Thursday, December 10, 2009

With this resealable plastic box of bacon, I thee wed...

I'm sure by now, you've all seen the Maple Leaf Foods commercial of their new resealable bacon, where a crazy-in-love girlfriend proposes to her boyfriend with it and he immediately wells up and accepts the proposal.

While it's all fun and games when it comes to advertising, but this taboo notion of the female popping the question to her male companion seems to be a more and more common occurrence.

While listening to the Mad Dog and Billie morning show a while back, I heard the duo discuss Mangagement rings, which seem to be all the new rage in Miami. Seriously??

According to Details Magazine, the mangagement ring is becoming more and more popular. "'We get maybe 20 to 25 inquiries a week from women who want to propose,' says John Cordova, an expert at California-based Robbins Brothers, which calls itself the "world's biggest engagement ring store."

There seem to be two schools of thought on this.

One - once the man proposes to his girlfriend and she accepts, she then purchases a ring for him to wear as well. I guess as a warm up to when the actual wedding ring comes, or that both parties get to sport the pre-wedding bling. Sure, this seems legit enough. If us ladies spend months, if not years, hinting of what the perfect diamond ring should look like, the least we can do is spend a few (thousand) dollars and return the favour.

Two - the lady in the relationship purchases the engagement ring and proposes marriage to her boyfriend.

No, no and no. I'm all for getting the vote, ridding the business world of the glass ceiling, I'll even give away my cleaning and cooking responsibilities to any man that will take them! But I believe the proposal should stay the way it is... you won't see me on my knee anytime soon!

Ladies? Gentlemen? Thoughts?

What happens if it's a same-sex marriage? Coin toss or Rock, Paper, Scissors?

Thursday, October 8, 2009

And now for Winter Wonderland



So now that the summer is officially over and has lasted all of three days, the fall season will most likely be just as short and I am miserably awaiting the winter. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of snow. Well, rewind... I like snow a lot, but I strongly dislike the cold. When the windchill factor hits -35 degrees and your nose hairs freeze the second you step outside of the front door, even lathering Vaseline all over your face won't stop your skin from freezing (didn't you do that when you were a kid? Any Europeans reading this blog post?). I'm still convinced I was supposed to be born in Hawaii, but oh well... I guess I'll take what I can get. Negative 35 it is.

In preparation for this horrendous season - the only good part is Christmas - I made a trek to Vaughan Mills last weekend to visit my favourite store, Bass Pro Shops. Bass Pro is an American outdoor retailer which carries anything your heart may desire for hunting, camping, nature gifts, outdoor cooking, and much more. I don't hunt, camp, fish or cook outdoors, but I am a sucker for warm clothing and hunting camo can actually be quite stylish. After years of sporting hats, long sleeve shirts and t-shirts in the ever-popular Mossy Oak, I decided to opt for something different this year and since my heart can easily be won over by a sale, I invested in my very first pair of NaturalGear™ Insulated Snow Camo Pants for Men. That's right. Snow camo pants for men, that were on sale for $29.99 from $75.99. So what if the smallest size they had left was a 2XL, which can almost double as a bodysuit. It feels like I'm wearing a pillow on my bottom half, but my legs have never been warmer.

Snow camo is not for everyone, but who's judging. It's comfortable, it's warm and it was cheap.

They will be the perfect driveway shoveling pants.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Boldface Names

We all love to kick back, relax, leave work at work (where it's supposed to be) and do just what we enjoy. That's what weekends are for. This past weekend I spent relaxing at the cottage, trying to catch up on my non-existant tan. On my way home from work on Friday, I swung by Chapters to pick up some weekend reading material. Aside from my regular dose of In Touch and US Weekly, I hit the fiction section to pick up a novel I've been eyeing since Fashion Magazine (or was it Flare?) gave it a shout out in one of their summer issues - Shinan Govani's Boldface Names.

National Post's "resident snoop, town-crier and people-watcher" has been keeping In The Scene readers on the pulse of all the whos, whats and wheres and now has penned this debut novel that Harper Collins calls "part celebrity piƱata, part scorching social satire, [...] a romp through the land of the rich, the famous and the wicked." I swallowed the novel up in less than two days. This flawlessly written page turner was full of gossip (duh), fashion, travel and all the champagne-filled parties you can handle. The story is told by Ravi, a gossip columnist, or a social archivist rather, for the National Mirror. In this novel, Ravi chronicles his experiences in the heart of the social scene. All goes well until he has a secret 'assignment' dropped on him by a clog-wearing-sweater vest-sporting individual paying Ravi a pretty penny for its execution.

So with beer and a cigarette in one hand, Boldface Names in the other, my weekend was spent basking in the sun.

I would write more on the novel but a) go read it yourself and b) I'm too busy.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Bringing some of the Homeland to Dundas Street West

One of my favourite things to do on a weekend morning is go grocery shopping... I know, most people dread it, but I absolutely love it. I basically count down the days starting Monday night, for when I can embark on my journey of deliciousness once again. And why, you ask? I have discovered the best grocery store ever, which is about a three minute drive from my house.

The newest location of Starsky Finest European Foods is located at 3115 Dundas Street West, just west of Winston Churchill. Now I am definitely bias as I am of eastern European descent, so every trip to Starsky is like a quick getaway to my home country (sans family reunion). I just don't want to leave the store! Starsky provides an overwhelming assortment of dairy, frozen and grocery products, it also features an in store galleria including a coffee shop, book store, flower shop and optical store. You can also purchase European cosmetics, shampoos, face creams, etc.

Not only can I pick up my weekly dose of European deli, cheeses and water (yes, I even enjoy European water), I can also grab the latest issues of European lifestyle and home decor magazines. The fact that Starsky has about six isles devoted to desserts, overflowing with chocolate, cookies, cakes and other deliciousness definitely does not help my diet that I seem to start every Monday (no, next week, I swear...).

My weekly Starsky must-haves include:
  • smoked cheese
  • turkey slices
  • salami
  • fresh bread
  • Zywiec water (non carbonated)
  • fruit
  • vegetables (sometimes)
  • grapefruit, berry and orange juices

I have personally never tackled the deli counter, it scares me. The counter takes up the entire back of the store and you need to take a number before you are served. Then you are helped by a nice, bilingual lady who will fetch all the deli your heart desires. There are usually about 45 people at the deli counter each time I go, so I just opt for the pre-packaged lunch meat. Actually, I'm not sure I'd even know how to order meat using proper terminology... 'ummm, can I just have enough turkey for like, five sandwiches?"

There is another Starsky location just east of Dixie Rd. on Dundas St., but it's not as large. But don't believe me, you need to check out this European heaven for yourself!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Bringing back the oldies...

I mean antiques...

In my post here I wrote about my uncontainable excitement about going to my very first antique show! As I was shopping on a budget (aren't we all these days), I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to find anything that I loved and that fit my price range. I was right... almost.

When we got to the Christie Antique Show, I was a little but overwhelmed. There were probably about 6,000 people there, at the least. Aisles and aisles of amazing pieces as far as my eye could see. I was like a kid in a candy store. My better half was ready to shoot me after it took about 45 minutes to walk through the first aisle.

I really wanted to buy some sort of a cupboard/china cabinet that we can put in our dining room. Something to hold a plate or a mug and maybe some flowers. There wasn't one piece I didn't like and I wanted to buy everything. I kept on getting reminded that "we don't have to spend ALL the money we brought." Yeah huh... do you know who you are talking to. If spending money was an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medal holder since the tender age of probably nine. Tip for antique show goers: bring cash.

Unfortunately every piece I liked ranged from $1,500 to $4,500. A wee bit over budget. After about three hours of walking around, we stumbled into another 'booth' - I guess that's what I would call it... A stand? I dunno... Anyways, he found it. He picked it. I swear, he has a hidden interior design talent that I never knew about. It was cheap(er), big enough for the dining room, but small enough to fit in the back of his truck. It had character - and it still smells like wood!

Love, love love it!

What do you think?



That's the SOLD sign on the left door!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Rookie renos

and why eager beavers should just sit down and relax...

Since this year's Canada Day fell in such an awkward time of the week, I thought I will tack on a vacation day in there as well and attempt to renovate my kitchen. Everyone says that the cheapest way to change a room is to throw a coat (or seven) of paint on everything.

Small kitchen, 48 hours, a few cans of paint. Easy peasy! Great idea in theory, but who the EFF decides to paint all of the kitchen cupboards a) in a day and a half, and b) with one can of paint!? Not only did I underestimate the time it would take, I figured one (small) can would do it - I don't have THAT many cabinets! Now I'm left with a 1970s refrigerator in the middle of my kitchen, no paint, no feeling in my arms and no motivation to continue.

I thought I would take a break and go shopping for cute window treatments - nothing. The best part of my 48-hour reno rampage was ordering pizza.

After painting most of the outside of all the cabinets and half of the pantry, I'm out of paint and the project is on hold. Why does everything look so easy on TV? Check out my before and aft... well, midders. I'll finish it, I swear. Just not now...





This is what the kitchen looked like before... A bit blah, no?






Aaaand the fridge in the middle as I still have some work to do behind it. Ugh...






As you can see, there is still a loooooot of work for me to do...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Protect your peepers!

As the summer is in full swing, most of you are worried about sun protection and health hazards that are associated with overexposure to UV rays... One thing that may get overlooked are your eyes. With so many killer shades available nowadays, it's easy to sacrifice eye protection to score that perfect pair of sunglasses on a budget.

I've always had a super hard time choosing that perfect pair and usually opted for the fun and cheap shades that did absolutely nothing for me except give me a variety of colourful frames and shapes.

I recently came across these new bad boys. The Mexican label Carrera, launched in 1956, recently came out with a new collection of revisited classic models that made a huge mark in the 80s. The Carrera STROKE is my fave... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. It has been redesigned to current tastes, shows a rock inspiration with metal stems and a coloured line running through them with golden tints. FIERCE.

Available at a number of locations, I found these (for those of you familiar with my hood) at Dixie Outlet Mall at Optical Place. Prices range from $140-$180. Cutie patootie Brad Pitt is also loving the Carrera come back. Here he's sporting the Carrera Gipsy 6!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Patience is a virtue...

and I'm ready to lose mine.

A few weeks ago we received a letter from our internet provider stating that we have cancelled our internet services and to please return our modem. Thinking, great - maybe they won't charge us anymore, we ignored it. A few weeks after that, our internet was cut off. At first I didn't think anything of it, turned off my computer and thought I'd just wait a few days, let my computer cool off and try again. Nothing. No dice.

I called our provider and asked what happened. I was asked whether I had an alternate address in Scarborough... umm, nope. Then I was asked how I was related to Shaqur. Umm, don't really know Saqur, thanks.

Turns out Shaqur from Scarborough doesn't need his internet service anymore as he is moving to the States. That's very exciting for Shaqur, however I would love to have my internet back. I miss Perez, I miss Jared and of course simply because I miss blogging!

After numerous phone calls to technical support and the billing department, I was first told that it will be back within three business days as they have to re-install some phone card. The rep I was speaking with wasn't really sure what she was trying to sell me on, but anyhoo... After three business days, still no connection. I phoned again and was told that it will definitely be back withing four to 24 hours. So exciting! That was last week...

This Friday, we has a misterious package on our doorstep from our provider. A new modem. No note... no phone call... no explanation. Oh yes, and still no connection.

It's been two weeks and counting and I am beginning to wonder what it will take for this corporation to finally begin to take care of their customers, put a little bit of effort into customer service and satisfaction and finally allow me to return to the greatly missed world of the world wide web.

Sweet mother of pearl...

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Recycling with style

This weekend cannot come soon enough! I am making my very first trip to an antique show and I could not be any more more excited! With my newly found hobby of constantly searching for house accessories and scouring second hand stores of used furniture that is in need of some TLC (did I tell you about my fantastic coffee table for $7.99?), I think I am ready to take on the mother load.

On Saturday, I, along with my boyfriend who I'm sure would rather be doing anything BUT this, will embark on a short road trip to Dundas, ON for the Christie Antique Show. I'm in search of the perfect china cabinet for my dining room that I can lovingly sand and refinish. After reading last year's article on the twice-annual Christie Antique Show in Style at Home Magazine I am so stoked about starting my own makeover madness of marvelous finds. The article describes the Show as "a mind-blowing 10 acres of vintage goods from more than 300 dealers." Could there be anything better to do on a Saturday??

Stay tuned for the before and afters. I'm bringing my piggy bank!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Why I wish Arren Williams would come over and visit

For the past couple of months (and by couple, I mean since December), I have been trying to get my house into a livable state. We moved in at the end of December, and immediately started painting every possible wall in the house. We ripped out the carpets, sanded, stained and varnished the floors. Now comes the time to start adding the finishing touches and making the place 'ours.'

It has been quite along process as we both work full time and can only really give'r on weekends. And not every weekend feels like it should be a work weekend, so we often take breaks and decide to watch the Real Housewives of Orange County marathons instead. And by 'we', I mean 'me.'

I'm not very familiar with interior design rules. I do read style and decor blogs religiously and of course I have a subscription to Style at Home, but this fine art is much harder than one would think. The rooms in my house are all different colours... I have an array of warm and... well, cool shades covering every inch of every room. Do they compliment each other? I doubt it. But I think they look good and it makes me feel good to look at them. The colours were incredibly difficult to choose, but now that the painting is almost complete, I'm not changing them.

Furniture, however, is a whole other story. I have been in search of the perfect hallway table, a place where I can throw my keys, the mail and piles of flyers we seem to get every single day. I found the most perfect one, along with three other tables that I thought would fit my hallway perfectly. I narrowed it down to two -one was a chocolate brown little guy, with a drawer and the second one was an iron-looking table with a wood and glass top, that came in a set with two lamps and a mirror. Although the chocolate brown table matched perfectly with the living room furniture, it seemed to get lost in our hallway. The iron table gave the hall a lot of character, but I was afraid it wouldn't match with the floor tiles. I ended up buying both, leaving it up to the man of the house to decide which one we should keep. He chose the set. A wise choice indeed.

It is unreal the things you have to consider when decorating a place. I'm always influenced by the ease of it as shown on HGTV, I get excited and come up with all these ideas, but when it comes down to it, I can't match two solid colours together and make them look good. I envy Arren Williams, Karl Lohnes and others gifted with the incredible taste for interior design. Why is there no 'interior decorating for dummies'?

Friday, May 1, 2009

Why junk food is really, really good for you

We've all been through this. Wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed. Only to do it all again the next day. Work is so hectic that the week feels like one extremely long day. Then it comes. The God-sent Friday. You leave the office at about six or seven in the evening, excited to start the weekend.

At work, every one wants a piece of you. So much to do, so little time, that eventually you find yourself dreaming about what you have to do the next day at the office.

Some people go to the gym to blow off steam (crazies), some people shop... Me, I like to do nothing. On a Friday night, I like to crack open a can of Steamwhistle and read through my Friday edition of the Mississauga News.

Do I want to cook dinner? If you met me, you'd know the answer is 'no' for any other day of the week as well. But Fridays... Fridays are special. Fridays you can kick your feet up... not worry about anything. There are two mornings of sleeping in ahead of you! Is that not the best feeling ever?

On a Friday, I like to turn to another gourmet dinner option - McDonald's. There is no better feeling than taking that paper bag with your favourite combo (quarter pounder with cheese meal), putting it on the front seat of your car while you drive home. When it takes every strand of self control not to dig in and grab just one fry while you drive. The scent fills your car and your breathing slows down, allowing you to enjoy every particle of deliciousness around you. You can feel every part of your body relaxing as you take in the warmth of the deep fried meal that's so close, yet so far.

You park in your driveway, grab your McDonald's bag and head for your front door. Breaking into a subtle jog, just to get to it faster. You can feel the warmth radiating from the bag.

Finally, you sit on the couch, open the bag and see the heavenly shine of the golden arches. It's here, you're here... and you dive in. Every bite is better than the previous one. Why is it not possible for sandwiches to go on for ever?

It's that moment right there, where the whole week doesn't matter. The divine taste is so fulfilling, as if nothing else exists in the world.

And when you polish off the chocolate milkshake that completed your meal and reach for a can of that Steamwhistle, just pop your Blue Crush DVD in and an hour and a half later, you're back on the fitness train!


Picture credit: Worth1000.com

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Motivation

I am the world's best consumer. I am easily influenced, love bright and sparkly things and when I see a movie I like, I want to be like the main character. And no, I'm not 13... although sometimes I wish I was. This weakness goes hand in hand with my never-ending quest to get in shape. Since I'm easily influenced by what I see, I often watch movies that will motivate me to get my workout on, eat well and look fierce.

When Into The Blue came out in 2005, I went to see it with one of my girlfriends on opening day. We went to see the 7:00 p.m. show and immediately after I dropped her off at home, I grabbed my running shoes and headed straight for the gym. I worked out religiously (for about a week or so) with Jessica Alba in a bikini always in the back of my mind... after 90 minutes of watching her prance around carelessly in a bikini sporting the most perfect tan would make anyone feel the need to hit the gym pronto.

I often find myslef renting beach flicks for motivation and I think it works really well - for me at least. The unfortunate thing being that I get bored easily and find other things to do. Anyhoo, another one I enjoy (and watch at least once a week) is Blue Crush. After watching it for the first time, I found myself buying mis-matched bikinis and running every other day.

So overall, although my obsession with beach flicks is usually somehow linked to spending money, I do make it a point to start a workout plan everytime.

I watched Into The Blue 2: The Reef this morning (wait until it's on the telly, in the meantime, rent Blue Crush) and I am back on the workout train. But now that I own a house and am on a budget, instead of spending money on a new gym membership or different colour bikinis, I'm making a new playlist for my MP3 player and starting my own circuit training. Running, lunges, squats, crunches and pushups. Along with a healthy diet - you wait and see...

PS South Beach is over. I quit.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

And on the sixth day, the Smurf said...

Will somebody PLEASE pass me some bloody chicken wings?!

It's day six of this South Beach diet business and I am slowly starting to question the sanity of the diet creators. The South Beach book comes complete with recipes and a meal plan for all 14 days of the first phase. As a reminder, the first phases requires the dieter to exclude sugar, carbs and fruit from their daily food intake. So the meal plans and recipes are super and actually look very delicious - if you have four hours a day to spend on cooking, steaming and shopping for rabbit food. Personally, I'd rather spend four hours a day watching HGTV or Slice, not worrying about what I can or cannot eat.

The past week has been quite an adjustment for me, as until now I have been a strict follower of an all-carb diet. Granola bar for breakfast, pizza or sandwich for lunch and cheese bread or something equally as fatty and satisfying for dinner, with an ice cold brew to wash it down. Now my diet is limited to eggs, almonds, salads, fish and chicken or turkey breast, with a hot tea sans sugar to wash it down. I am also free to enjoy water and vegetable juice.

This has been such a change that I even found myself dreaming about real food! The other night I dreamt that I was in my high school cafeteria eating chicken soup trying to convince anyone around me that would listen that noodles are actually not carbs if they are part of a soup dish. If only...

But all of this hard work has been worth it. As of yesterday around 7:00 p.m. I have lost 3 lbs! My theory is that the dramatic weight loss will come during the second week of phase one. That's my motivation.

But who are we kidding... I had a slice of pizza last night. Actually two.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

My wobbly bits

I am part of the 99 per cent of the female population that is unsatisfied about their weight and notoriously complain about it without even a smidgen of intent of doing something to fix it. As of tomorrow - all this will change.

Just to give you some background information about me: I weigh roughly a few tonnes and am way taller than what is considered the norm. I have this fantastic two piece bathing suit I got at American Eagle a while back, that I proudly wore in the summertime. I had no problem ignoring the numerous amounts of rolls peeking out here and there. My wobbly bits were on full display all summer (all wobblies EXCEPT for my boobies, of course, because when everything else has miraculously expanded, THOSE never seem to grow!) I had no problem ignoring them, because I see them everyday, but I pity all those innocent individuals that were exposed to my extreme hotness...

This summer the two piece is coming out again! Xnay the wobbly bits!! You see, I have two problems... one: I get bored fairly easy with workouts, so I need an incredible variety, or I just choose to sleep instead; and two: I just freakin love food! I mean, french fries! Bacon double cheese burgers! Chicken wings! Just roll me around in a tub of grease and I'll be happy! oh and BEER!! Sweet Jesus! this is why my bikinis go through so much... all the stretching and all the pinching.

Since I have given up on my dream of being a professional beach volleyball player, a latin dancer and a surfer (ideally all at the same time) - as of tomorrow, I will be on South Beach. The diet, of course. Say good bye to freshly baked bread, to devouring six granola bars at my desk - all before my noon cigarette break. And to my new friend, the hot dog vendor at Bloor and Spadina. From now on, I will eat vegetables, think of vegetables and smell like vegetables.

And of course you, my lucky readers, will get to read all about my never-ending quest to lose that last five (OK 20) lbs. And I would like to apologize ahead of time for all the bitching, whining and complaining, because why would someone in their right mind give up all the world's goodness that is junk food?

All in the name of that itsy bitsy two-piece that is waiting for me at the bottom of my dresser drawer. Now excuse me, I have to go make a beet and lettuce smoothie.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Every girl's guilty pleasure (and I don't mean shopping)

I recently moved out of my parents' house. I fled the nest to a new adult world of freedom, only to realize that now... I have to feed myself. I've never been incredibly talented in the kitchen. I can make scrambled eggs, french fries and a mean grilled cheese sandwich. My mom is an amazing cook and we would always have seven course meals for dinner. At the least.
Since I moved out, I've received numerous cook books for Christmas (none of which have been cracked open). But there is only so much Delicio pizza and Kraft dinner my body (and waist line)can handle.

After scouring the cook book isles of Winners and Home Sense, I stocked up on more recipes. I thought I'd start with the easy stuff - desserts. I made a trip to our local department store and picked up mixing bowls, baking sheets and other glorious home ec. supplies and I dove in. Made my first batch of white chocolate and pecan brownies.

By chance, I have found a new hobby and am now addicted to baking. I have officially unleashed my inner domestic goddess!

Here's the recipe below. I wouldn't dare to be selfish, dish about the amazing treats I've baked and not share with my dedicated readers!

What you need:

225g white chocolate

85g or 3/4 cup walnut pieces (also amazing if you use pecans instead)

115g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

2 eggs

115g soft brown sugar

100g self-rising flour (I didn't even know there was such a thing!)

What you do:

1. Coarsely chop 175g of white chocolate and all the walnuts (slash pecans). Put the remaining chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. When melted, stir together, then set aside to cool slightly.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until well mixed. Fold in the flour, chopped chocolate, and the walnuts. Turn the mixture into a lightly greased 7-inch/18 cm square cake pan and smooth the surface.

3. Transfer the pan to a pre-heated oven, 350F/180C, and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. The mixture should still be a little soft in the centre. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan, then cut into nine squares before serving.

You (and your love handles) can thank me later.


ENJOY!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Feta cheese

I love wearing skirts. They make me feel confident, professional and wicked-fierce. But my love for skirts goes hand in hand with my hatred for pantyhose. Every time I want sport my pencil skirt to work, my morning starts off with 20 minutes of heavy breathing, sweating, tucking and squishing - just trying to get a brand new pair of pantyhose on. I'm OK until I get past my knees. The second half is when the battle starts. I feel like I'm trying to fit a sausage into a skin made for a hot dog. And the fact that the top of my pantyhose (once I'm finally finished with the excruciating process of getting them on in the first place) ends about seven inches above my bellybutton and every time I sit, I feel it rolling back down - does not make them any more comfortable.

Well all of this is no more! I have discovered something that will change my life... at least so I thought at the time.

During one of my regular visits to Shopper's Drug Mart, I came across these fancy stay-up stockings, lined with a thin layer of transparent rubber at the top that are said to stay up on their own, therefore eliminating sausage-stuffing mornings from my routine. Well they lie.

On a warm Monday of last week - fairly warm - I wore this brand new pair of stockings, feeling great in my skirt. By great I mean confident, professional and wicked-fierce. I went for a walk at lunch because I needed to pick up a few things. After I was far enough from the office that I couldn't easily go back in a mad, desperate dash, I could feel the stockings slowly starting to slide down my legs. Now I bought the same size I always buy in pantyhose and they fit great until about 1 p.m. hit. Is it possible that I lost about 5 lbs between 7:30 a.m. and lunch? If only it were that easy...

As I keep walking, the stockings keep creeping down. My coat was fairly long, but not long enough. I would hop into stores and hide between the isles to secretly adjust my new find that was supposed to 'change my life.' My walk slowed down to a stroll in an attempt to avoid any sudden movements that can possibly speed up the cascading of the stockings. Suddenly my legs start feeling a bit colder... I'm walking to Metro now to pick up a low-fat, minimum calorie flavour-free salad. As I walk up to the entrance I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the glass door. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Sure enough, the stockings slid down as far as my boots would let them and the dark, lacy, rubber-covered tops were at full view to all on Bloor Street. I hid behind the store, yanked them up and unfazed, continued on my quest for rabbit food. After seven more attempts at inconspicuously adjusting myself in the cereal isle, I gave up. I hid in the parking lot, pulled down my stockings and tucked them into my boots, exposing the poor people of down town Toronto (not to mention my office buddies) to my feta-cheese white legs.

Nothing will change my admiration for skirts - and for stockings? Next time I'll remember to buy a smaller size...

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Ms. Spears in the T-dot

Last week, on Wednesday and Thursday, Ms. Spears hit Toronto one more time.

As a self-proclaimed Britney Spears super-fan, I was there, front row centre (ok, maybe a bit to the right) with my purse full of concert swag and memorabilia. I have been looking forward to this concert for months! With my VIP ticket in hand, all the Circus lyrics memorized, I was ready to be wowed. And I definitely was - by everyone but Britney.

The show started off with a performance by the Pussycat Dolls, which was phenomenal. They only sang a couple of numbers, but sounded stellar and danced the daylights out of that stage. After PCD, and following the Circus theme, the audience was entertained by circus performers, acrobats and contortionists. And then it was time. With the audience screaming and cheering, lights blaring, there she was. Brit brit herself. Introduced by Perez Hilton in "Elizabeth" drag on the large screens, announcing the return of Ms. Spears. After the initial wow factor of "Omigod she's actually here!" the audience seemed to quiet down and watch the long awaited performance.

She was on stage for about 90 minutes, performing everything from new Circus tracks, to the ever-famous 'Hit Me Baby One More Time.' Her dancers were unreal! Accompanied by the occasional circus performer as well, the overall performance was definitely worth every penny!
Britney however, pranced and strutted on the Circus-like stage, occasionally hitting her marks. She knew the choreography, that's for sure, but she lacked the drive, effort and excitement to make this performance unforgettable. After a solid 90 minute performance, there wasn't a drop of sweat to be seen on her. And I was sitting damn close.

We all know she doesn't sing on stage, but before she seemed to have an excuse. She was always known for fierce choreography, skilled dance routines and was thought of as an 'entertainer.' This time, the sweaty, heavy-breathing-snake-carrying Britney didn't show up for the concert. Instead, the audience got to watch her change her outfit at least 12 times, wave her arms here and there, toss her hair around and the occasional high kick.

I saw her a number of years ago when the Onyx Hotel Tour came to Toronto and that's when I fell in love with her as an entertainer and a performer. Circus, however, did not compare to that performance.

I'm still a huge fan - I wore my concert T-shirt proudly to work on casual Friday. But to say that this is definitely her big comeback is a bit of a stretch.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The new kid in town?

Last weekend I finally had plans with a girlfriend of mine whom I haven't seen since my birthday - which was in September. We were going to an event on Queen Street and since we both met up right after work, we were looking for a place to grab a bite to eat, and more importantly, a bottle of wine. After walking along for a few minutes, enjoying the fresh air and a few cigarettes, we stumbled upon a dark, sexy looking place with dim lights and what looked to be a stocked bar. Why not?

After we walk in, a very nice gentleman takes our coats and shows us to our seats. The place is very well decorated, they're playing a fantastic playlist. The menu is projected on the back wall a la slideshow and the dishes sound superb. I'm fairly new to this 'fine dining' thing, I'm more than content with some honey garlic chicken wings and a pint of Steamwhistle. But this place was something else.

It was called BarChef. This new kid in town apparently joined the Queen Street neighbourhood in December. Right between Spadina and Bathurst.

We were greeted with some sort of a concoction that consisted of what resembled three tapioca pearls and a lot of foam. The foam was said to be lime flavoured and we 'had to take it all in one gulp, hold it in our mouth for a few seconds, then swallow.' I'm sorry? With the waiter watching? These little spoonies were quite large and if I'm going to be gulping unknown substances, I'd rather not have some stranger's eyes on me the whole time, thank you very much.

One one, two, three - we both down the mixture, hold it in for three seconds and swallow. WOW! The lemon/lime foam mixed with the pearls to create the most amazing taste and miraculously shrunk in my mouth and ended up being a small teaspoon of heaven.

That's one of the things BarChef is said to be know for, as explained to us by our server Gordon. BarChef focuses on 'molecular mixology' - they're not just bartenders over there. According to Martiniboys.com, BarChef mixologists are "working with a product called Textura, produced by a Spanish restaurant called Elbouli, Solarik [one of the owners and mixologists at BarChef] creates bubbles, kind of like an egg yolk, that explode in your mouth."

Three phenomenal dishes (and two bottles of wine) later, we can't stop talking about this place! Amazing service, mouthwatering food and a beverage list that will make anyone choose to cab it home - you'll definitely see me at BarChef again.
**photos courtesy of barcheftoronto.com

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Smooth like a baby's behind...


I finally came across the mother of all skin moisturizers.


I'm very 'green' when it comes to skin care product. And by 'green' I mean new, not necessarily eco-friendly. I grew up using regular soap as face wash and the occasional moisturizer that I would find in my mother's bathroom - but only when my skin was really dry.


When I was about 15 years old I was told I had my first wrinkle and since then I have been trying to make skin care a part of my daily routine. It's a lot harder than it sounds.


Drugstore shelves are crawling with skin care products for regular, dry or oily skin. Day or night treatments, pricy and cheaper options. I have tried a number of various products, but it took me a while to find a product that really fit what I was looking for. A regular daily moisturizer that doesn't come off as soon as you get a drop of water on your skin within the first four hours of application.


Until now...


I have always been a huge fan of Aveeno product. One day, when browsing the isles of Shopper's Drug Mart (one of my favourite things to do in the world) I came across Aveeno's Eczema Skincare moisturizer. At first it caught my attention because it was on sale. I don't have eczema, so no need for specialty moisturizers. But on sale, the tube said 'daily relief of extra dry skin' (let's face it, it's the 14th month of winter - everyone has extra dry skin), so I thought why not. And it changed my life.


It's an unscented body moisturizer that's recommended by dermatologists. It contains pure oat essence, natural colloidal oatmeal, moisture-rich oat oil and ceramides (lipids found deep within the surface of the skin). It covers your skin with a thicker than usual layer of cream, but it absorbs fast and most importantly it stays on the area it is applied to. It's suitable for use all over the body, but I use it mostly to moisturize my face. It's made an enormous difference in the short week I have been using it. My face has never been softer! Really - you should feel it!


Saturday, February 21, 2009

Rookie

Finally!

It only took me about two years to start a blog and I'm finally here! I've always wanted to be writer (I've been keeping a diary since I was in sixth grade), so this is my 'debut'.

I'm in my twenties - working my first 'big girl' job in the City. Just moved out of my parents' house and still trying to settle in to the new 'home sweet home'. Basically, I'm learning how to live the real, adult life...

In this blog, I hope to write about anything and everything... reno status in our new house, books I've read, current events, fashion, lifestyle... Anything goes!

So sit back and enjoy the ride...