Aug
01
2013

Review: The Package Tour

Posted in Music |
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If anyone knew anything about me, it was that I’ve always been a big boy band fan. Well not big in the sense that I would attend concerts in every city, purchase official merchandise or stalk bands outside their hotels when they made special apepearances, but I would listen to their music and learn the choreography for their hit music videos (Backstreet’s Back… whhaaaattt!).

So I actually attenended my first ‘boy band’ concert on July 28th at the Air Canada Centre. It was the second Toronto visit for The Package Tour which featured headliners New Kids On The Block, R&B sensations Boyz II Men, and crooners 98 Degrees. After missing out on a Groupon deal, I got a friend to score some tickets.

Not surprisingly the venue was filled with thousands of 30-something fans, hoping to reminis the musical era that brought them good-looking men who had them swooning at the sound of their love ballads. Thankfully the show started on time and they were right on schedule with all their acts (some artists can learn from this *cough*LaurynHill*cough*).

First to the stage was Philadelphia natives Boyz II Men (comprised of Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman). I have loved this group since they were an original quartet (Michael McCary left the group years ago due to health reasons) . Clad in white suits they had virtually the same vocal ability as they did when they entered the scene with Cooleyhighharmony in ’91. They all had great energy, interacted with the fans near the stage, and even Wanya even broke down in some running-man dance moves. They sung hits including “I’ll Make Love To You”, “End of the Road” and closed their set with an enthusiastic “Motownphilly” (I almost had to school some girl in the row behind me when she was asking was ABC and BBD stood for and she had to data to look it up on her smart phone). Loved it!

Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men hand out a few long-stemmed roses to some swooning ladies in the front row.

Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men break it down during their energetic performance during The Package Tour.

Next up was 98 Degrees. They were on my ‘Top 5’ boy band list back in the late 90s (well, maybe because of Jeff Timmon’s muscles… dammit, I wish I caught the suspenders he threw in the audience). Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons belted out their tracks “I Do”, “Because of You” and my personal fav, “The Hardest Thing”. They even serenaded a few girls after they brought them on stage.

98 Degrees

98 Degrees makes their entrance at The Package Tour.

98 Degrees

98 Degrees singing to some lucky females at The Package Tour concert.

Last, but certainly not least, was New Kids On The Block. I admit that I was more of a MC Hammer fan when these boys came out, but to my surprise I was actually singing along with all of their songs as they were performing them. After a short intro informing the crowd that the next two hours would be a performance to remember, NKOTB graced the stage to a loud chorus of screaming women (an probably some men as well).

NKOTB

The New Kids on the Block debut during the July 28 Package Tour concert at the Air Canada Centre.

Now I knew I ain’t no spring chicken, but when NKOTB kept repeating that “it’s been 25 years”, I felt damn old! Brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood had their first real hit in 1986 with “Please Don’t Go, Girl”.

When NKOTB originally formed in the 80s I was a Jordan fan. But after Sunday’s concert, Donnie is my new favourite member (as man-whorish as he may seem after yet another concert lip-lock with a female fan). The body on him is ridiculous! I still can’t believe these men are in the 40s and singing and dancing like they were decades ago!

NKOTB

Donnie Wahlberg takes it off on stage (those are some nice abs).

NKOTB definitely made my night: Jordan’s high notes, Donnie frequently getting partially nekkid, even Danny’s break-dancing was fun to watch. Jordan and Donnie taking the cameras and filming the audience from their POV was great. All five of them even wandered into the crowd to be more accessible to their fans. The stage set up was done well: from the rotating stage to the rising hydraulic platforms (Joey’s got some good balance, I’ll tell you that much), to the pyrotechnics, smoke and lights. I even liked the cover they did of George Michael’s “Faith”. NKOTB ended their concert with a tribute to their hometown of Boston by wearing Bruins jerseys and belting out “Hangin’ Tough”.

NKOTB

The men looking good in their suits.

NKOTB

New Kids belt it out with yet another wardrobe change.

I can honestly say that The Package Tour was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to (all 3.5 hours of it). Singing tracks from their latest album 10, to stuff from back in the day like “Step by Step” and “The Right Stuff”, they were flawless in their performance. Full of energy from both the artists and the crowd, with hits that sparked the nostalgia that was my youth. It was like strolling down memory lane (minus the screaming female fans). Thank goodness I brought my DSLR and zoom lens to take some of these awesome photos!

NKOTB

The band has a great set of pipes.

Now if only I can finally see a Backstreet Boys concert (yeah, tickets for next Wednesday’s show are sold out :( ).

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Jul
11
2013

Wilton Cake Decorating Basics: Course 1

Posted in Food |
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I don’t know how all these bakers and cake decorators cope being surrounded with all that cake and sugary icing. I just finished my 4-day, intensive Wilton Cake Decorating class at my local Michael’s store. Although I had a blast learning all these cool decorating techniques, bringing home cakes and cupcakes for the past few days sucks when you’re struggling to stick to a new diet.

My level 1 decorating basics course only cost me $22.50 (Michael’s has a promo going on this summer for their classes). But what I saved in course fees I made up for with decorating supplies. Who knew there were so many gadgets and gizmos when it came to making a cake look all fancy? I splurged on the Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set (thank goodness I had one of those 50% off coupons), and it includes all the basics I need for each of the four Wilton courses I plan to take.

Baking is one of those things that I always wanted to be better at. Since childhood I’ve loved art and design, so I figured why not mix it with my love of food?

Each class was two hours long. Our instructor, Amy, was very knowledgeable and helpful. There were about six of us in the class. On day one we got familiar with filling a bag with icing, it’s various consistencies, and the different decorating tips that can be used.

Day two had us getting a firm handle on working with cakes (leveling, adding filling, icing), using pattern transfers and creating borders.

Day three was fun, as we got to work with cupcakes. I made some red velvet ones (from the package), and we learned how to make pom-pom flowers and shaggy mums. We also got introduced to the flower nail.

The last class we were asked to bring in a cake that had already been filled and iced so that we can decorate it with what we’ve learned over the past few days. I made a carrot cake and filled it with some cream cheese and coconut filling. It came out pretty good, if I do say so myself. That is until I got off the subway and noticed it was doing a slight leaning tower of Pisa thing (too much filling I suppose).

I went on the Wilton website prior to class and was able to find out how to create a carrot shape using two different tips. I added a rose that we learned to create in today’s class and voila! Not bad for my first, real buttercream-frosted cake.

Filled, iced and ready to go!

Filled, iced and ready to go!

Bottom border was made with a #2 tip.

Bottom border was made with a #2 tip.

The Wilton Rose. I think my icing was a tad too stiff, as to why it's cracking.

The Wilton Rose. I think my icing was a tad too stiff, as to why it’s cracking.

I love these buttercream icing carrots I made with tips #12 and #233.

I love these buttercream icing carrots I made with tips #12 and #233.

A little lopsided with room for some refinement, but I think I did a decent job!

A little lopsided with room for some refinement, but I think I did a decent job!

Delicious!

Delicious!

These are some of the red velvet cupcakes I decorated in class 3. It was fun working with all those tips!

These are some of the red velvel cupcakes I decorated in class 3. It was fun working with all those tips!

I’ll definitely be taking the rest of the classes in this series, though I can’t wait for the fondant class, as I seems to be a bit easier to work with than buttercream icing.

I think it’s time to do some P90X now.

 

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Jul
01
2013

Jully Black: Made In Canada

Posted in Entertainment, Music |
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The past few days has got to be one of the best event-filled weekends that I ever had to ring in Canada Day.

I headed down to Harbourfront last night in anticipation of Canadian R&B singer/songwriter Jully Black who was hosting a concert at the WestJet stage in promotion of her new album Made In Canada.

As expected the concert was phenominal. The Toronto native belted out selections from her various albums with help from her amazing band.

I was moving to the beat once she sung “Sweat Of Your Brow” from her debut album This is Me. Jully had the whole crowd pumping their fists to “Glass Ceiling”. Her energy on the stage as a performer is contagious. Dancing and marching on stage and in 4-inch heels! She looked amazing as usual.

I can honestly say that Jully Black is one of the most passionate performers I have ever gotten to see sing live. Visibly breaking down with emotion nearing the end of her concert, she was encouraged by an appreciative and adoring crowd with a range of applause and cheers.

I’m lucky to have gotten the chance to work with her while I was a Web Producer at Universal Music Canada. She is a phenomenal woman who inpires change on many different levels, whether it’s music, health, fitness, spirituality, perserverance, beliving in yourself, or simply to dream.

She is proud to be Canadian and truly loves her fans.

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Jun
14
2013

Eat It, Haters! Cheerios ‘Just Checking’ Parody

Posted in Rants & Raves |
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You’d think that with a biracial President that America would be a little more accepting of interracial relationships, but it not to be the case according to some people. Cheerios recently disabled the YouTube comments section of their “Just Checking” commercial that debuted on May 28th due to being inundated with racial backlash.

The commercial features a mixed-race family: an adorable, biracial girl asks her Caucasian mother about the health benefits of Cheerios, then proceeds to comedically help her Black father with the heart-healthy cereal.

YouTube Preview Image

It’s sad that in this day and age that ignorance and bigotry still exist at this level (keeping in mind that there has been a large increase in interracial marriages over the last decade). It’s a cereal commercial for crying out loud, created by a company that hoped to celebrate the many different types of families that exist out there.

Watching this video made me think about if the roles were reversed (Caucasian father, Black mother) if the comments section would get as much hate as the original General Mills ad did. What if the parents were homosexual? Like in the following parody video by Kenji America:

YouTube Preview Image

The young girl in the parody says it best:

In the year 2013 the way our family looks shouldn’t be a big deal…

The spoof ends with a slight surprise that’s sure to cause even more controversy among the haters–she runs into the living room and there’s a Black woman covered in Cheerios who then asks, “What? Now this is a problem?”

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Jun
11
2013

How to Make a Vision Board

Posted in Inspiration |
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Halfway into 2013 and I’m starting to think that the resolutions I made for myself aren’t really sticking. Along with those there are other things in my life that I am eager to accomplish–. I know I won’t be able to cross them all off my list this year, but if I can at least start the building blocks of achieving them, I’m hoping that they will snowball into what I want in life.

Vision Board:  A collage of images and words that represent your dreams and desires–the things that you want to attract to your life. Also known as a “dream board” or “treasure map”.

I’ve heard about vision boards before, but it isn’t until recently that I actually researched the theory behind them as a manifestation power tool. The basic idea behind a vision board is that if you surround yourself with images and pictures of things that you want to achieve for yourself, your mode of thinking will change by the new focus, and the universe will let things come into your life more easiely. This is the base thinking behind the law of attraction–you attract to your life whatever thoughts you put out, whether positive or negative.

I’ve browsed through The Secret back when the book came out in 2006 (thanks to Oprah), but didn’t fully put the law of attraction into practice (it’s hard to think positive sometimes). Recently, after hearing more about clarity, clearing and how to manifest your soulmate from author/speaker Arielle Ford, I decided to expand my “wish list” to beyond a romantic relationships and use a vision board as a catalyst for my dreams and desires.

Are you interested in creating your own vision board? Here’s what you need:

  • Bristol board/Poster board
  • Magazines
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Markers (optional)
  1. Before you even start gluing words and images on your sheet, you have to really think about what you want in your life. It may be helpful if you decide on a particular theme (e.g. health, romance, career).
  2. Browse through the magazines (I was lucky enough to get a variety of recent ones from work), and cut out anything that strikes you. Think about things you’d like to do, places you’d like to go, people you want to be with, and also material things you desire. You want to cut out images that represent things you want to manifest in your life (e.g. a photo of happy couple, a fit body, healthy food, a car, a home, etc.), and words that inspire you (such as “success”, “happiness” , “beautiful” or “love”). You can even choose to print out images from the Internet.
  3. Once you have a good stack of images/words/phrases cut out, lay them out on your poster board in a way that makes sense to you. If you have more than one theme, you can have a different part of your board dedicated to each one. You can even choose to have a nice photo of yourself smack dab in the center to personalize it a bit more.
  4. When everything is organized you can start to glue your cutouts to the board. If you want use colourful markers (or even paint) to add some more depth to your vision board by writing personal affirmations.
  5. Make sure you mount your vision board in a place you’ll see it daily (e.g. beside your bed so that you’ll see it every morning). Focus on the objects on your board when you see them so that you’ll be able to manifest these desires into your life. To shy to have it displayed in the open? Perhaps having a smaller version of your vision board that can fit in a 3-ring binder would work better for you (and you can tuck it away when necessary).
Some of the items I'm using to create my vision board (foam board used as backing).

Some of the items I’m using to create my vision board (foam board used as backing).

It’s important to remember that what you want might change over the course of time. In that case, you’ll be able to create a new vision board for yourself. Handy with a computer? Well, you can even try your hand at digital vision boarding by cutting and pasting images from the web into a program like Photoshop.

So will this vision board I’m eagerly working on help me turn my dreams into reality? There’s only one way to find out. I sure did have a lot of fun browsing through old magazines and cutting out words and images… felt like my old elementary school art class!

Have you made a vision board in the past? Any successes? When it comes down to it it doesn’t hurt to create something tangible to help inspire you with your goals.

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