Browsing Tag

shopping

Is the iWood Laptop Wish List Worthy?

Now that Thanksgiving is over and Halloween costumes have (hopefully) already been picked out, it’s time to go shopping for gifts for the holiday season before the malls hit maximum capacity. 

For the youngsters on your list, you may want to consider buying an iWood laptop. Well, ‘laptop’ may not accurately reflect its true product description, but it sure looks like one. In the place of an LCD screen is a chalkboard and instead of a trackpad in the ‘keyboard’ area, there is a compartment to store pieces of chalk.

Chalkboards can offer a nice, creative aesthetic when aiming for laid back, eclectic or unique decor, so it only makes sense to let kids partake in the fun. Eight years old may be too young to appreciate owning an iPad, but for less than $60, the iWood laptop makes a great gift idea!

October 20, 2011 by

Nuit Blanche

When I’m at school in London, I long for exploring Toronto’s sprawling downtown core, whether it is for shopping, dining or entertainment. Hence, when I went home I was elated to finally experience Nuit Blanche.

After returning home from a shopping excursion over the border, I refuelled with my second Starbucks pumpkin spice latte of the day, this time with an extra shot of espresso. I refused to let a lack of sleep put a damper on participating in one of Toronto’s largest cultural events.

Once my friend and I exited Dundas subway station, we were confronted with food trucks selling cotton candy and corn on the cob, which immediately brought back memories of The Ex. Though I was familiar with my surroundings, Toronto’s downtown atmosphere had been completely transformed into an artsy extravaganza. There were at least three couples square dancing in the street, friends posing for photos all over the place, and street performers galore.

Tweets from friends and overall hype about Nuit Blanche assured me that there were exciting surprises and attractions to come. More importantly, I’m thankful that I skimmed the Twitter stream on the official event website because I’m grateful to whoever recommended wearing gloves! Boy, did they come in handy. Pun intended. I wish I’d twitpic’d and captured it on camera when I walked by a convenience store with a storefront sign that read, “Ice Sold Here” because that was the last thing anyone wanted when they’d pulled out winter jackets (or hoped that they did) for the first time since March or April.

My three favourite exhibits were Honey, I’m Home, inspired by 90’s sitcoms; Observer FX, a multimedia installation that offered commentary about surveillance; and McLuhan’s Massage Parlour, inspired by Marshall McLuhan’s work.

If you’re looking for Nuit Blanche GIFs to share on your Tumblr page or forward to co-workers, The Grid has you covered. I’ll admit that as I reviewed the GIFs, a couple of the male artists closely resembled male artists I’d seen at other exhibits – it must be because they fit the Queen West [West] stereotypical hipster mould.

This techie would be an exception however; he seemed like a cool guy:

Special thanks to She Does the City and Notable for their lists of recommended exhibits! Including the location of each was much appreciated while planning my night out. Unfortunately the Nuit Blanche BlackBerry app is incompatible with my temporary loaner phone, but I managed to navigate the downtown core without difficulties. The truth is that when it’s so cold outside, you don’t want to be taking your gloves off to use your phone, so I did minimal live tweeting.

October 12, 2011 by

Let’s Go To The Ex!

I haven’t been to The Ex in about five years, so I was excited to return and take advantage of working within such close proximity to the CNE grounds. From concerts and performances to midway games and small roller coasters, the CNE has something for everyone.

Some game operators were quite aggressive in trying to entice festival-goers to play coin toss, but they always greeted passersby with a smile (unless texting on the job was keeping them distracted, that is).

Speaking of salesmen, one sales associate in the Direct Energy Centre implied that there may be haggling opportunities for visitors to take advantage of. Pointing to the price sticker, I asked if that was the correct price, to which he responded, “Back home, we have a sign in the store that says you get it cheaper based on how much you smile,” and added that flashing my pearly whites granted me a $20 discount. Smooth.

I didn’t make it to The Taste of the Danforth this year, where I’ve enjoyed a candy apple for the last few summers, so I carried on this tradition tonight instead. The red sauce melted instantly and dripped all over my hands, making me feel like a somewhat sloppy middle schooler who could star in a TV ad for Wet Ones. Nevertheless, it was a healthier alternative to the abundant deep fried item on sale at kiosks throughout the Food Building. Perhaps next year I’ll discover what a deep fried pickle tastes like.

The Ex continues until the end of Labour Day weekend and is a worthwhile summer outing for Torontonians and tourists alike. I suggest bringing a bag in which to carry your prizes to avoid schlepping an oversized bumble bee or stuffed blue Smurf doll on the way home.

August 24, 2011 by

Interior Design With A Twist: #exhibitIKEA

As the city gears up to host the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, much of the commotion on King St. right now is focused on what’s happening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Everyone’s favourite Swedish home store, IKEA, managed to create some buzz of its own however, by launching a pop up art exhibit at the corner of King and John St.

IKEA recruited four of Canada’s top artists for event: Thrush Holmes, Bruno Billio, David Dixon, and George Whiteside, each of whom drew inspiration from IKEA’s furnishings and decorative items to create installations. Thrush Holmes brought an interesting perspective to IKEA’s product offerings that require self assembly by emphasizing that their packaging can inaccurately reflect their quality. His liberal neon-coloured paint strokes on a cardboard makeshift shack portray his clever insight into IKEA’s business model by relating it to a “don’t judge a book by its cover” message.

IKEA may be a top destination for cash strapped students and newlyweds, but all of their items can be contextualized by creatively integrating them into a home and adding personal touches, as the artists proved at the exhibit by adding personal items to create a homey vibe.

exhibitIKEA had a much more welcoming atmosphere than typical art galleries, thus making it a worthwhile attraction for Torontonians who opted to stay in town rather than escape to cottage country. Without their uniforms, the IKEA sales associates seemed friendlier than usual, although perhaps that’s because there weren’t shoppers bombarding them with questions about measurements, pricing or shipping arrangements.

Installation by George Whiteside, fashion and portrait photographer

Pop up events require a great deal of planning in order to ensure that visitors will be pleased to visit and the brand’s objectives are met. A live Twitter feed of tweets featuring the #exhibitIKEA hashtag, which was promoted on black business cards distributed to visitors, was streamed to four flat screen monitors next to the stacked chairs in the centre of the venue, without sacrificing the atmosphere. IKEA is a modern brand indeed and this live feed was an effective tactic for digital integration that successfully encouraged visitors to spread the word about the event. I initially thought that the screens were showing a collection of tweets from Thursday’s launch party, until I saw that two of my own musings were already on the screen. The sales associates didn’t expect it to be so up to date either, but sure enough, comments by @missprincen were posted shortly after I hit enter on my BlackBerry.

Great job, IKEA. Surprise us again next year?

August 22, 2011 by

RT @muchmusic has a new #trending TV show.

MuchMusic is continually increasing their social media presence, such as by making their New Music Live (NML) show a trending topic in itself this past week. With their latest show, #trending, now on the air, Shit My Dad Says is less distinguishable as a Twitter-inspired TV show.

The pink graphics on the show’s webpage explicate that it’s a show geared primarily towards female fashionistas who admire MIT grad Liz Trinnear’s style. During her first “shopping haul” segment, Liz shares some great fashion finds with viewers, such as tie-dye tights and jewellery.

Their new show also has an interactive component, wherein they invite viewers to submit their own 5 minute-long videos about what’s trending in fashion and beauty.

#trending reminds me of other local shows that tell viewers about new places to find the coolest knick-knack or accessory, so I’m curious to see how MuchMusic maintains interest on a national scale.

February 4, 2011 by