I am a movie fanatic. I love movies. Last night st and I went to see Dreamgirls. It took us long enough since I wanted to see it when it came out, but with all the Oscar hype my desire to see it diminished daily. It finally came down to my mom, who had seen it and loved it, forcing my sister and I to go see it. I say forcing but it was far more gentle than that. She handed me 40 bucks and said "Here, I'll even pay for you to see it and get snacks too! Just go!" So we went.
Immediately I was hooked. I should insert here that while I love movies, I love musical movies even more! There isn't a musical that I prolly wouldn't get some enjoyment out of. I find that disclosing this information about myself, somehow diminishes my authority on recommending good movies to people. You lose a lot of movie cred if people know you LOVE musicals. Ah well, so be it.
Back to Dreamgirls. There is a scene mid movie with Jennifer Hudson belting out her heart and my entire body erupted into goose bumps. Chills. Complete chills. For the rest of the movie, everytime JH sang I got goose bumps. I even got them at one point when they introduced her onto the stage, just in anticipation of her singing. It was incredible.
Then of course, ST and I sang any line we could remember from the songs on the drive home. We are going to memorize and practice singing Effie's big dramatic song so that we can perform it all the time, anywhere we go - (beware JM, you know I'll be singing this one around you - especially if we watch Pitch Black again, which we won't!!).
I really liked this movie. Eddie Murphy was great. Beyonce was great. Jamie Foxx pissed me off - but he was supposed to. I have a new crush on Keith Robinson who has the best smile ever. Plus, I had a fun night out with my sister. So, thanks mom for getting us there!
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Thursday, 15 March 2007
More Tea! I'm addicted!
I went to the Bayswater Tea Co. again yesterday and bought more tea. I have been drinking rooibos every night and all of my rooibos options are fruity. I wanted something a little different for those nights when I just don't feel fruity. My mom had mentioned drinking a really nice lavender rooibos at a spa recently and I thought I'd like to try that. I walked into the shop with the intention of buying myself and my mom the lavender rooibos and then walking out. I should've known better.
I walked out with 4 new teas for myself.
Cloud 9 - lavender rooibos, smells like lavender and raspberries
Latte Macchiato - a coffee substitute, a rooibos with whole coffee beans that don't give off any caffeine
Toffee Ole - a dessert, toffee-flavoured rooibos
Cream Spice Swirl - I had this one last night with an oat fudge bar from Starbucks and it was the perfect combination. It is a spicy, caramelly smooth rooibos - delicious!
They also had an orange chocolate rooibos and mint chocolate that smelled wonderful. I am saving those for my next visit.
I have also figured out that all rooibos teas are excellent with milk.
I am seriously addicted.
I walked out with 4 new teas for myself.
Cloud 9 - lavender rooibos, smells like lavender and raspberries
Latte Macchiato - a coffee substitute, a rooibos with whole coffee beans that don't give off any caffeine
Toffee Ole - a dessert, toffee-flavoured rooibos
Cream Spice Swirl - I had this one last night with an oat fudge bar from Starbucks and it was the perfect combination. It is a spicy, caramelly smooth rooibos - delicious!
They also had an orange chocolate rooibos and mint chocolate that smelled wonderful. I am saving those for my next visit.
I have also figured out that all rooibos teas are excellent with milk.
I am seriously addicted.
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Sunday, 11 March 2007
My life is really, really great right now
More to come on this. I had a few spare minutes before going out and wanted to let the world know that I am so happy and grateful for all I have.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
Tea Heaven
I am drinking a giant mug of coconut tea right now and every sip tastes like heaven.
This past Christmas both of my sisters bought me tea from the Bayswater Tea Co. LT, also bought me a little loose leaf teapot so that I could enjoy my new teas. I have been a tea drinker most of my life and my tea routine involved a cup or two of orange pekoe in the mornings and then chamomille or decaf green tea in the evenings. All of these teas purchased mostly in bulk at the nearest Safeway.
Never again!
Now that I have been introduced to tea heaven, I will not be going back to boring old bulk orange pekoe.
My mom and I went for the first time ourselves to The Bayswater Tea Co and we had a great experience there. The owner of the shop was working and she knew everything there was to know about tea and was extremely helpful and friendly. We commented to her that there are so many teas, how do you pick one to try. She has a great system for helping you with that exact dilemma and can narrow down your options from over 100 to about 6 in minutes just by asking you questions. "Do you like spicy? citrus? fruity? creamy? Do you want decaf or caffeinated?" As you are answering these questions, she is pulling down the teas and having you smell them and helping you choose based on what you like the smell of as well.
Through this process yesterday I left with a creamy coconut black tea (heavenly), a papaya mango rooibos tea (fruity and smooth) and another rooibos named Kilamanjaro that is spicy and fruity and heavenly with a dash of milk. I also restocked one that LT had given me for my birthday that is to die for. It's called Divine Temptation and it is a creamy hazelnut and nougat tea. I actually had three cups of tea yesterday afternoon just so I could try each of the new ones that I bought.
I am going to give you the list here of what I have tried so far but everyone's tea tastes are different so you might not like what I like. It turns out I am a fan of the really bold, flavourful teas, which I didn't know before yesterday. If you are a tea drinker, I totally recommend that you visit the Bayswater Tea Co and experience tea heaven. I'll post a link at the end to the BTC.
In the black tea family
Earl Grey Provence - it is a very bold lavender tea.
Brunch Blend - this one is a nice light fruity tea, very subtle
Symphony - this one is also light and slightly fruity and subtle
Coconut - bold, coconutty and heavenly
Divine Temptation - hazelnut and nougat. This one is a very bold tea as well. It is one of their most popular blends
In the Rooibos tea family
Blue Mountain - has bits of pineapple in it and maybe lemon too. fruity, bold and delightful
Bergamot - if you have smelled bergamot before this tea tastes just like it
Papaya Mango - smooth and easy to drink. it's good with a dash of milk in it
Kilimanjaro - this one to me smells like a spa. my mom wanted to pour this one into her bath water (which apparently you can do!). It is a little spicy, floral and citrusy. It's also excellent with a dash of milk
There are different types of rooibos but I seem to like the bold and fruity ones so I haven't tried any of the others yet. The store also carries green teas, white teas, yerba mate, matcha, tea infused honeys and chocolates, teapots, mugs, and all things tea related.
It is located on Broadway at Bayswater and here is link with a bit more info like specific address, phone number and store hours.
http://www.vancouverplus.ca/home/bayswater_tea_co/1059439
Happy tea drinking!!
This past Christmas both of my sisters bought me tea from the Bayswater Tea Co. LT, also bought me a little loose leaf teapot so that I could enjoy my new teas. I have been a tea drinker most of my life and my tea routine involved a cup or two of orange pekoe in the mornings and then chamomille or decaf green tea in the evenings. All of these teas purchased mostly in bulk at the nearest Safeway.
Never again!
Now that I have been introduced to tea heaven, I will not be going back to boring old bulk orange pekoe.
My mom and I went for the first time ourselves to The Bayswater Tea Co and we had a great experience there. The owner of the shop was working and she knew everything there was to know about tea and was extremely helpful and friendly. We commented to her that there are so many teas, how do you pick one to try. She has a great system for helping you with that exact dilemma and can narrow down your options from over 100 to about 6 in minutes just by asking you questions. "Do you like spicy? citrus? fruity? creamy? Do you want decaf or caffeinated?" As you are answering these questions, she is pulling down the teas and having you smell them and helping you choose based on what you like the smell of as well.
Through this process yesterday I left with a creamy coconut black tea (heavenly), a papaya mango rooibos tea (fruity and smooth) and another rooibos named Kilamanjaro that is spicy and fruity and heavenly with a dash of milk. I also restocked one that LT had given me for my birthday that is to die for. It's called Divine Temptation and it is a creamy hazelnut and nougat tea. I actually had three cups of tea yesterday afternoon just so I could try each of the new ones that I bought.
I am going to give you the list here of what I have tried so far but everyone's tea tastes are different so you might not like what I like. It turns out I am a fan of the really bold, flavourful teas, which I didn't know before yesterday. If you are a tea drinker, I totally recommend that you visit the Bayswater Tea Co and experience tea heaven. I'll post a link at the end to the BTC.
In the black tea family
Earl Grey Provence - it is a very bold lavender tea.
Brunch Blend - this one is a nice light fruity tea, very subtle
Symphony - this one is also light and slightly fruity and subtle
Coconut - bold, coconutty and heavenly
Divine Temptation - hazelnut and nougat. This one is a very bold tea as well. It is one of their most popular blends
In the Rooibos tea family
Blue Mountain - has bits of pineapple in it and maybe lemon too. fruity, bold and delightful
Bergamot - if you have smelled bergamot before this tea tastes just like it
Papaya Mango - smooth and easy to drink. it's good with a dash of milk in it
Kilimanjaro - this one to me smells like a spa. my mom wanted to pour this one into her bath water (which apparently you can do!). It is a little spicy, floral and citrusy. It's also excellent with a dash of milk
There are different types of rooibos but I seem to like the bold and fruity ones so I haven't tried any of the others yet. The store also carries green teas, white teas, yerba mate, matcha, tea infused honeys and chocolates, teapots, mugs, and all things tea related.
It is located on Broadway at Bayswater and here is link with a bit more info like specific address, phone number and store hours.
http://www.vancouverplus.ca/home/bayswater_tea_co/1059439
Happy tea drinking!!
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
The Lives of Others / Pan's Labyrinth
I went to see The Lives of Others over the weekend and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since. Part of my motivation for going to see this movie is that it beat out Pan's Labyrinth for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. I loved Pan's Labyrinth and couldn't imagine that after it won three other oscars that it lost Best Foreign Film to another movie. I wanted to see that other movie and decide for myself if it was better than Pan's.
Equal. It is equal to Pan's Labyrinth. They are two incredibly different movies and both very beautiful in their own way.
The Lives of Others is a German movie about life in East Berlin in the mid 80's. A Stasi investigator who has been assigned to spy on a couple finds himself absorbed in their lives. That was pretty much all I knew going in and I am glad I didn't know more.
Pan's Labyrinth is a Mexican film about fascist Spain in 1944 where a young girl finds distraction from her unpleasant life in an eerie fantasy world. It wasn't what I expected going in to it and again I was glad that I didn't know more.
Both films are so much more than the plot lines that I have given here and I recommend seeing them. Pan's Labyrinth in particular needs a big screen so see it in the theatre before it goes away. It is still playing all over BC but who knows for how much longer so go see it soon!
Here is a link to where PL is playing in BC
http://www.mytelus.com/movies/theatres.do?prov=BC&movieID=66477a&title=Pan%27s%20Labyrinth
The Lives of Others is only playing downtown, North Van and Kelowna so not so easy to get to depending on where you are but this one isn't so crucial to be seen on the big screen. Although if you are anything like me you have a hard time giving all your attention to rentals. I always putter, move around and get distracted when I rent movies. It's one of the reasons I go to so many in the theatre. If there is something I really want to see, it's best if I can see it in the theatre.
Equal. It is equal to Pan's Labyrinth. They are two incredibly different movies and both very beautiful in their own way.
The Lives of Others is a German movie about life in East Berlin in the mid 80's. A Stasi investigator who has been assigned to spy on a couple finds himself absorbed in their lives. That was pretty much all I knew going in and I am glad I didn't know more.
Pan's Labyrinth is a Mexican film about fascist Spain in 1944 where a young girl finds distraction from her unpleasant life in an eerie fantasy world. It wasn't what I expected going in to it and again I was glad that I didn't know more.
Both films are so much more than the plot lines that I have given here and I recommend seeing them. Pan's Labyrinth in particular needs a big screen so see it in the theatre before it goes away. It is still playing all over BC but who knows for how much longer so go see it soon!
Here is a link to where PL is playing in BC
http://www.mytelus.com/movies/theatres.do?prov=BC&movieID=66477a&title=Pan%27s%20Labyrinth
The Lives of Others is only playing downtown, North Van and Kelowna so not so easy to get to depending on where you are but this one isn't so crucial to be seen on the big screen. Although if you are anything like me you have a hard time giving all your attention to rentals. I always putter, move around and get distracted when I rent movies. It's one of the reasons I go to so many in the theatre. If there is something I really want to see, it's best if I can see it in the theatre.
Friday, 2 March 2007
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Oh the weather outside is frightful. Ok it's not really that bad. But it is March 2nd and snowing. This doesn't happen often in Vancouver.
Remember when global warming used to be called The Greenhouse Effect? At least I think it's the same thing. Everything I know about the greenhouse effect, I learned from an Archie comic. Dilton was trying to teach the gang to be environmentally conscious in the early 90's. Actually most things I know I learned from Archie comics. That Dilton imparted a lot of knowledge on me. I think I am such an avid reader of anything and everything now because of my Archie history. I read all things Archie obsessively while I was growing up.
So they are changing the look of the gang. Well Betty and Veronica at least, but I can't imagine that they'd change B&V and not the rest of the gang. They are making them look more like real people and I'm not a fan of the new look. I have to remind myself though that they have changed Betty and Veronica a few times over the years and while the current B&V are my favourite, I do like seeing the old ones once in a while. So I guess the next generation of Archie fans will feel the same way about the new B&V.
If you are curious to see Betty & Veronica's new look, I have attached the link here so you can check it out.
http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/667.htm
I also discovered that Betty and Veronica have blogs as well (of course - who doesn't). If you have any desire to check those out, you can find them at... http://archiecomicblogs.typepad.com/bettys_blog/ http://archiecomicblogs.typepad.com/veronicas_blog/
...oh and they are denying that there is a makeover at all.
Well, I am off to work.
Peace and love
kt
Remember when global warming used to be called The Greenhouse Effect? At least I think it's the same thing. Everything I know about the greenhouse effect, I learned from an Archie comic. Dilton was trying to teach the gang to be environmentally conscious in the early 90's. Actually most things I know I learned from Archie comics. That Dilton imparted a lot of knowledge on me. I think I am such an avid reader of anything and everything now because of my Archie history. I read all things Archie obsessively while I was growing up.
So they are changing the look of the gang. Well Betty and Veronica at least, but I can't imagine that they'd change B&V and not the rest of the gang. They are making them look more like real people and I'm not a fan of the new look. I have to remind myself though that they have changed Betty and Veronica a few times over the years and while the current B&V are my favourite, I do like seeing the old ones once in a while. So I guess the next generation of Archie fans will feel the same way about the new B&V.
If you are curious to see Betty & Veronica's new look, I have attached the link here so you can check it out.
http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/667.htm
I also discovered that Betty and Veronica have blogs as well (of course - who doesn't). If you have any desire to check those out, you can find them at... http://archiecomicblogs.typepad.com/bettys_blog/ http://archiecomicblogs.typepad.com/veronicas_blog/
...oh and they are denying that there is a makeover at all.
Well, I am off to work.
Peace and love
kt
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