Our first sensory friendly movie experience

A couple weeks back, I realized that we had some movie vouchers coming up to their expiration. Watching movies as a couple was never really a big thing for theWife and I, although I do love watching a good movie every so often. Either way, with two young kiddos we have always struggled to make our way to the theatre. To make matters more complicated, the Little Boy has a huge fear of watching movies (can read here to catch up on possible reasons).

Even when we are at home, the Little Boy would either run away in fear, break down or have some other similar traumatic experience when we attempt to watch a movie. With this in mind, we generally just avoided TV and movies in general.

However, with the vouchers expiring, theWife and I decided that maybe if we brought the kids to the theatre, it would be a slightly better experience. So we searched the listing for possible films. We found that Cineplex has a special program every other month catering to people or families suffering from sensory sensitivity or autism. This was a special pilot program in partnership with Autism Speaks Canada. (More info here)

In learning about this program, we jumped on it. We hyped it up with the kids that we are off to see a special show. The Little Boy didn't seem to figure out it was a movie until part way through.

So how was the experience? Personally, I didn't feel it was much different than a normal theatre experience. I was expecting the lights to be dimmed but instead it was off as normal. However, I did feel that they toned down the speaker volume, which is good. Overall, I think the best part about the experience was the fact that there were no lines, no hustle and bustle of a normal theatre, translating to a smoother experience for the kids who may otherwise have been overwhelmed. Also, during the movie, it was comforting knowing that talking and kids' noises are tolerated and allowed. It was awesome being able to talk throughout the movie with the Little Boy and explain to him what is happening on the screen and calm any fears he may have.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. I think it is a great way for families to have a more casual viewing experience, akin to a home theatre. It is an excellent place to ease in anyone that may be uncomfortable with crowded and busy places, as theatres are prone to be. And it is awesome to see the staff so friendly to people with life challenges that are a bit different and willing to make accommodations. Hopefully this pilot program will continue and it will be rolled out to more theatres.

Project 333: 3 Months - End of Cycle Update

I have now completed a whole 3-month cycle with the Project 333 Challenge. It was an interesting journey of downsizing my wardrobe to only 33 pieces of clothes, notwithstanding underwear, socks, sleeping and sporting-only gear. You can follow along with my journey from these prior posts: The Beginning, Week 1 Update & Week 3 Update.

It has been an educational experience in that it shows me I don't actually need that many clothes. To be honest, I can't even remember most of my other clothes that I had put into storage. This brings to mind that often times we just end up getting more and more then hoarding it.

That isn't to say this wasn't also a challenging experience. With the premise of Project 333 as having only 33 pieces of clothes for 3 months, I learned that I need a bit more thoughtfulness on what those pieces should be. Running out of a certain type of clothes is a very real experience that has challenged me to be more forward thinking in terms of weather and activities throughout the week and taking stock of what I currently have.

Will I be continuing on this Project 333 challenge? Of course. I will be continuing on with the present set of clothes till the end of the summer season, then align my Project 333 closet with seasonal changes.

So the take-aways from this experience:

1. I don't need that many clothes in life and life is a lot more simple when you have fewer pieces to pick from in the morning.


2. In order for the simplicity of having less to pick from in the morning to work well, you need to plan ahead in life. Dressing becomes more of an intentional activity in life and less of a throw-it-on-and-go.


3. With less clothes comes the possibility of freeing up more space in the house and having less clutter.


4. Although having less is great, it means more frequent loads of laundry. But at least the folding part becomes a bit quicker and the machine is less likely to be overloaded.

Overall, I think Project 333 is a definite recommendation for anyone looking to simplify life and being more intentional in how they live.

To those struggling families

A couple weeks back while I was playing on the sideline of a soccer field with the LittleGirl during the LittleBoy's summer soccer camp, I overheard a conversation between a mom and a grandma of two kids. To be honest, I am kind of a nosy person at times and have a habit and tendency to eavesdrop on conversations. This goes back to my undergraduate training in anthropology and how often times the art of observation and eavesdropping produces the best social and cultural research that direct interview and questions couldn't produce. Yes, it is a bad habit but it is a useful one at times.

Anyhow, the conversation that I overheard jumped all over the place but there was one thing that did stand out to me and tugged at my heart string and I couldn't let it go.

The conversation was centered around some dialogues that the mom had with her daughter. It was about their inability to have a pet in the apartment in which they were living. However, the crux of the conversation was not so much about the ability to have a pet or not but rather on their housing situation. The daughter, apparently has been constantly asking the mom about when they would be able to move and have a different home that would allow for a pet. This all seems pretty normal for a kid around four or five years old.

However, the breaking of the heart comes from the response that the mom had to give to the daughter. It was the fact that they can't find anything else they can afford. It wasn't because the mom didn't want to give her daughter a pet but rather it was a matter of their living and life condition. This is sad. The inability for a parent to make their kids happy and continually create a sense of let-down in life.

It's not because the mom wanted to say no or she wanted to deny the daughter. It's just life. Life is not fair. And society is not fair.

This got me thinking about the injustice of the world especially to families that are struggling. Often times society paints a picture of those struggling as having not worked as hard or that they deserve it. But the fact of the matter is, more often than not, these families do not deserve it. They are hard-working families, often times with multiple jobs and working long hours to provide food on the table and a roof over their heads. These families are struggling not because they want to but just because they are and society has been set up in a way that doesn't favor them.

When you think about it, society is a fabric of families and people. When an individual is hurting and struggling, it will affect the family. And when families are struggling, they will affect society as a whole. Often times, we just ignore the parts that seem unsightly and focus on the positive. But the reality is that a lot of families are suffering. Maybe not economically. But maybe relationally or emotionally or even just being able to have time together. When families suffer, so does society. Families build society.

What can we do?

1. We can learn to have compassion for those less fortunate than us. We can give a little of what we have to give a boost in someone else's life and family.


2. We can learn to connect with our neighbors and hear their stories, especially those that are a bit different from us or don't fit the mold of who we are friends with.


3. We can join and volunteer with groups and non-profits that specialize in helping build up families and societies. (shameless plug: I have been volunteering with United Way, they are a great example of an organization that try to help enrich and give value back to society.)


4. We can help champion and support social justice issues within the circles that we have influence (eg. friends, work, clubs, etc.)

And most importantly, when we do these things, our children will see it and they will learn the value of other individuals, they will learn to love their neighbors. Remember, helping to build up families will build up society. Be the change and start with what is around you.

Regulating life with the Fitbit Charge HR

For Christmas of 2016, I got a little gift for myself. A fitness tracker. It wasn't because I believed it would change my habit of getting off the couch more or the fact that I'm not moving enough. I know all these already.

The reason I got the fitness tracker was because it was free. I had collected enough loyalty points to redeem it. And to be honest I have been curious about what all the rage was about. So I traded in my points and redeemed myself a Fitbit Charge HR.

I will have to confess, I wasn't particularly interested in moving more. But I am a data junkie. A data junkie in the sense of hitting those optimal numbers and seeing how to improve myself. Now I have a method of actual quantification that doesn't require manual data keeping or entry (which often boils down to guesswork and half-truth).

Here's a machine that once strapped to my wrist will tell me all the stats I need. My heart rate, my sleep cycle and amount of sleep, the number of steps I took, how hard I actually worked out. It's a marvel in technological innovation for nothing more than a self-glorified self-quantification device. And it was glorious indeed.

[embed]https://youtu.be/A7Y3kUl0N2Q[/embed]
Over the course of the last half year I have learned some interesting things about myself with this Fitbit Charge HR. I wasn't actually as lazy as I thought I was. I required at least 7 hours of sleep to function. And apparently my heart rate spikes when I am under the weather or about to get sick.

This isn't to say that the core function of tracking my fitness was not useful. It was. I have been able to let it automatically track the intensity of my jogging and of my home body-weight workouts. Especially with the latter. I am now able to not just feel the burn but also quantify it with the fact that my heart rate has risen accordingly. Or conversely when I have been too lax with the intensity of my workout and thus need to push it up a notch. There is no hiding anymore.

But for me, the main takeaway from this device was the heart rate monitor. The monitor has been able to log and pick up on situations where I have been stressed or when emotions have been running high. It has been able to pick up on whether I was coming down with a cold. Although unfortunately, the device does not inform of these things ahead of time, it does allow me to check the history or and to check it real time while in the situation with a quick tap on the device. This has allowed me to step back from situations before they escalated and also allowed me to take preventive care prior to getting sick.

The last function that I have been pretty dependent on is the silent vibrating alarm on the Charge HR. It has been a key way for me to wake up in the morning now without waking up theWife or the Little Girl (that may have made her way into our bed). I found the gentle buzzing of my arm has been enough to wake me out of deep sleep without the noise associated with a normal alarm and this has been a plus for everyone.

Overall, the Fitbit Charge HR has been a keeper for me. It may not have revolutionized the way I live life but it did help me regulate it and help me maintain productivity in a core way by keeping a log of and watching over my body.

What about you? How have you been using a fitness tracker in your life? Got any tips to share?

Look out for a post on my review and thoughts of the Misfit Flash for helping to regulate life in the near future.

*feature photo and youtube belongs to Fitbit.com

Regulating life with the Fitbit Charge HR

For Christmas of 2016, I got a little gift for myself. A fitness tracker. It wasn't because I believed it would change my habit of getting off the couch more or the fact that I'm not moving enough. I know all these already.

The reason I got the fitness tracker was because it was free. I had collected enough loyalty points to redeem it. And to be honest I have been curious about what all the rage was about. So I traded in my points and redeemed myself a Fitbit Charge HR.

I will have to confess, I wasn't particularly interested in moving more. But I am a data junkie. A data junkie in the sense of hitting those optimal numbers and seeing how to improve myself. Now I have a method of actual quantification that doesn't require manual data keeping or entry (which often boils down to guesswork and half-truth).

Here's a machine that once strapped to my wrist will tell me all the stats I need. My heart rate, my sleep cycle and amount of sleep, the number of steps I took, how hard I actually worked out. It's a marvel in technological innovation for nothing more than a self-glorified self-quantification device. And it was glorious indeed.

Over the course of the last half year I have learned some interesting things about myself with this Fitbit Charge HR. I wasn't actually as lazy as I thought I was. I required at least 7 hours of sleep to function. And apparently my heart rate spikes when I am under the weather or about to get sick.

This isn't to say that the core function of tracking my fitness was not useful. It was. I have been able to let it automatically track the intensity of my jogging and of my home body-weight workouts. Especially with the latter. I am now able to not just feel the burn but also quantify it with the fact that my heart rate has risen accordingly. Or conversely when I have been too lax with the intensity of my workout and thus need to push it up a notch. There is no hiding anymore.

But for me, the main takeaway from this device was the heart rate monitor. The monitor has been able to log and pick up on situations where I have been stressed or when emotions have been running high. It has been able to pick up on whether I was coming down with a cold. Although unfortunately, the device does not inform of these things ahead of time, it does allow me to check the history or and to check it real time while in the situation with a quick tap on the device. This has allowed me to step back from situations before they escalated and also allowed me to take preventive care prior to getting sick.

The last function that I have been pretty dependent on is the silent vibrating alarm on the Charge HR. It has been a key way for me to wake up in the morning now without waking up theWife or the Little Girl (that may have made her way into our bed). I found the gentle buzzing of my arm has been enough to wake me out of deep sleep without the noise associated with a normal alarm and this has been a plus for everyone.

Overall, the Fitbit Charge HR has been a keeper for me. It may not have revolutionized the way I live life but it did help me regulate it and help me maintain productivity in a core way by keeping a log of and watching over my body.

What about you? How have you been using a fitness tracker in your life? Got any tips to share?

Look out for a post on my review and thoughts of the Misfit Flash for helping to regulate life in the near future.