1. Advertising: Guinness Wheelchairs Basketball Commercial

Finally a new perspective from a beer commercial!

Business Insider summarizes it best: “Guinness distinguishes itself from its competitors by aligning its product with a brand of masculinity that has long been absent from beer advertising”.  Read more, here.

2. Lifestyle: Vinyl Records

A friend of mine recently inherited a stash of old-school records on vinyl and it got me thinking…..Vinyl records are something that I used to associate with my mum who would regularly play her favourite bands on an old-school turn-table. It wasn’t something that I considered to be particularly “cool” but I’ve recently learned the error of my ways (or thoughts).

When CD’s came onto the market, I was still fairly young.  I thought that vinyl was bulky, heavy and out-dated and never really took the time to fully appreciate the quality of the sound (compared to CD’s). Even the best music downloads today pale in comparison with listening to your favourite band or album on vinyl.

Luckily, it seems that everything old, is new again.

Unlike CD’s, Vinyl seems to be (re)gaining popularity and with new digital technology that further enhances the quality of the sound – it’s not really hard to see why.

I recently found this record We Are The Tide by Blind Pilot –  If you’ve never heard of them before – I would highly recommend that you check them out!

Toronto offers a number of great options for buying vinyl records (and players) but my favourite, by far is Sonic Boom. With two locations (Kensington Market & The Annex) in the city, you won’t have to go far to find your next favourite record.

3. Food & Drink: “Movie Night” by David’s Tea

Yes, this is exactly as it sounds.

I was recently talking  with a friend about some of the things that I miss from the UK. Aside from the obvious ones (friends and family – which are not as easy to find good substitutes for) we got onto the subject of chocolate and tea. Although I’ve been living in Canada for about 18 months and have happily embraced the “coffee culture” that is so prevalent on this side of the pond – I still believe that you cannot beat a good cup of tea.

I’m used to the more traditional teas like English Breakfast and Earl Grey, but with a little persuasion I was tempted into trying something new. And so my induction into to the world of David’s Tea began.

My friend had already established that I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so she recommended that I try “Movie Night”  a tea that smells and tastes just like a night at the movies – complete with caramel and real popcorn pieces; all packaged up with zero calories to boot. RESULT!

It is amazing and I am totally hooked.