Small Shop Genius

A trip to most major shopping centers is not complete without a quick visit to the Apple Store. Window-shopping just doesn’t seem to satisfy the need to hold and touch the products inside. The bright, spacious and aesthetically pleasing space pulls us in and before we know it, we have walked out with anything from a big-ticket item to accessories for our iPhone. Either way, if you are an Apple customer, you are most likely one for life and frequent trips back to the Apple Store are necessary to service and maintain the performance of your existing products. Even when your beloved Apple products hiccup, it never seems like am unpleasant venture back into the Apple Store for a fix-me-up appointment. Well, it is nothing like a visit to the dentist, that is for certain!

The simplicity of taking your product in for service is genius in itself. Go on-line to the Apple Store concierge of your choice, sign in and choose an appointment date and time that is most convenient for you. Voila! You are on your way. Into the Apple Store you go where you will wait in cue for your turn with a Genius (Apple expert). You can even keep track of your appointment in relation to those appointments in front of you. This way, if the Genius Bar is falling a bit behind, you will be in the know.

But what if you are not very close to a major shopping center, or perhaps you feel a bit intimidated by the presence of a big store full of shoppers and browsers all competing for the attention of a personal shopper to guide them through the process of selecting the right products for their needs. Let’s face the facts here; the Apple Store has a large and consistent flow of traffic on a daily basis, no matter what time of the shopping day it is, it has become a bit of a tourist attraction. Just imagine a trip to the Apple Store during the holiday season for a service repair. Could be the making of a Stephen King horror novel. Yikes!

Fortunately, there are other options out there. Smaller Apple Authorized Service Providers and Resellers seem to be popping up in between major shopping centers. What does this mean for our close-knit Apple community? Well, it means that we have an opportunity to develop closer relationships with other Apple users in your area. By supporting these smaller business, we can create personal profiles for ourselves with the moms and pops that run these smaller independent shops thereby, developing a case history if you will of our machine’s scrapes and bruises. Think of it like a visit to your family doctor as opposed to a visit to a city hospital where you are merely just a number...waiting...

So where are these smaller shops? All over the city really. I have had personal experience with one shop in the neighbourhood of Yonge and Eglinton. I-technique, located on Yonge Street just south of Eglinton, is the second in a chain of authorized service centers and retailers originally founded in Montreal. Both shops house one or more certified Apple technicians and provide technical support for all Apple computer hardware and software components. On a service platform, they provide all of the technical support that a Genius Bar provides. If you have Apple Care, then you are covered at any Apple Authorized Service Provider worldwide. Furthermore, I-technique offers products for retail sale as well as deals on recertified used products and if you are a new Mac user, they also offer one on one training sessions for Mac OS X and other key Apple applications and technologies. An Apple experience at a smaller shop such as I-technique boasts the potential for far less stress than a pilgrimage to an Apple Store within a Mecca of teenage vagabonds.

Check out I-technique’s website for more information
http://itechnique.biz/

To be bilingual can open many doors and provide countless more opportunities to one's career options than I had ever imagined. Here I am at 28 years of age learning French! Oui, Français! Very shortly I will be relocating to Montreal and in all the excitement that comes with learning a new city, neighbourhoods and people, I realized that my job options could be drastically limited if I remain English speaking only. With one month to learn French, I hit the shelves of Indigo searching for the fastest proven method of acquiring proper grammar and conversational French to start. What I found was an overwhelming amount of books, DVDs, and audio Cd's. After half an hour of humming and hawing, I left with a beautiful black cable knit blanket. Now although I can proudly say that I am Internet savvy, I still proceeded to a bookstore first. I will always love and appreciate the way concrete information feels in your hands. You can physically hold it and it makes me feel like a student again. As I snap out of my thoughts of years gone by, I turn to a more obvious and powerful tool. The www.com. In my search, I came across a social network service called Livemocha. A growing online learning language community. I created an account for free and began learning. I was very much impressed with the direction of the online lessons. As an educator, I have had much experience teaching young children how to read their first words. Phonic can be very tricky. However, there are numerous programs educators such as myself use with great success. Livemocha is quite similar in its approach as it blends four progressive exercises: Learn, review, write and speak. In the first exercise, you are presented with a picture, the written word in English and your chosen language as well as an audio. In the next exercise, you are given an opportunity to review what you have learned by matching pictures with audio and the written language in random order. The third exercise asks that you write simple sentences in the chosen language describing people places and things. All words and sentences that you learned in the previous lessons. Once you reach exercise four, you should be prepared to read a short paragraph in your chosen paragraph. Livemocha will record you and share it with someone else in the community for review and criticism. Here is what makes Livemocha fantastic: not only is it free, it is also a community where you can connect with people all over the world and benefit from each others mother tongue. A person in the community from Hong Kong might be learning English and you have an opportunity to listen, read, review and critique their learning. In return, someone in the French speaking community will be reviewing my audio and grading me. I just finished the first of a series of lessons. So far I love it! I will let you know when I am fully bilingual.
Check out their website for more information.
http://www.livemocha.com/

Stumble Upon

The Internet is a glorious and infinite network of information where one can waste hours upon hours of their precious time just browsing anything and everything for research and entertainment purposes. A few months back, I was introduced to a fabulous "browsing" tool known as Stumble Upon. An Internet community which recommends websites based on your personal interests. Websites which you may have never "stumbled upon" on your own. As you set up your account, you are prompted to a page which allows you to check off all that interests you. Interests such as, news, politics, art, science, food, fashion, travel and on and on. Then, when you hit the stumble upon icon on your toolbar, a virtual generator produces a random URL linked to your own emotion of personal interest. It really is genius and highly entertaining. I would imagine that if I had a boring nine to five desk job, this form of channel surfing would save my sanity. Thank god that is not the case for me! However, if you fit this category, I strongly suggest you give this recommendation engine a try. When bored, simply hit the Stumble Upon icon and viola! You can pass the whole day very quickly learning both useful and ridiculously useless information. Inspiring, non the less.

PC Chunk Light Tuna in Curry Coconut Cream Sauce

I love President's Choice food and home products! They offer products that are not only unique but also of great value. I particularly like their more exotic items such as the "Memories of "Sauces.
On a recent shopping trip to Loblaws, I stumbled upon a new product. Non boring Tuna! The same old cans of tuna that we all know and love have received makeovers by the talented group of food inspired people at President's Choice. With two flavours to choose from, Thai Curry Coconut Cream and Black Pepper Sauce, I had to try them both.

Here is the verdict on the Curry Coconut Cream Sauce Tuna: Delicious!

Large chunks of tuna and pineapple drenched in a mildly spicy coconut cream sauce. There I was getting ready to dress the tuna with onion, carrots, celery and mayonnaise when behold, ready to eat tuna salad. No need to add ANYTHING! I scooped the creamy tuna into a pita pocket lined with baby spinach. Fantastic! I am sure there are many dishes you can create with these inspiring cans of goodness. Try it on a nest of Soba noodles. See mom!? I can cook!

Click here for more PC products.

Coquine Restaurant - 2075 Yonge St, Toronto

Last Spring, I moved from the downtown core of Toronto to Midtown Toronto. Also known as Yonge and Eglinton.
Now, I have always been a "downtown girl" who enjoys all the super chic restaurants and lounges that King St W/E and Queen St W have to offer. However, I lived in a brand new condo on the water front. A developing neighbourhood with pretty much no character at all. Well not yet. I will say that I did have a favourite coffee spot right across the street. But, that is a whole other post.
Back to my dilemma: I was about a $5 cab ride away from all of my favourite eating venues. Further more, these restos are downtown. Need I say more. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday equals loads of people and tourists.
Where I lived, I needed a place that was a few doors down where I could call my food sanctuary. My place. My spot. My restaurant...a place where everybody knows my name. Okay, maybe I'm pushing it a bit there. You know what I mean.

Fortunately, I discovered a new neck of woods known as Yonge and Eg. Fantastic! Downtown without the "downtown". A mini concrete jungle if you please. In this neighbourhood I have a large commercial grocer and lots of tiny little fruit/veg stores, bakeries, delicatessens and restaurants. The same people go to the same little shops thereby supporting the neighbourhood in whole. The best part is, everyone really does know your name!

One of our favourite restaurant finds is a place called Coquine. As their website sates, Coquine is "a modern European Bistro". The physical establishment is a gem in itself. Half of the restaurant is a typical dinning area, while the other half is a bar room. For those of you who love to sit at the bar and socialize, this place is for you. There is always room at the bar as it extends row upon row. Also, I don't want to leave out the patio. When the weather is nice, you can sit on a two sided patio. One side is directly on Yonge Street and the other quieter side is on Manor Road. It really is a great spot.

Now on to the food...
I always seem to order the same thing: the Caprese Salad. Tried, tested and true. Delicious! While my boyfriend on the other hand has had the pleasure of sampling more of the menu than I. One particular dish remains a unanimous must have: the Wild Mushroom-Filled Ravioli with Sauteed mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in a creamy goodness sauce. It is incredible! We always order it as our appetizer. You can see why a simple Caprese Salad is sufficient for my main. Here is something that we learned about this pasta dish: there are two variations. The winter version which is a lovely creamy truffle sauce and the summer version which is a lighter clear buttery truffle sauce. We LOVE the winter version best and we are always sure to specify this request when ordering. Just in case:) Try it with the Hillbrand Guwerztraminer (I can never pronounce this) and splurge for the bottle. Very nice if you like sweeter white wines such as Rieslings.
I must also mention the staff. We always sit at the bar and I must say that the bartenders are always super friendly and eager to get to know you and make your experience a welcome one. Lest we forget the complimentary after dinner shots that they present to you and your neighbours just for coming out.
Check out their website for more info.
http://www.coquinerestaurant.com/

Dyson

A good vacuum cleaner is essential for any household. What do I mean by good? Well, a vacuum that ACTUALLY sucks up all the crap and mess that you, your animals, boyfriends, husbands, house guests create on a daily basis. I live with three animals. My cat, dog and boyfriend. I COULD NOT IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT MY DYSON!
It is by far, the BEST vacuum cleaner that I have ever used. Why is it so good?
Because, it is reliable. EVERY TIME! Dyson's technology speaks for itself. Patented Root Cyclone Technology means no loss of suction. Also, the Dyson works well on any surface from carpet to hardwood to tile with the push of a button. I could go on and on about how great this machine is, but you can check it out for yourself on the Dyson website at http://www.english.dysoncanada.ca/

Read "The Dyson Story". A very interesting overview about the man who invented this wonderful vacuum, James Dyson and the science behind it.
I myself did not purchase this vacuum (we have the Dyson DC 25). Believe it or not, my boyfriend gets all the credit here. However, after researching the Dyson, I have come to understand why he chose this particular machine. Something written on the Dyson website is an idea that my boyfriend is a true believer of. Invest in a product that works well consistently. Although the Dyson is one of the more expensive vacuum cleaners on the market (about $600 for the DC 25), it is worth every penny. It will not let you down.

You know the feeling when some everyday product lets you down. 'I could have designed this better myself', you think. But how many of us turn our thoughts into actions?

James Dyson does.

He is a man who likes to make things work better. With his research team he has developed products that have achieved sales of over $6 billion worldwide.

First blog EVER!

So here I am. I have finally joined the world of Blogging! My own personal space on the glorious inter-web where I can discuss all things GOOD. Well, good in my opinion.
I am a consumer through and through. I don't know why, but I constantly feel an urge to spend my money on "things". All kinds of things!
This blog will be my personal account and review of the random items and/or experiences that I choose to indulge in.
I will start by going back as far as I can remember while inserting my present finds here and there.

Enjoy!