Making a Splash

In order to add some colour to grey rainy days, or keep my feet dry at muddy concerts, I hop into my green frog rainboots and hit the puddles! Fortunately for me, I have small feet so I can buy rainboots for little kids, because it seems as though rainboots for adults are either boring or hard to find. Who wants to wear something boring on their feet? Not me!

Thanks to I Love My Design, more people can enjoy colourful rainboots. With sizing going up to a women's 9, I Love My Design offers paintable rubber rainboots and a starter kit with six different colours, paintbrushes, a mixing palette and instructions. The non-toxic paint is waterproof but comes off easily with specially treated pads, allowing wearers to unleash their inner artist and make a splash in rainy weather!





As mentioned in a previous posting about customized footwear, why not just do it yourself? It's a lot cheaper and more original. I Love My Design's paintable rain boots range in price from $34.99 - $39.99 and can be purchased at Mastermind Toys.

Feel like Dancing?

It's Thursday, the weekend is just around the corner and it's a long one! Click here for a kick-ass remix of The 84.85's hit track, Don't Worry, courtesy of DJ Barletta to get you hyped up for the start of the last official weekend of summer!

Don't be sad though, it only gets better from here. Film fest is exactly one week away, which means tons of incredible parties and a 4am last call for selective bars & clubs around Toronto! Bring it on!

(In order to hear the above remix more clearly, feel free to click on the gold necklace of the dude holding the juke box on the middle right side of the page, which turns off the background music)

$8 for a beer?

A few weeks ago I found myself at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern for the release party of The Stills' latest album, Oceans Will Rise. Now I'm not much of an Indie music fan but I figured that a free concert with good company would make for a fun Tuesday night.

Turns out my expectations were exceeded by the melodic and passionate voice of the lead singer. The Stills' sound was more lyrical and rock based than Indie inspired, which I much preferred.

The fans at the jam packed show were really into the music and didn't seem to mind the humidity and awful acoustics that add to the nostalgic element of the Horseshoe. However, the fans who were waiting outside the venue were probably pretty pissed off that the release party was held at such a small place. Sure an intimate vibe was created, but the nostalgic aspect of the night wore off as soon as I ordered an imported beer and the bartender asked for $8.

Yikes! $8 for a bottle of beer at The Horseshoe? I decided to order a Blue instead for a more reasonable $5 but was dismayed to learn that such a dirty bar with an awful sound and ventiliation system had the nerve to charge so much.

A friend of mine recently visited the newly opened Biermarket at King & Portland and also complained about spending $8 on a beer. However, she ordered a pint and in my opinion, $8 for a large glass of a unique type of beer at a clean and pleasant venue, is much more acceptable.

Crawling Nyood

As previously mentioned on Nat in a Hat, I was involved in organizing a charity art gallery crawl that culminated in a sensual bash at Nyood, Toronto's latest supperclub to hit the Queen West district. The event, which took place a few weeks ago, was a huge success and for those of you who couldn't make it, here are some pictures from the fun-filled night.

The crawl consisted of visits to three of Toronto's most buzzed about galleries in the art & design district.


The first stop of the evening was at The Angell Gallery where owner, Jamie Angell, chatted with guests over glasses of sangria (both red & white) in his charming backyard.

















The next stop on the crawl was the Stephen Bulger Gallery which is connected to the Camera Bar, an intimate event space that can be rented out for private parties or film screenings. Stephen Bulger spent some time explaining the meanings behind his photographs, many of which complimented the evening's theme of art & nudity.

Guests kept their drinks in hand as they ventured west to Dovercourt for the last gallery on the crawl, The Thrush Holmes Empire.

Thrush Keats Byron Holmes, as pictured above, has led an extremely fascinating life which you can read about in Toronto Life's July issue. To see more images of his compelling and often controversial mixed media paintings, click here.

The art continued at Nyood, where images from The Israel Museum, which the event was raising funds for, were projected onto the high, loft style, concrete walls.

Guests enjoyed delectable hors' doeuvres, drinks and nude themed cookies & models. Hipster music was provided by the DJ duo, The 84.85. To top of the evening, the talented artists, Team Macho, generously donated a painting they designed for the event, which is shown at the top of this posting.

The night was a huge success, with money being raised to help fund free admission for children of all backgrounds and ethnicities to attend the Israel Museum and learn more about art and culture. Stay tuned for more details about the next art party coming up in October.

Colourful Cottage Country

Check out these colourful Muskoka Chairs I spotted while eating crispy fish & chips in the tiny, picturesque town of Thornbury, Ontario.


Aside from brightening up lacklustered wood, these chairs add some fun to the traditional cabin look and make a trip to the cottage that much more exciting.


They are also a clever advertising concept for Benjamin Moore paints. By taking a standard cottage country object and brightening it up, all of a sudden the laid back cottage vibe has been interrupted with a smile, causing consumer's to take notice of a product without feeling intruded by city type billboard ads.


Good job Mr. Moore!

Paris Hilton for President

Due to popular demand, I've added the Paris Hilton presidential ad which is much classier than the McCain-Obama attack ads have been. Paris Hilton + classy in the same sentence? You bet.

This was definitely a smart PR move for the blond heiress who eloquently speaks about the election issues while looking hot and sophisticated in a one piece leopard print cut out swimsuit.

I'm not sure who makes her suit but I do know that Diesel sells similar ones, as shown below, at their stores in the States.

The Human Canvas

Using one's body as a canvas has always been a common practice around the world. Tattoos, denoting positive or negative meanings have been prevalent throughout history. Some people consider tattoos as an art form, others as an insult to God.

The happy medium?


Having an artist paint your body for a special event or for marketing purposes.





This temporary display resonates much more deeply than a painting or advertisement on a wall as its medium is alive, moving and really cool looking!


Check out the amazing work of Dorota Buczel, a professional makeup & visual artist living in Toronto.

I recently helped organize an art gallery crawl with a nudity theme. We hired topless models whom I was given the pleasure of painting. (Or maybe they were the ones with the pleasure)

The goal was to have a solid black line across their chests to resemble the censored symbol commonly seen in music videos and in the image below.

Instead, my amateur painting skills made the censor line look more like a black bandeau top from Le Chateau. Either way, the models looked hot and the guests were happy. Very happy.

Stay tuned for more details on the art gallery crawl.

Zune vs. Ipod

The Zune player, Microsoft's version of the Apple Ipod, is probably a better product, but will it ever dominate the market and become synonymous with the name MP3 player, the way that the Ipod has? Unlikely.

The Onion, "America's Finest News Source" recently poked fun at Microsoft for trying to compete with Apple in the MP3 category, with a news story titled "Thousands Wait Overnight at Microsoft Stores for Second Generation Zune." True? No. Familiar? Yes. Reminds me of the time, not too long ago, when thousands waited in line for the Apple iPhone.

Since the birth of the Ipod, Apple products have become a way of life for the cool and hip or for people who want to feel cool and hip. In addition to the fact that Apple is arguably North America's #1 brand, the Ipod was also the first MP3 player of its kind. The Ipod has revolutionized the way we listen to music and is a leader in the market. Most consumers want the original product and not the imitation.



Contrary to the Ipod, the Zune player is black with black ear buds. It has a larger screen and weighs slightly less. Like the Ipod, it comes in different sizes with different amounts of available memory. It's extremely easy to use. You simply glide your finger up or down to scroll through the settings which include two additional features than the video & photo Ipod, those being radio and social.


The Zune is trying to create an online social community where music fans can share music with each other. One of the best features of the Zune is the ability to send a song to a fellow Zune buddy simply by pushing a button. This makes getting new music very easy and cheap. There is also a Zune shop, similar to Itunes, which offers unlimited music for only $14.99 a month. Not bad considering that the average album on Itunes costs $9.99.


The Zune also has cool accessories like the Ipod, including the ability to have a design engraved onto the back of your Zune to help customize it as you please.



So, even though consumers want to feel unique by controlling what kind of music they hear through their own playlists and engraved music players, they also want to feel connected to something larger. The Zune offers an online social community whereas the Ipod offers a membership into the Apple brand, which seems to be the more popular choice.

What should Microsoft do?

Why not give out free Zune players to people who buy Microsoft computers? This could be a limited time "back to school" offer but will not only offer incentive for students to buy PC's, it will also put the Zune in the hands of more consumers.

This idea will enhance the unique song sharing feature that makes the Zune desirable since the more friends you have with a zune, the more songs you'll get for free.

To make the product even more accessible, Microsoft should make the Zune's software compatible with Macs. Then maybe we'll start to see more of a balanced competition.

Attack Ads

Having taken a course in U.S. presidential campaigning, I've witnessed and written about countless attack ads that presidential candidates use to scare voters by resorting to the pre-school tactic of bullying. Unfortunately, since both parties are victims of this historical practice, we continue to see child-like behaviour representing the United States' future leaders.

Pathetic.

There's been a lot of controversy over the recent John McCain ad, starring none other than Paris Hilton & Britney Spears. In the video, which is shown on the YouTube bar to the right, McCain tries to make Obama look useless by claiming that he is simply a celebrity, who doesn't have the proper experience to lead a country.

There have been angry articles claiming that McCain is comparing Obama to the party queen, Paris Hilton, and that the ad stirs up racist fears of black man versus young, white, innocent women....

Woah! Talk about exaggeration. First of all, Hilton is by no means innocent.

Second, Obama is not into partying or singing over-sexualized love songs like Spears.

Third, and most relevant, Hilton & Spears are only in the video for a split second at the beginning. Their faces are shown to set the background of the video so that the viewer knows that Obama is at a large and important event where the United States' favourite people are present.

I think that this ad is actually quite clever because it catches the attention of the large demographic in the States that has no interest in political events or in commercials. Old and young, male & female, U.S. residents love gossip about Spears & Hilton. If viewers were channel surfing or zoning out during commercials, and noticed the image of one of their favourite blond bimbos, their attention would definitely be undivided for the whole duration of the 30 second commercial.

This means that they would hear and see the 5 words claiming "Higher taxes. More Foreign Oil," which translates to:

Wow that would suck. Guess I"m voting for McCain, after all the Hilton family endorses him.

Daily Haiku

the third time's a charm

according to the Irish

what about the French?

Organic Comfort Food

Sold at The Healthy Butcher, (2 locations in Toronto) this organic mac & cheese is one of the best out there.

I've eaten a lot of mac & cheese in my life and this one wins the award for interesting ingredients that don't detract from the original taste as many fancy mac & cheeses tend to do. Rather, the natural tastiness of mixing pasta with cheese is enhanced by using different smoky cheeses, organic bacon bits, caramalized onions, sun-dried tomatoes and crisp bread crumbs.

Absolutely delicious! At a reasonable price of $4.95 a portion, this mac & cheese is sure to please.

Daily Haiku

off to Montreal

Radiohead in the park

poutine late at night

The Football Factory

Heads up soccer fans, The Football Factory is on its way to downtown Toronto.

What is The Football Factory? A google search indicated that it was a 2004 film based on an award winning novel. It is also the name of a bar/restaurant opening up down the street from where I live. The space is small and looks upscale with logos of a soccer ball dipped in a martini glass.

The interesting thing about this place is that there are no other bars located right near it. Sure you can walk north or south and be on either Queen or King Street but it is rare to see a nice looking bar on Bathurst sandwiched in between tiny houses and a homeless shelter.

Also, with a name like The Football Factory, it's hard to tell what image the bar is going for. They are still renovating the space but by peering through the window it appears to be an upscale lounge. Will The Football Factory be the first high end sports bar in Toronto? Is this the start of a new niche market? As an avid sports fan and martini drinker, I think that this combo is a wonderful idea and hope that it takes off.

I'll keep you posted on further developments when I return from my vacation in Montreal.

Daily Haiku

popcorn at breakfast

better than buttery toast

saltier than eggs

Haute Chocolate

Xococava is a new upscale chocolate boutique that recently opened in the Yonge & St. Clair neighbourhood of Toronto. Xococava, (pronounced Shoco-cava) offers sweet treats courtesy of Chris McDonald, the same talented chef who owns Cava, the gourmet tapas restaurant next door.

Aside from offering such exotic and original truffles such as Black Trumpet Mushroom, Masala Chai, Chroizo and Spanish Coffee, Xococava also offers my favourite treat, ice cream!

Like the truffles, the ice cream flavours are quite tasty and imaginative. I enjoyed sampling the Honey-Canela, Chocolate Hazelnut and Mangaro Chocolate Sorbet, which was my favourite out of the three. It had a rich dark chocolate flavour that would pair well with a scoop of Espresso ice cream.

Licorice-Caramel also seemed like an interesting flavour but the Honey-Canela flavour had such an intense taste that I was concerned that the former would be too sweet. One of the helpful Chocolatiers informed me that the ratio of natural ingredients to sugar/cream/fat is much higher than other ice cream places, making their summertime treat healthier and also more true to the flavour's name.

In addition to ice cream, Xococava also features candy and desserts like black currant marshmallows, churros, biscotti, triple chocolate chunk cookies, pain au chocolat, milkshakes, heart warming "hot xocolata" and coffee.

Xococava is a reflection of our society's enhanced desire for fine desserts. From the old dingy candy store and even older Baskin Robbins that used to occupy the corner space of Delisle Court, Xococava is a huge improvement and welcome addition for those who appreciate the finer things in life.

special thanks to tasteto.com for photo #1

Daily Haiku

popcorn in my bag

leaving the movie theatre

breakfast tomorrow

A True & Crazy Story

The other night I went to go see the sneak preview of the Judd Apatow produced stoner flick, "Pineapple Express".  I was not high when I saw the film but was possibly still somewhat affected by all the marijuana in the movie because on my way home, I ended up leaving my purse on the streetcar!  YIKES!!!

What was inside my gorgeous 5 month old tanned leather purse from Roots?

* Ipod with expensive headphones

* Zune player with expensive headphones

* Nikon Digital Camera

* $200 cash 

* tanned leather wallet from M0851

* Driver's License

* Original Ontario Health Card (for those of you not from Ontario, these are irreplaceable)

* Visa & Debit Card

* Quad spinning punch card (still good for 5 more spin classes)

* Ray-Ban Aviators

* Stila lip-gloss

* Keys to my place with a Jimmy Key Keychain - also irreplaceable)

* Etc.

YIKES!

Clearly I was in dire need of a miracle or a super hero so I called my Dad.  He picked me up and we ventured over to the TTC King West Streetcar Depot, which reminded me of a deserted retirement home.  The TTC staff tried to be helpful but ultimately I was out of luck.  They suggested that I call the "lost & found" department the following day as it was getting late. Being the optimist that I am, I decided to try and get some rest and hope for the best.

I was about to call it a night when my phone rang and a guy asked for "Natalie?" in broken English.  Turns out this sketchy character had picked up my purse on the streetcar and was holding it safely for me at 105 West Lodge, the notoriously slummy apartment building in the dangerous neighbourhood of Parkdale.  

He insisted that I pick up my purse from his apartment as he had company over and didn't want to leave his guests unattended.  He was giggling at the excitement and nervousness in my voice.  

Was this some kind of joke? Why couldn't we just meet at a convenience store or other public brightly lit space?  What if this guy and his buddies were using my purse to lure me into their apartment so that they could do inappropriate things to me, shoot me, or make me take more money out of my bank account with my debit card that was in their control?

In order to get these nasty thoughts out of my head, I called upon my super hero to accompany me to the low-income, poorly built, scuzzy apartment building, where my purse was patiently waiting, hopefully unharmed.

Through muffled phone calls where I could barely make out the English language, we agreed to meet at the bus stop across from his shady apartment building.  

My Dad and I relaxed a little when we saw three young people walk towards the bus stop, with a guy in the front carrying my unscathed purse.  The man and the woman behind him were a cute couple who had just moved here from Tibet.  They spoke no English but greeted us with huge smiles.  Jan Yang, the broken English speaker who I had been conversing with, handed over my purse full of all my valued treasures mentioned in the list above.  Everything was exactly as I had left it and all the cash was still there.  

When I offered Jan Yang a monetary reward for his kindness and honesty, he looked hurt and frowned.   He explained that the act of doing what is right is a reward in itself.  True happiness comes from helping others, not from dirty cash.  He then bowed to me and my father as we drove away dazzled and amazed by how lucky I was to have had a Buddhist Tibetan find my purse on the King West streetcar.