At 7pm the doors opened to the Kobayashi Hall, the screen and the risers were set up for the movie.  Two Subaru cars were placed in the front as well.  The hall was surprisingly nicely set up.  The movie I saw was titled “Kakera: A Piece of Our Life”.  It is around a university student (girl) who meets a young lady who tells her that she’s not interested in women but is interested in certain people.  The young lady is a lesbian while the university student has lost her way with having a boyfriend who is the stereotypical Japanese man and is curious with her sexuality.  All of my friends did not enjoy the movie.  The lesbian was desperately in love with a straight girl trying to convert her and was acting like a stalker.  The university girl was quite confused like a high school teenager.  The movie was slow paced.  This is a low budget film and the actors were all wearing the same clothes every single day.  Some of my comments from my friends were “I want 2 hours of my life back!” “Is that why they served alcoholic beverages?” “If that is the best movie of the festival I don’t want to see another”.  Although the movie was not the best I would recommend supporting up and coming directors and film makers. 

At the end of the movie the director of the movie Momoko Ando flew in from Japan and she spoke to us about the movie and she also had a question and answer period.  She also talked about James Iha (previously in the band The Smashing Pumpkins) was in charge of the music in the movie. 

For a free night of 2 alcoholic beverages and some appetizers, well worth it if you have nothing to do.

A) I refuse to buy a inkjet where I will be wasting all my money on ink

B) I need to make beautiful posters/printouts for my classroom

This colour printer is the best investment I have made since I have started teaching.  One major flaw was that when I went to buy it at bestbuy the store clerk had to go get a big guy to help us get it down and when I got to my car it wouldn’t fit!!!  Yes it didn’t fit in my trunk, front seat or back seat by a mere 1-2 cm.  I had to take it apart in the parking lot since bestbuy already closed by the time I tried to figure out how I was going to get the printer home.  After opening the box I noticed that the company could have done a better job at creating a box that would fit into a “regular” sized vehicle.  So the downfall of the printer is it’s size and how heavy it is.  I couldn’t lift it myself.  Overall I am very happy with my purchase.

Portugese Tart

A local specialty is the fried pork on a bun. You will have to eat outdoors in the hot sun but it’s worth it. Remember to bring your own tissues and wet naps.

Fried pork bun

Along some of the smaller streets you will also find many dried meat and specialty cookie stores. If you stroll in you are bound to try and purchase a goodie to take home.

I also had some crab congee but it wasn’t as tasty as I expected it to be.

We decided to have dinner at Madera located in the shopping mall of the Venetian. I tried the Black Chicken and it was interested but nothing special.

For Luminato’s closing weekend special event Cirque du Soleil will be performing 30 mintue shows at the Harbourfront Centre.  

This week CrazyChiquita was able to make her way down to the harbourfront centre with her students to make clay masks and prints and was able to see the Cirque du Soleil practicing for the 30 min free show starting June 12-14.  CrazyChiquita will be heading down to watch the event this weekend.

The store

Slab Ice creamery recently opened in Thornhill right across from the Promenade. They use the same concept as Coldstone Creamery without the chanting and singing. You can create your own ice cream by choosing a flavor, and many toppings (CrazyChiquita later learned that you can have more than 1 flavor of ice cream!). The ice cream and toppings are placed on a cold marble stone and mixed infront of your eyes!

Making ice cream

mixing the toppings

Marble Slab did not have as many toppings as Coldstone did but they seem to be adding more toppings everyday. CrazyChiquita’s friend was going to choose Egg Nog Ice Cream but when it came to ordering we found out that they do not have all the ice cream flavors that are listed on the menu.

You may want to go take a look at the flavors they offer instead of choosing from the menu. CrazyChiquita ended up getting the White Chocolate Ice Cream with strawberries, coffee crisp, pecans and skor. 4 toppings may have a bit too much.

Weighing the ice cream

For some reason Marble Slab did not taste as good as coldstone. Coldstone also seemed a bit cleaner and professional when they were making the ice cream. Lastly, Coldstone is definitely more entertaining since the servers sing songs for you while they make your ice cream or give them tip.

Canada will have to wait for Coldstone to come to but in the meantime Marble Slab is worth a try especially for ice cream lovers!

The ice cream

Here is the back end of the book:

What if things had worked out a little differently for Cinderella? What if the evil stepmom wasn”t exactly horrible and the step sisters weren”t entirely evil? If all those things were true, would there still be a prince who falls for the lonely and sad maiden? For Lucy, the answer seems to be a resounding. No. When her father remarries, Lucy’’s old life is turned upside down. She moves from her West Coast home to a suburb on Long Island and feels like a total outcast. With no friends in her future, a blank social calendar, and a huge crush on the prince of the varsity basketball team, Lucy’’s life doesn”t seem to have the makings of ” happily ever after. ” But Lucy soon finds out that happy endings do happen-just not scripted as she had planned.

The second book is Fashion Kitty vs. the Fashion Queen:

After her last adventure, Fashion Kitty is truly becoming a hero. At school, she is more popular than ever. She’’s even been mentioned in several articles in the local newspaper, (which she clips out and saves in a scrapbook, of course). But not everyone is excited about Fashion Kitty’’s newfound popularity. A spoiled new kitty named Cassandra doesn”t like sharing the spotlight. And when Fashion Kitty starts inspiring the other kitties at school to be more independent about their style choices, Cassandra really doesn”t like it. So she hatches a plan (evil, of course) that involves lying, conniving, and outlawing bright colors and patterns. Fashion Kitty knows she must put an end to Cassandra’’s reign of terror. She will use her fashion sense, quick smarts, and the power of friendship to overcome fashion evil!

I think the graphic comics are quite cute and entertaining! If CrazyDiva was a superhero I think she would definately be Fashion Kitty!

Let me know if it sheds a tear or makes you think. Enjoy=)

http://www.pattishomepage.com/read/teddy.htm

Crazy Chiquita has gone from free coffee to 31 cent ice cream! On Wednesday, April 29th from 5pm to 10pm Baskin Robbins is selling ice cream for 31 cents. They will be supporting the local firefighters (who wouldn’t want to support the sexy firefighters?).

CrazyChiquita remember Baskin Robbins used to give out free ice cream once a year but she thinks it’s great idea to support a cause. The only concern is that there will be a lot of people. When CrazyChiquita used to go during the free ice cream days there were massive line ups and there was no time limit of 5-10pm.

On another note CrazyPyxo would be super duper happy to hear that Baskiin Robbins has started to sell Sof Serve Ice cream and “it’s a steal” “it’s a deal!”. It’s only 98 cents until May 24th! CrazyChiquita has to try it to compare with DQ and McDonalds! Time for CrazyPyxo and CrazyChiquita to go on a soft serve ice cream run!

CrazyChiquita’s gavourite ice cream? I vote for cookies and cream (classic favourite)! Hopefully it’s a beautiful day for ice cream on the 29th! Visit www.baskinrobbins.ca to find out the nearest location for you!

McDonalds is trying to salvage their customers by offering free coffee until May 1st. I heard this on the radio this morning and I think it’s only during breakfast hours. During this time of recession many Starbucks in Canada are closing down as well as a decline in sales for Tim Hortons. I guess all I can say is that take advantage of this free stuff! Although i don’t think I will be running to McDonalds for a cup of coffee in the morning.

You may spot CrazyChiquita in Starbucks tomorrow with her Sakura Tumbler that was purchased in Japan =) She has a long day with meetings before school and after school tomorrow and may need a dose of caffeine.

CrazyChiquita has found a place where “everybody knows your name” and it’s not a bar but a coffee shop. It’s not as stylish as Starbucks, comfy as Second Cup, or busy and run down like a donut shop like Tim Hortons. It’s neighbours cofee at a Petro Canada gas station. Yes it is at a gas station however, it is chic super large convenience store with a coffee shop/deli attached to it. They have high quality beans for the coffee, tasty lattes as well as fresh sandwiches made when ordered.

Just the other day Crazychiqutia was talking to her friend who loves to eat and find new places. As she spoke of this place her friend said “My dad said that the coffee there was better than Tim Hortons!”. I have never tried coffee there but they have a selection of brewed coffee. I usually get the lattes there. When you order you need to place your order on the touch screen and then pay first, then you go pick up your drink. On the touch screen panel you can choose the different flavour shots, type of milk you want and personalize it the way you want it.

Neighbours coffee

Not only does this place serve great drinks but the workers there are very friendly. My third time going there the guy who works there offered me a free hashbrown. Other times I have gone he poured my cup until it was almost over flowing and told me he wanted me to get the most for my money. My coworker had introduced me to this coffee shop and she also gets the same type of service from the workers. There’s also a girl who works there who is very friendly as well and always small talks with you. Today the guy upgraded my medium latte to a large free of charge (mind you this was the drive thru). I don’t necessarily need all that extra caffeine or fat in me but just knowing that people are friendly and care about you makes your day! Why can’t all coffee shops have happy workers?

This is the neighbours at Hwy 7 and Kennedy (south west corner). Give it a try =)