie (the green party), and almost beating out the opposition Socialist party completely.

HOME was released through YouTube, accompanied by shorter clips in movie theaters and on state television. It was shot in 54 countries and 120 locations over 217 days, and features vivid airborne visuals of our planet under threat from climate change. Like The Road We've Traveled, it was backed by significant film talent (in this case, produced by Luc Besson and narrated by actor Glenn Close).

Regardless of one's politics, there's no denying the value of creating strong, shareable content online to promote activism -- and I would argue that there is a place for long-form video content in that mix.

The best part? Should we wish, we as citizens also have the same opportunity to publish our own content as a direct response.

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I'm certainly the last person qualified to speak about fashion -- but I love what I love, and these are some of my favorite fashion-centric online finds of late. What better way to start your week off than by injecting in some of this color?

Prada's Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook was introduced with Real Fantasies - an unapologetically campy piece that layers handmade collages using vintage graphics, imagery and color treatment to showcase the label's latest collection. I love the new prints, and the nod to mod is a perfect touch (thanks for sharing, Chris).

I first discovered Leigh Viner's work two months ago. The Denver-based artist experiments primarily in acrylic, watercolor, and photography -- and it's her fashion portraits that I find myself gravitating towards the most; though not quite as sophisticated as David Downton's similar pieces, her work has a great youthfulness.

I also love how Viner takes advantage of online platforms to showcase her work; she has a fabulous blog and her Etsy site is well-populated.

I recently re-discovered Jak & Jil as I was cleaning out my old bookmarked sites, and as a direct result ended up spending far too much time browsing through Tommy Ton's photography. I always enjoy his street style coverage, and these two photographs in particular capture some of my favorite trends (those color palettes!) from this past season. It's enough to make me sad that fall's come to an end.

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From a tactical perspective, two very different art installations -- but both exquisite in their own right. Each artist uses materials found in nature to demonstrate how temporary can still be beautiful.

Sonja Hinrichsen's large snow drawings are reminiscent of crop circles; I love the sense of calm that comes from watching this collaborative project unfold at an aerial view (source).

Then you have these salt installations by Yamamoto Motoi, which are painstakingly delicate and mesmerizing. This particular exhibition took place at the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Kanagawa - and apparently when it ended this weekend, the public was invited to help dismantle the pieces and carry all seven tons of salt back to the ocean (source).

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The Guardian's new promotional campaign features a gritty re-telling of the classic fairy tale, Three Little Pigs. Launched online and through television with BBH less than two weeks ago, this is my favorite ad so far this year; outside of its polished concept and execution, it also ties in brilliantly with the news organization's campaign message, "get the whole picture".

According to Ad Age, BBH creatives were heavily influenced by dramatic Hollywood movie trailers that revealed key plot lines; they looked to emphasize The Guardian's "open journalism" approach through a strong storyline:

It was clear that BBH needed to tell a story to demonstrate the news cycle. But which one? "We couldn't pick a current-affairs story for fear of it dating," said David Kolbusz, creative director. "And writing a revisionist history of a historical event seemed insensitive." So they went with fairytales. BBH also created scripts for "Humpty Dumpty," "Hansel & Gretel" and "Cinderella." But Mr. Rusbridger is a big Orwell fan, so the "Animal Farm" parallel won out. (source)

I love how this video addresses the changing face of journalism. The public voice has been empowered with publishing capabilities once controlled solely by traditional media and advertisers - and without question, there is a need for this voice to remain heard. But somewhere alongside our social platforms where we share opinions, content, and dialogue, I am of the mindset that there is still tremendous value around investigative journalism, qualified research and reporting.

At a time when news organizations are trying to transfer the print model of editorial content to our digital landscape without questioning how to better incorporate the new layer of user-generated content and curation tools, it is especially wonderful to see such a self-aware ad come from The Guardian.

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The devastating effects of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami are no less staggering one year later, with over 19,000 lives lost. Taking into account the resulting nuclear power plant meltdowns and the hundreds of thousands of people who remain displaced in Japan, authorities estimate that a full recovery may take at least a decade (source: The Washington Post).

I appreciate the gesture behind the Japanese government's Reconstruction Agency; formed specifically to manage the reconstruction process, its plans include updated infrastructure such as power generation from renewable energy.

I also appreciate the efforts put forth by the travel and tourism organizations to woo back visitors to Japan. Aggressive campaigning has resulted in increased domestic travel this year, and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) very optimistically reports that this industry is looking to bring in JPY10,276 billion (US$129 billion) in 2012 - just a sliver of an increase from the JPY10,246 billion (US$128.5 billion) the year before the earthquake, in 2010. For cities like Tokyo that weren't nearly as affected by the earthquake or tsunami, I can understand how this is the necessary next step.

However -- while we mourn on the one-year anniversary of last year's tragic events, we would be remiss if we did not address two key points:

1. Rebuilding has started to take place and a great amount of debris has been removed - but over 300,000 people are still displaced and cities such as Rikuzentakata are quite literally having to be built again from the ground up. There is still so, so, much to do.

2. The Japanese government has pledged to reduce reliance on nuclear power, but there is tremendous concern and lack of trust - in my personal opinion, rightfully so - around the issue of restarting the nuclear plants. I certainly hope that we bring this dialogue more to the forefront across the international stage.

To support organizations on the ground in Rikuzentakata and Kessennuma, consider Save Taka, AidTakata and Kessennuma: Building For The Future.

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This past weekend, I had the opportunity to join Matt in San Francisco for a short but very exciting trip. He is now officially signed on to spend the summer at a San Francisco-based consulting firm after he wraps up this first year at HBS.

Not only did I get to sneak in a lovely breakfast at Mission Beach Cafe (thanks again for letting me steal your time, Patrick), Matt and I enjoyed wonderful meals at Slanted Door and Spruce with his new colleagues. From the cocktails to the lobster gnocchi, the spectacular weather and amazing people -- it was the perfect 48 hours.

I love you, San Francisco. I hope that I get to see you again soon.

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So it's 1am, and I'm listening to ABBA and billing my hours (this is my life). How is it that February is already coming to an end? I thought that 2011 flew by quickly -- but 2012 is giving last year a run for its money.

I've been very fortunate this year; my brother Kentaro and I both flew home to Japan for the winter holidays - where we spent our time catching up on movies, reading books, eating good food, and meeting up with family and friends. It was wonderfully low-key and relaxed enough that my brownie-baking fiasco was the height of drama (I truly do believe that my mum's crazy multi-functional oven/microwave device is out to get me. It burns everything that I put in there).

This was the first time I'd been home since the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March. While I am extremely grateful that my relatives in Sendai survived the devastation, I do worry about them a great deal. Kentaro's visit from London was longer than mine, so he was able to go out and visit with more family over the holidays - including our great-uncle near Sendai, who has endured a lot this past year.

January was a blur. I wasn't able to make it out to Seattle to visit Kristeen like I'd planned, but I did get to sneak in quite a few wonderful dinners and afternoons with my friends' kids on top of a busy work schedule.

Maintaining a long distance relationship has its challenges - but I'm happy to say that Matt had to put up with me for a whole week when I went to visit him earlier this month. I love Boston, and it's always such a treat being back on the Harvard campus. I was able to attend the HBS Entertainment & Media Conference, cheer on the Section H team at the HBS SA Cup swim meet, and sit in on a strategy classes. It was especially nice to see Matt's classmates and catch up with the friends that I'd made during my past visits.

Another highlight - spending an afternoon at the MIT Media Lab. What an amazing collection of creative people they have on that campus.

To work around Matt's busy schedule, I went out to Boston armed with Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook (I can't help it; I love her) and grandiose visions of preparing delicious home-cooked dinners every night. My inner culinary goddess may not have made the appearance I'd hoped for, but I did manage to cook a really mean turkey burger one night.

Back at the office, my days are shaping up to be quite interesting with new opportunities. Outside of my day-to-day work as a digital strategist, I'll continue to write for the DDB Canada blog and Smoke Signals for Tribal DDB, so I hope you'll drop by there once in a while, too.

Wishing everyone a very belated Happy New Year.

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Earlier in January, New York residents caught glimpse of what appeared to be three humans flying through the air. These flying figures were RC planes created to emulate the teenage superheroes featured in 20th Century Fox's new movie Chronicle -- due to be released in the US and UK this week.

Inspired in part by the movie's poster, this marketing effort was staged by Thinkmodo over several weeks in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island. As part of the campaign's outreach efforts, YouTube talent company Big Frame worked with several popular YouTube personalities to share and promote commentary around this stunt and the resulting clip (source). With the increasing number of American teenagers turning to video-share platforms such as YouTube to access cultural cues from their peers (notably in humor, beauty/lifestyle and sports), this piece of content reached its target audience quickly. Currently, the official YouTube clip is sitting at 3.5 million views after only two days.

Leading up to this online initiative, the Chronicle marketing efforts included a strong push on more traditional platforms such as TV and through theater trailers — which allowed younger fans of the YouTube video to understand the tie between this stunt and the film. Additionally, the quality and gadget-friendly video of the flying figures has now attracted the attention of a wider and older demographic who up until this point may not have seen trailers or media around Chronicle. Just in time for the big launch date.

This post was originally written for DDB Canada blog.

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CNN ECOSPHERE is a visualization tool that was created to illustrate real-time Twitter conversations taking place around global climate change during the COP17 Conference in Durban, South Africa. Every tweet that is tagged with #COP17 feeds into a virtual plant that represents relevant topics of discussion such as Sustainability, Climate, Durban, Climate Change and AGW.

Available on WebGL-enabled browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari, CNN ECOSPHERE then tracks these Twitter conversations by stimulating growth in the plants and trees as their respective conversations develop and increase.

This visualization reminds me of Jer Thorp's work for The New York Times (he's their Data Artist in Residence) -- in particular, Project Cascade. Anything that helps us interpret information in such a beautiful and visual manner is good by me.

On a related note, my brother Kentaro has written a three-part series on the private sector and climate change for RTCC:

• Analysis: The private sector and climate change
• Analysis: The accountability market and reputation-based legitimacy
• COP17 analysis: The importance of protecting and sharing innovation

This post is a personal take on a blog entry originally written for DDB Canada.

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The Tuesday Coffee Break posts were started a few weeks ago, in an effort to share findings that have caught my eye in the world of art, film, food and fun.

So it's Tuesday again -- and I'm thinking we deserve a little coffee break, hey?

Hard to believe that another Share DDB has come and gone. Our annual agency art auction / fundraiser was held last Thursday at Granville Island to raise money for the James Lee Foundation and Covenant House -- and I'm thrilled to say that I am now the proud owner of this Chairman Ting x Company Policy painting, which was created as part of a live exhibition at the event.

For more photos from Share DDB, visit the DDB Canada Flickr set. My colleague Sarah Chung also got some great shots.

Inside Job came out last year, but the documentary is still just as relevant today (if not more so). Selected for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Inside Job addresses the 2008 economic crisis, the resulting global financial meltdown and how it unfolded. It features an impressive list of interviewees who provide behind-the-scenes insight -- and while Inside Job takes a very top-level approach, it's a compelling film regardless of how familiar the viewer is with the US financial sector.

For those who have not been following the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York and Boston, I highly recommend watching this film.

Here in Vancouver, night falls much earlier now. The skies are grayer and we're required to bundle up more so than a week ago. In other words, it's ramen season.

Ramen (ラーメン) is a Japanese noodle dish, and it's my favorite form of comfort food. This past weekend, Matt and I went out to Motomachi Shokudo in the West End to fight off the rainy weekend blues. It's been one of my go-to neighborhood restaurants since our friend Maurice told us about it.

Other great ramen places in downtown Vancouver include the Benkei chain and Kintaro restaurant.

For fellow iPhone users who love snapping, editing, and sharing photos in real time, Phoster is a dream. It's Instagram's more design-savvy big sister -- and while it doesn't have the same built-in dashboard, internal community or open API, it's just as easy to share images to numerous social channels (including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram and Tumblr).

Phoster currently features 37 free design templates, and is also accesible on the iPad. In addition to the clean aesthetic and pop culture references, users may also add filters and various treatments to their final posters/images. Fantastic fun.

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I love the winter holidays. Hot chocolate, catching up with family, ugly sweater parties, and the smell of pine trees.

If you're like me, you may be trying to get a semi-early start on the Christmas shopping for your girlfriends. Should you be on the hunt for some inspiration, here are some of my favorite items and gift ideas.

MUJI's Touchscreen Gloves (Unisex): These winter gloves come in eight colors, and feature a special conductive material on the thumb and forefinger, allowing wearers access to touchscreen technology -- perfect for the tech-happy friend in your life who can't seem to let go of her mobile device or tablet. 

Small crystal encrusted oval cup pendant necklace by Alexis Bittar: If you're in Vancouver, you can find a number of Alexis Bittar's pieces at Blue Ruby. This one is my personal favorite - beautifully crafted and easily transferable from day to night.

Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 by Fresh: My best friend first introduced me to this lip treatment a few years ago, and I've been using it since. The antioxidant grape seed polyphenols and vitamins A, C & E provide extra protection and moisture - great for winter. I love giving these as stocking stuffers.

Night Food by Ego-Wrappin': As far as I'm concerned, this Japanese band can do no wrong. My brother Kentaro first gave me this particular album as a gift many years ago, and it's remained one of my all-time favorites. Night Food will make an especially great gift for friends who like jazz.

Michael Kors Quinn Clutch in Kiwi: I love the clean, modern lines of this clutch. The contrast of the soft vachetta leather goes well against the gold clasp, and the fresh color makes this easily wearable year-round.

Kate Spade Charm Magazine iPhone 4 Case: The Kate Spade line has done a fantastic job keeping up with tech accessories, and I am a huge fan of their hard iPhone cases. Not only are they durable for klutzes like me, they also come in an array of charming patterns and hand-drawn illustrations.

Tonari No Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro): Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this 1988 antimated film is a beautifully illustrated, fantastical story about a family in postwar rural Japan. This will make a wonderful gift for your friends who have children -- or any film buff, really.

Acqua Di Giò eau de toilette: Gifting perfume can be tricky, but this Giorgio Armani fragerance is wonderful if you're shopping for a beauty minimalist. Acqua Di Giò blends fresh notes of melon, pear, hyacinth and sandalwood - perfect for summer, but great year-round.

Happy Shopping!

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Let's talk about Share DDB.

Share DDB is DDB Canada's annual art crawl and auction. It is a private event that was created by Zara Thomas and our former colleague Blaine Pearson six years ago.

2011 marks the second year that Zara and I will be co-chairing this function. It will be held at Granville Island, with proceeds going to the James Lee Foundation and Covenant House. The James Lee Foundation is a scholarship fund created in memory of a very special DDB-er who continues to inspire countless people in our industry, and Covenant House provides much-needed shelter, food, clothing, counseling and outreach to street youth in Vancouver.

Every individual at the DDB Canada office in Vancouver is encouraged to create an auction item -- with the emphasis on art and creative pursuits. Over the years, we've been extremely fortunate to also receive donated auction items from friends, partners, clients and vendors (this year, I've got my eye on this photo from New York by Maurice Li Photography).

We also have a special set of framed canvases that will be auctioned off as part of the collaborative ART ALL OVER ME series. These canvases were set up in various spots around Vancouver this week -- and any art that was created on them will be included in our auction items.

Curious about where these canvases were set up? Here's a hint. And here's another.

Someone has 'borrowed' our canvas at 1000 Parker Street 2. I'm convinced it's a kind Samaritan who's decided to deliver it to us in person.. right?

I never had the opportunity to meet James Lee. He passed away shortly before I started at DDB, but he left an amazing legacy -- and after watching this video, how can you not fall in in love with that laugh?

Learn more about James, his creative footprint, and the scholarship foundation set up in his name at jamesleefoundation.com.

Randy Stein also wrote a beautiful tribute to James earlier this year.

We'll be donating half of this year's Share DDB proceeds to Covenant House. Zara and I were fortunate enough to visit this incredible organization earlier this year.

They have an amazing team -- but there are lots of ways we can still help.

One the largest category of accepted donation items is food:

Beans & sauce, pork & beans
Beans, tinned or dried
Canned meals (i.e. Chef Boyardee/stew/ravioli)
Cereal
Cheese whiz
Cookies/Crackers
Fish (canned)
Fruit (canned)
Hamburger Helper
Jams/Peanut butter
Ketchup
Kraft dinner
Meat (canned - Ham, Turkey)
Milk (in tetra packs or powder)
Oatmeal
Pasta (especially macaroni)
Rice
Tomatoes (canned)
Pasta sauces
Tuna
Veggies (canned‚ mushrooms, carrots, peas, potato)
Ice tea mix
Juice (mix/canned/tetra)

Read full list here.

Our interactive designer Antonio Alarcon Roman created this video using his footage from last year's Share DDB (which was held at the Vancouver Art Gallery). I'm a huge fan of Antonio's work, and I love the charming look and feel of this clip -- inspired in part by Instagram's Earlybird aesthetic.

The Tuesday Coffee Break posts were started a few weeks ago, in an effort to share all that I love in the world of art, film, food and fun.

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Filmmaker Danfung Dennis made his mark at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival with Hell and Back Again — a documentary which attempts to confront one man's physical and emotional turmoil after serving on the frontline of war.

After directing this film and spending time in Iraq and Afghanistan as a war photojournalist, Dennis teamed with Karol Martesko-Fenster to create Condition ONE — an immersive video application for the iPad which was introduced to the Apple Store earlier this month. It will be available on Android tablets in 2012.

Condition ONE technology was inspired by Dennis' desire to increase awareness around the realities of war, and to provide media outlets with a more sophisticated tool for sharing on-the-ground news coverage. Once the technology is licensed, media companies may embed firsthand viewing experiences to their respective online channels. Condition ONE serves as a unique camera system that allows users to engage and control access to video footage either by moving their tablet or scrolling through footage manually.

I'm quite fascinated with the technology, despite the Hollywood trailer-esque soundtrack used in the clips below. I feel the implementation and technology speak enough for itself.

This post is a personal take on a blog entry originally written for DDB Canada.

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