Tonight marks day two of a 3-day comedy extravaganza in Toronto. The well-known, Montreal-based Just For Laughs Festival is making it’s mark for the first time ever in this city, while celebrating it’s 25th anniversary.
So prepare yourself for some comedic talent, artists, theatre and variety troupes from around the world, descending in and around Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. One of the highlights of the event for me is Canadian comedian Russell Peters performing a free show at the Square tonight at 7pm (let’s hope the rain holds off).
The festival ends this Saturday, so make sure you reach at least one performance! Check out the official website for a schedule of events.
One of my former tech-savvy co-workers dropped by the office today, and what did he have with him? An iPhone! Okay, so I only handled it for a couple of minutes, but it swayed me to seriously think purchasing one when they finally come to Canada… especially for business needs. It’s a little heavier than I thought it would be, but the interface is breathtaking (I just love that slide lock function!).
Perhaps I’ll wait a few months after the mob calms down when it’s released north of the border, though.
I’m a self-proclaimed shop-a-holic. In that admission I’d like to introduce the first of a series of posts that highlight some of my purchases. Not just any purchases, but things that I buy that I don’t ‘necessarily’ need. It’s a habit: when I see something on sale, clearance-priced, and looks like I’d (eventually) use it one day, I’ll probably buy it. I’m a fiend for gadgets and gizmos, so here’s one from today:
Stixx Suctionwareâ„¢ by DFL, Design for Living.â„¢ A revolutionary line of kitchen products with a unique suction base that stixxâ„¢ to countertops for no slipping, sliding or tipping.
The grater has a suction cup with a lever at the bottom to keep it steady on your kitchen surfaces while grating (it had a pretty strong grip when I used it on my wooden kitchen cart). It has a two-sided grating surface (fine and coarse). Each side has a swing-away door and it comes with a removable inner tray to catch gratings.
Why I don’t need it: I have a Magic Bullet (which I’m in love with)
Why I think I need it: The Magic Bullet doesn’t “shred” cheese, it chops it up into little bits. I sometimes prefer shredded cheese for aesthetic reasons. :) Plus, I think I’ll have fun gripping it to the counter and swinging open the grating doors!
Unnecessary scale: 6/10
I’ll probably use it every now and then… esp. since my magic bullet tends to grate cheese too fine. Plus, I’ll need it to grate veggies like carrots, zucchini and potatoes for some yummy recipes. It only cost me $13, and for a pretty heavy duty grater, that’s a good deal off the original retail price of about $25CAN. It sucks that I have a really small kitchen with minimal counter-space though… :P
I should’ve gotten a PlayStation and Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA instead of Hip Hop Abs. Man, this game is a workout! Just got back home from my sister’s BBQ, and my brother had this game on his PlayStation. I’ve always wanted to try that cabinet arcade version, but I think it slipped my mind that they have an ‘at home’ one (I really need to get back into the gaming scene…)
The low level is pretty easy… but I fathom to think how much game practice a person has to do to get a good score at the advance level (damn those speedy arrows!). The game needs better songs though… (although Fall Out Boy’s “Dance Dance” is one of my favs ;) ) I think I lost all the calories I gained eating all that BBQ! I didn’t even know that the home version has a workout mode to estimate calories burned!
So last night (or rather, this morning at 3am), I did something I swore I wouldn’t do until I got my budget in order: I ordered something online. I know, I know… I need to have self-control when it comes to shopping, but this will be worth it in the long run!
My purchase of Hip Hop Abs was sparked by the fact that I realized I had gained another five pounds, contrary to the fact that I’ve been avidly looking at the labels of all the food products I buy to make sure that the calorie factor is low. I realized that this is not enough, and that I have to stop eating those big, super-late dinners and stop skipping breakfast. Six small meals a day, an active workout, and proper diet will need to be my new plan if I want to tone up and slim down.
I’ve used Turbo Jam actively before. I was religiously following a set regimen for about 3-4 weeks and I noticed that I did lose 5-8lbs. But, alas I abruptly stopped b/c I found I was too tired to work out after I got home from a long day at work. Also adding to the fact that I stopped was that I was noticing my clothes fitting a bit better, and people close to me actually noticed that I looked thinner. In reality the numbers on the scale were going up.
Where is all this weight going?!?! I remember when I was at the doctor’s office earlier this year for my annual physical, the nurse weighed me. Prior to setting foot on the scale I informed her of my timidness b/c the last time I checked I was 180lbs. She’s like, “Nooo! That can’t be right, you don’t look more than 140”. Needless to say, she was shocked when she had to keep tipping the weight on the scale to the right to balance it out. LOL… even my doctor didn’t believe me when I told him how much I weighed (the last time he weighed me, I was around 155). Bah… I guess it could be all muscle. (wishful thinking :D)
Back to my Hip Hop Abs impulse buy: It cost me three easy payments of $19.99 (thank goodness, because I don’t think I would want my credit card to go over the limit again this month :D ) I even got 10% for using an online coupon. It comes with 4 routines, an extra DVD bonus and a bunch of little extras (nutrition guides and such). I cracked and got the advance DVD’s as well, because I didn’t want to pay shipping again, and they were offering them at 50% off. Yeah, I know that I probably could’ve saved my money and got a bootleg version, but I’m not the pirating type… ;) The infomercial seems kinda typical, but if the routines are followed closely it actually shows results. Just take a look at Rob’s results from doing Turbo Jam. If you’re in the Toronto-area, take some of his Turbo Jam classes… they’re so much fun, and a great workout! I really need to start going to them again.
I’ll keep my eye on the mailbox for my Hip Hop Abs DVDs. I can’t wait to try out the routines! I had some success with Chalene’s Turbo Jam, so with Shaun T’s DVDs, hopefully I can get great results, especially since it’s done to “Hip Hop”. My dancing days may not be over yet! :D
Why I don’t need it: I have a 
I should’ve gotten a PlayStation and 
