Keira-anne.com

For a small(ish) community, the Comox Valley has a wide range of diverse restaurants to cater to all tastes and preferences. It’s been eight years since Tita’s Mexican Restaurant [website] opened its doors 536 6th Street, but it was only Friday evening that my mom and I managed to get there for our first visit.

We were both instantly impressed with the authentic charm Tita’s exudes even before you set foot on the property. One of Courtenay’s older homes was splashed with a fresh coat of yellow paint to allow it to stand out amidst a lush, green and tropical-inspired garden; the front steps to the door are dotted by a black olive bush.

The food is, undoubtedly, authentic Mexican cuisine with a wide-ranging menu including everything from standard fare such as burritos and nachos to more traditional eats such as Taquitos de Pollo and this girl’s favourite, Molé con Pollo. I washed down the complimentary handmade tortilla chip starter with a lime margarita on the rocks - the only way to have it.

Obviously I had to check out the bathrooms. I also checked myself out in the bathroom. And it was at that moment that our waitress came in - presumably to relieve herself - to find me snapping photos of yours truly in the bathroom mirror. Awwwwkwarrrrrrrd.

And speaking of, I couldn’t quite figure our waitress out. Sometimes I thought she was nice, and sometimes I thought maybe a bit sour. However, it’s safe to say, generally speaking, that one can no longer expect service that is above and beyond in the food service industry anymore.

Much of their fare is organic, local and most certainly fresh, and overall, Tita’s was a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. Being that I have an incredible love for all foods Mexican, it won’t be long before I return to sample something different off the menu.

My best friend has a virtual library of DVDs, and so on my frequent trips to the Island, I raid his shelves for flicks to watch on the ferry. This weekend I selected the Mel Gibson-helmed “Apocalypto” for my viewing pleasure. I won’t review it except to say that it was phenomenal and beautiful and the best movie I’ve seen in a long, long time. If you haven’t watched it yet, rent it.

Photo: Buena Vista Entertainment/Touchstone/Disney

Okay but here’s the problem. The movie is rated 18A for numerous human sacrifices, murders, stabbings, throat-slitting, beatings and impaling, but I didn’t bat an eyelash at any of that. There were also two instances that involved animals: in one, the impaling of a tapir (similar to an anteater); and the other, the senseless beating of a jaguar. The distress of watching those scenes caused me to turn away.

Am I just totally screwed up that animals being murdered is more bothersome to me than human beings?

“It’s just this weather…the rain and the clouds,” is what you’ll tell me.

No, save it. It’s not the weather, the rain or the clouds. The truth is, I love this weather. I was born and raised on the wet west coast and have never once complained about our climate. After all, we do live in a rain forest.

Original Photo: Rachel Turley on Flickr

I have long felt that Fall is the most colourful, texturized and tangible season. It is a complete sensory experience; between the vibrant colours, contrast between warm breath and cool evening air, the scent of fresh rain on concrete, the taste of hot herbal tea on the tongue and the feel of everything altogether on one’s skin. It is simple beauty.

While most would name Spring as the season of hope, to me it is Fall that - quite literally - signifies turning over new leaves. Or, at the very least, shedding the withered ones. I am desperate for change; this seems to be a sentiment that is going around.

I have phenomenal friends, a fantastic family, a job that pays the bills, a really sweet apartment that keeps me warm and dry (though is running desperately low on closet space as of late) and a whole host of other things for which I am thankful.

Sometimes, however, the same things can get awfully tired after a while. I walk the same streets to the same office tower and sit in the same chair every day. I buy virtually the same food items each week from the same grocery store. Every morning I get the same coffee and cookie (and just yesterday realized I spend probably $30 per month on ginger molasses cookies alone!). I have lived within the same walls for more than four years now.

I don’t feel as though this need springs out of any significant event in my life or feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. However, the truth is that my life has become encrusted with an overall sentiment of stagnant. So what gives?

Any woman who has lived in downtown Vancouver for any significant period of time knows how hard it can be to meet other like-minded women in this city. I am in the midst of my fifth year here and have only just recently began to expand my circle of girlfriends in the last year or two, and even so it has been in a rather traditional fashion. The four women I spend the majority of my time with are women I met either through blogging or though mutual friends.

But what about unconventional means? What about the girl date? And further, do girls date?

Case in point: each morning I get my four-shot Americano from the same Starbucks location. If anything, it’s a brief respite from the beginning of another (torturous) day at the office. The staff there are always fantastic and know me by name, drink and the occasional ginger molasses cookie. There is one girl there in particular, however, that I tend to spend much time in conversation with.

We chat about men, about hair, about weekend plans and anything else random that comes up. The reality is that we seem like very similar girls in a lot of ways and for whatever reason, I get the sense that she’s one of the rare few I could get along with.

Finding girlfriends is hard enough, so letting a potential one slip by could be considered wasteful. Dilemma: I want to go on a girl date with her and dip my toes in the waters of friendship, but is that beyond the boundaries of even the unconventional? Do men randomly ask each other to shoot hoops or “grab a beer sometime” without crossing into comfort zones?

Your thoughts, please.

With a little over two weeks until the SPCA’s Paws For A Cause, excitement is certainly building! Our fundraising efforts have been met with an overwhelming response and I, for one, am incredibly grateful for the generosity and encouraging words of support. Being that so many of you have chosen to give to the animals, I would like to give something back.

Amongst those who have made contributions of more than $20, I will be raffling off a $50 gift card to the shop of the winner’s choice (Future Shop? Home Depot? Urban Outfitters?). In addition, MatthewGood.org’s very own accomplished photographer, Duane Storey, is giving away an 8″x10″ print of one of his phenomenal HDR photos snapped in and around Vancouver. A couple examples are seen below; more of his HDR work can be viewed here.

Photo: Duane Storey on Flickr

Photo: Duane Storey on Flickr

If you would like to donate to the SPCA’s Paws For A Cause and support Benji, Casey, Pete and Bella as they march for their furry friends, visit the donation page here.

To learn how your dollars can make a difference, visit the SPCA’s Paws For A Cause website.

Thanks again!

Originally posted here.

I’m a quality girl, I enjoy quality products. I have long been a firm believer in the idea that you get what you pay for. I won’t shell out a lot of cash for things like flip flops, socks and even sometimes panties (those H&M booty shorts are 3 for $10 and super cute). Then there are those items which deserve more than a few pennies tossed their way. For this girl, jeans, hair care and skin care rank in the top three.

I’ve been a consistent user of Bumble & bumble. for a few years now, and never bat an eyelash at the price tag. Sure it’s pricier than your average drugstore brands of hair care, but the results are worth it. It’s as simple as that. Duh.

A few months ago I received a suspicious text message from Becky during one of her south-of-the-border shopping trips. She was shopping at everyone’s favourite “fun find” store, Target, and spotted my beloved Bb. on the shelves. “Hmmm…” I thought to myself. Something wasn’t right, if only because I knew how exclusively Bb. sold their products.

Then again this morning, Jenny mentioned that she saw a few of Bb.’s products in the London Drugs on Davie Street. Naturally, I marched straight there to see the proof in the pudding. And there it was…a few bottles from their Seaweed, Alojoba and Creme de Coco collections.

I thought that Bb. products are only sold in salons, but I saw them in a drugstore, what gives?
We only sell our products through the Bb. Network which is comprised of exclusive salons and apothecaries throughout the world. We have no relationship with any mass market chains and none is authorized to sell Bb. products (and we hate it when they do). The only way to guarantee the efficacy of our products (so you know they’re the real deal) is to buy them from a member of our Network ( see Salon Locator ) or directly from Bumble and bumble. [source]

It was never my intent to dive into a diatribe on retailers who illegally sell products in their stores, but my point is that it’s completely important to have a bit of awareness as a consumer. This morning, as I unscrewed the caps from the “Bb.” I found at London Drugs, my nose was instantly invaded with a sharp stinging sensation - clue no. 1 that it wasn’t a genuine Bb. product. Major retailers, such as London Drugs and Target, are known to carry products obtained through a third party distributor, and the products themselves are often diluted or altered in an attempt to save money. In fact, when Jenny went to New York to attend the actual Bb. academy, she spotted Bb. products in corner stores around Manhattan.

How can you be more aware and support ethical consumerism? Here’s some easy steps:

1. Smell the Product. As I mentioned, the stuff spotted this morning smelled markedly different than genuine Bb. products.

2. Check Your Surroundings. I picked up my favourite perfume a few months back, knowing not many would have it since not even the Bay nor Sears carried it. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a stack of Marc Jacobs gift sets in Courtenay at the Shopper’s Drug Mart. Not only were there just a few available, the fragrance wasn’t available in an individual bottle. If a store genuinely carries a name, such as Marc Jacobs (which SDM doesn’t), a variety of that product will be available.

3. Look At the Label. The first thing I noticed about this morning’s “Bb.” discovery was the bottle of Seaweed. The design had been manipulated and looked nothing like those found in salons.

4. Check the Website. Most major brands are aware of their products being sold on the black market to third parties who then pass them on to chain stores. Usually you can find a disclaimer on any given website verifying this, and also informing you where you can legitimately purchase a product.

5. If It Seems To Good to Be True… it probably is. That DC hoodie you purchased for $20 at Army & Navy probably shouldn’t have been on the rack in the first place.

Okay, okay, so I know I haven’t exactly been acting like much of a blogger this week. I haven’t posted in two days and even then it was only a video clip, so even I can admit that was a half-assed attempt. Work has been a hellish gong show for me over the last two days. On Wednesday after work, I sat on the floor of the shower, letting it run over me for 20 minutes, pretending I was sitting in a summer rain shower on Chesterman beach, not unlike the last time I was there. It actually worked.

However, now it’s Friday and my hell days allowed me to accrue enough overtime hours to stay at home today. Because my brain is essentially fried after completing 110 pages of written submissions, here’s a Friday link fest for you.

Photo: iheartsharts on Flickr

Enough said.

…I used to be in Hanson and dress like Matthew McConaughey.

While I admittedly know very little about the ins and outs of the history of modern music, one thing that I do know is that the 80s rock/new wave/techno behemoth New Order was once known as Joy Division. In 1976 in the sleepy industrial city of Manchester, England, four men brought a new sound that, to this day, is still replicated by scores of 21st century bands. The film “Control” chronicles the short years over which Joy Division rose to fame amidst the obscurity that was frontman Ian Curtis’s life.

Photo: Momentum/The Weinstein Company

Based on the memoir Touching From A Distance, penned by Curtis’s wife Deborah Curtis, the audience is presented with a picture of a young man whose aspirtations of singing on stage came from teenage years filled with David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” and the Sex Pistols. At a very young age, Ian Curtis meets Debbie, the woman who’s dating his best friend but manages to fall in love with Ian nonetheless. In the years after their teenage marriage, everything else seems to happen so quickly, from finding a home, having a baby, starting a band, signing to a label, Ian’s love affair with a young Belgian woman named Annik and a diagnosis of epilepsy.

Soon it becomes very apparent where the film gets its name from, as control is something Curtis quickly loses sight of. At the age of 23 and on the eve of Joy Division’s first American tour, Ian Curtis committed suicide. “Control” is a poignant picture, filled with moments that are both genuine and heartwrenching. To be quite honest, some of what I saw was quite difficult to absorb, particularly the duality of Curtis’s life.

“Control” was simply a black and white story with none of the glitz or glamour normally seen in rock movies. It’s been several years since I’ve seen a British film that was so rich in account while also vacant in terms of what I was presented with visually. I believe that the last film to have this kind of cinematic impact on me was 1996’s “Trainspotting.” Another crown in the jewel of the movie is that, in all scenes in which Joy Division plays live, the actors themselves actually performed the tracks.

“Control” has been labelled as the “the coolest British movie of 2007,” and it comes to me as no surprise why.

Official Website