Just a Taste: Taj Mahal

Location

The Taj Mahal can be found on 157 2nd Avenue North beside Cupcake Conspiracy and across the street from the Fiat dealership.

Environment

I went during lunch time where they allow you to order from their menu or miniature buffet. It was quite busy, I figured it was because of it being a Friday because I know they aren't usually busy during their lunch period. The buffet can be eaten from 12-1:30 pm. The restaurant is constantly dim and could make a good restaurant for a date. The service is friendly but understaffed. I find them to be quite slow with food and don't come around when they are needed.

Menu

The menu offers food for meat lovers or traditional vegetarians. The buffet offered rice, fritters (Indian styled fries), four different type of curries, naan bread and rice pudding for dessert.

Food

Today I went with the lunch buffet. The food had a very nice taste, but lacked spice in my opinion. Because the restaurant was so busy, the buffet always had fresh food. But the problem was that it either had fresh food or no food. Many customers had to wait in a line for the buffet to be re-filled. Naan bread on the other hand was served by the waiters in abundance and thank you for that.

Conclusion
This place is definitely worth trying, I'd recommend you to go for lunch. The servers are very friendly and do try to make you experience a great one. Now I just feel like I need to try more Indian restaurants to square them off with each other.

Yours Truly 

Just a Taste: Cora's

Cora's just opened today. I haven't physically been to this location but I tried this restaurant for the first time in the Summer. I have been excited for Saskatoon to get a Cora's since I found out. Cora's is a breakfast restaurant that opens early in the morning and closes down in the afternoon. They strive to serve gourmet and healthy breakfast and lunch.

Location
Cora's is located at 1718 Preston Avenue (Preston Crossing).

Environment
The restaurant seems like it is meant for a younger audience. The fonts and menus make it looks like a children's restaurant but don't let that turn you off. If the service was anything like it was in Edmonton, the servers are polite and fun.

Menu
Like mentioned previously, Cora's serves breakfast and lunch dishes. They offer meals like crepes, omelettes, waffles, paninis and skillets.

Food
I went with the crepomelette. It's a crepe with a western cheddar omelette inside of it, covered in a Hollandaise sauce. It was served with a bowl of fresh fruit and toast. I have never ordered anything like this, it was delicious and very filling.

Conclusion
Cora's is a great new option to go out for breakfast. Whether it's an early or late breakfast, it's something worth trying. I know I have to get myself out to this new Cora's.

Yours Truly

Photo: Train Bridge

Taking pictures in winter is honestly the worst.  Either you wear gloves which doesn't allow you to use your camera properly or you don't wear gloves and freeze your hands off.  Saskatchewan winters make it easy to complain.  But on those seemingly rare days where the sun makes an appearance, you have to take advantage and get outside.

This shot was taken on top of the train bridge which is almost on top of the weir (which you can see on the right side).  Heights are not my favourite thing in the world but the view from up there is pretty great.  For the number of times I've gone up the train bridge, I've never been able to experience a train actually using it at the same time.  I have friends from out of town who have shared the bridge with a train many times and say its a pretty terrifying experience.  I also have friends who enjoyed throwing flaming garbage cans, TVs and whatnot off the train bridge when they were in high school.... Needless to say this photo is pretty bleak in comparison but if you have some good stories from this Saskatoon landmark, throw us a comment!

E

YXE: WakeUp Apparel

How was the name “WakeUp” chosen?

I got the idea while driving back from the lake last Summer. I was bouncing around ideas with Malerie. I wanted to do something that makes a difference while selling clothing to create awareness. Initially, “Wake” was chosen because of water sports and “up” was chosen to get people up and active. But when I put more thought into it, I really wanted to integrate the ideology of “waking up” and being aware that we take a lot of our great times for granted and there are youth out there that experience none of it especially the lake life. The Canadian Summer is the best season of the year and we want to share that with youth who don’t have the opportunity to experience it.

What does your business do?

WakeUp Apparel is a non-profit organization. There are two aspects to the business. First is the apparel side, sales of clothing stay within the organization to go towards camps and the shirts are only the beginning of a full apparel line. The brand is to be run like a regular clothing company.

The second part of the business is the operation of day-long wakeboard and youth development camps. The wake camps provide youth who do not have the opportunity to get out and experience the things we get such as going on a boat, hanging out with friends and hanging out at the beach. The camp teaches kids how to wakeboard or water ski and maybe wakesurf. The camps will also provide the youth with leadership and goal-setting skills to empower them make positive life choices.

Who it benefits?

We have begun to meet with an assortment of organization within the community to develop partnerships to ensure that we are positively reaching out and impacting a deserving group of youth in the community. That is our number one focus for the organization and it always will be. That being said, we also like to think that other parties involved with the development of our programs are also benefitting. When we seek out corporate sponsors, we want to ensure their contribution, whether is it in-kind or cash based, is fully recognized and aligned with their nature of business.

How it benefits?

First off, the youth who attend our camps are going to experience some of the best of times out on the water. That being said, we can rely on that alone to empower them to make positive life choices. Sure, it may motivate them to strive to be able to afford a massive boat but we aren’t shooting for that. The organization will be recruiting committee members and board members to ensure that our camps are powerful and motivating on a personal level with the attendees. I want them to leave with skills that will enable them to make the right choices in life, to be motivated to lead others, and to create positive examples of their actions to their peers.

What is the yearly plan for Wake Up Apparel?

The focus this year is the camps (self sustained and growth)

There will be three camps this summer, which have already been budgeted for and after only a few weeks of operations, we are very much on track with that. The support has been gratifying and overwhelming. Approximately 10 kids will attend each camp in July and August at Blackstrap Lake, if the support continues to grow, we will be able to either increase attendance or hold another camp. The camps encompass water sports lessons, semi-pro demonstration, leadership and goal setting sessions, campfires, meals, as well as some swag for the children and a series of photos and videos to capture memories.

How can people contribute?

First off, purchasing a shirt or any product. Since we are a non-profit organization, we are retaining all of the revenue within it so every item sold will have a direct impact on the success of the organization.  

Business can get involved through strategic partnerships. Properly aligning their offerings to our offerings. For example, gear, printing, food and cash donations. Businesses will be recognized for it. We will also be developing some pretty sweet marketing campaigns that will require the assistance of in-kind sponsorship. This will not only allow us to offer some wicked prizes for these campaigns but it will also allow for businesses to receive substantial recognition alongside.

We also have various volunteer positions available. We are seeking committee members, who will directly work in the planning of our camps, advisory board members, who will oversee the committee members, as well as an assortment of camp volunteers that will be present during the day-long wake camps.

History in the industry

I grew up spending my summers at Murray Lake, Saskatchewan. I spent every summer there for two months a year. My family has been involved in water sports for my entire life. I started with water skiing at a young age and then began wake boarding which lead to wake surfing. The past two summers I have been teaching friends and kids of friends how to surf behind the boat. Seeing their expressions and the sheer joy they had just rocked my world. From surfing without the rope or just getting up, it was always such a blast!

One thing you can’t leave the house without?

I am so reliant on my iPhone. I could probably leave without pants before I could separate from it.

Favourite beverage?

Hands down, Dr. Pepper. I swear I could drink about 15 of them… Just like Forest Gump.

Celebrity wifey?

Good question… I don’t even know…

Favourite restaurant?

Would people frown at me if I said McDonalds… Kidding. Umm… I have three go-to places in the city that I will always love. Sushiro, Amigos, and The Wok.

Who inspires you?

My number 1 is Steve Jobs for so many reasons. 1. His ability to communicate his vision and passion for Apple was huge. If more people could do that with businesses today, we would have so many awesome entrepreneurs out there. Thankfully people are getting better at it and there are so many cool ventures popping up in our own backyard because of this! 2. He rarely gave a sh*t about what others thought of him and his ideas. I think that is what made him so successful. The more people spend hiding from other’s nasty comments and jealousy, the greater chances for them lose focus of what they love.

Locally though, there are so many stunners out there doing amazing things and that is driving me to do something awesome too. You have people like Bryan McCrea of 3Twenty, Ainsley Robertson of The Princess Shop, David Luba and the Emsley bros at Ten Tree, and Kendal Netmaker of Neechie Gear to name a few. These people, all young, are leading a generation of game changers, they are going against what is “safe and secure” and are creating the most amazing of ventures. I come across more ever so often and that just goes to show how awesome some of the people are right here in Saskatchewan.  

Any last words?

If you just sit there in school, finish your assignments and get your good grades, you receive a piece of pretty paper in return. You and 5,000 others. Make your move. 

Check out his website and his social media accounts below:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Thanks Toran for spending time with us to do an interview. Good luck in the future.

Yours Truly

Concert: Red Hot Chili Peppers

After 30 years of being a band, touring the world countless times, a handful of member changes and ten albums you would think Red Hot Chili Peppers would see signs of slowing down in their age.



But after last night, RHCP proved that they still got it as much as they ever had had in the prime time of their youth.

Last night I had the opportunity to see Red Hot Chili Peppers once again in concert. Last time I had saw them was the first time they came around in 2006 during their Stadium Arcadium tour. I was seated to the right of the stage on the second level. It was pretty high up but I still could see everything just fine. But I still envy those people who were on the floor dead center.

This time around was the "I’m With You" tour that was written with their new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer who was the backing guitarist for RHCP for some time.

I admit I was a little hesitant to go since I’m a bit of a stickler for original bandmates and stuff. Prior to Klinghoffer was John Frusciante, the one responsible for a lot of RHCP’s sound. I was thinking that it just wasn’t gonna be the same without Frusciante. Nope, I was wrong. Klinghoffer gives the same amount of depth and emotion that Frusciante does when playing the guitar, which is critical to the sound of Red Hot Chili Peppers. On top of that, there's also Anthony Kiedis' pitch perfect spot on singing or Flea's god like prowess on the bass or Chad Smith's masterlike skills on the skins. Without any of that, RHCP would just be another band with a standard 4/4 power cord riff.

The set list blew me out of the water. I was under the assumption that it was gonna be all new songs from their I’m With You album, but instead they had an even ratio that ranged from old school (Give It Away, Suck My Kiss), to the Californication/By The Way (Californication, Can’t Stop, By The Way, etc.) days, to their new stuff, which I won’t lie, I didn’t listen to that album too much.

Red Hot Chili Peppers definitely don’t show any sign of slowing down. The band members excluding Klinghoffer, who is only 33, are of the age of 50 or over. You’d think at that age you’d see signs of wear and tear but absolutely not, they gave it 110%, which just goes to show that RHCP will one day definitely be one of the greats, if they’re not already.

Nike GS Concept II

Nike has kept the second GS (Green Speed) on the low for quite some time now. If you remember the first pair, they sold out instantly. This model weighs in at 5.6 oz, Nike's lightest football boot yet. They were made in Italy and use a bio-based traction plate made primarily of castor beans and a sock liner made completely of castor beans. To avoid percentages, the entire shoe is made up partially of recycled materials. The upper is Nike's Kanga-Lite material with the ACC technology for wet playing surfaces. To promote the product, they have some of Nike's younger football stars wearing them such as Theo Walcott, Mario Gotze and Eden Hazard.

This will most-likely only be available online for $250 USD.

Photos from SoccerCleats101

Love the North

Air Jordan IV | Black/Cement

This is a highly anticipated drop in the sneaker community. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Jordan IV. The upper is nubuck and mesh to stay breathable with a classic Nike Air unit. These are set to release on November 23, 2012 (Black Friday) at locations including Foot Locker and Momentum. I think that this shoe offers a great look in fashion at a hefty $200.This time around, I definitely think people will camp outside stores in the city.

Yours Truly

Air Jordan IX | Olive

The Jordan IX Olive releases tomorrow (November 17, 2012). From what I hear, they are a great ball shoe and the Jordan IX has been a favourite among the street wear community. They can be found at locations like Footlocker and Momentum. You can expect these shoes to be around $200 retail.

Yours Truly

Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs England

If you are friends on Facebook with anyone who plays soccer, you most likely have seen this already. Just yesterday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic put Sweden on his back against the England squad (based on these highlights). He scored four goals individually, including a bicycle kick in the last few minutes of the match. Currently, he is one of the best strikers in the world and knows it himself.



Yours Truly

Movies: Skyfall

I feel like I’m too young to review a James Bond movie. So if I were to say Daniel Craig is a damn good Bond, I’d probably be stepping on a lot of toes. So let’s just keep it between Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, the Generation Y Bonds.

In my eyes Pierce Brosnan, will always be the Bond. I grew up with his face plaster to the name, whenever somebody says Bond, I think Brosnan, but that being said, they’re both great Bonds but in their own way. So I won’t draw comparisons between the two, rather I’ll just review Skyfall as if it’s part of a brand new trilogy of movies unique unto its own.

Unlike Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Skyfall doesn’t follow the story line of the former, instead it is its own new story. In a sense it was a mini reboot of the Bond series within this era in that it introduced all the pivotal types of characters to the movies before the Daniel Craig era, that being the gadgets, Q, the classic cars and so on.

After a failed mission with the apparent death of James Bond and the retrieval of a hard drive containing a list of national agents that are working undercover within various terrorist cells around the world, MI6 falls under the attack of a cyber-terrorist organization with no clues as to who is heading this terrorist organization.

Bond, completely off the radar thanks to his apparent death, discovers this via news and returns back to duty. In a newly relocated MI6, Bond is put back in the field to find and eliminate the leader of the organization behind the attack.

Of the three movies, Skyfall felt like the Bond movie. The others I felt like they were trying to humanize Bond a lot. Which is ok, not that I have a problem against it, but it felt like it lacked a certain charm that most Bond movies had.

Easily, this was the best of the series. It captured all the necessary Bond moments, like the car chases, the action sequences, the lovely women. But to top it all off, the villain, was truly a villain. Instead of some sort of white collared, “just wanna get rich” villain.

Bardem played Raoul Silva, an ex-MI6 agent turned rouge, on a little revenge trip, looking for those he felt had betrayed him while in captivity. Ranging on genius, Silva’s tactics were always precise, making him consistently two steps ahead of MI6. This guy was a villain, like an, “I just want the world to burn” kind of villain, which is exactly what this series needed.



Should you go see it? Totally. If you've ever seen a Bond movie, and were kinda ho-hum about the last two, this will definitely make up for it. For it is, more or less, a homage to what Bond films should be.

Case and Point
Skyfall is: what GQ would be if they had a gun collection.

Supreme x Nike Air Force 1

Supreme and Nike collaborate again to make an Air Force 1. I have personally never worn a pair because of the silhouette but I think that these are all a success. Not just because of the Supreme logo that can be found on the red tag or tongue. They have used an upper that is practical in the military. They are meant to be durable, water-resistant and look good.

The Air Force 1 will release on the Supreme website this Thursday.

Yours Truly

The Internet - Give It Time

Behind all the OFWGKTA hype, lay a little less over-theatrical duo comprised of Syd Tha Kid & Matt Martians known as The Internet. The duo feeds off of each other with Syd and Matt both sharing vocals and producing duties. The Internet came to my attention after hearing some featuring tracks on some old OF tapes. Earlier this year, The Internet released their first official album entitled Purple Naked Ladies. After hearing track #4 (formally known as "C*nt"), I went out of my normal music downloading routine and purchased it directly from iTunes.

After 8 months, The Internet finally releases new material with the newest single, "Give It Time" making my now playing. Best way that I can describe The Internet is 'timeless easy listening R&B electronic funk from the future'. Take a listen for yourself. Enjoy!
 

Check out this interesting documentary on The Internet's progress as musicians, lifestyle and the process of Purple Naked Ladies.

 
the Method to my Madness,

Kendrick Lamar Ft. Lady Gaga | Bitch, Dant Kill My Vibe

DJWS vision number 2 from paul blair on Vimeo.

Movies: Silent Hill: Revelation

You know those movies that come around every so often that are so bad that they're funny? Silent Hill: Revelation is one of those movies.

I don't know what it is, but movies based off of video games are usually horrendous. I don't know what possessed me to go see this, but I did anyways. Maybe it was because the first Silent Hill was ok.

So, Silent Hill: Revelation follows Heather and Eddard Stark Harry Mason, Harry Mason being the husband of Rose from the first movie, as they try and settle into a new town under the guise of Sharon and Christopher Da Silva.

Why are they on the run? Because a cult from Silent Hill is looking for Heather and they wanna bring her back so that she can be the capsule for the cult's new god... or something like that.

Day one, Heather goes to school and meets Jon Snow Vincent, then she returns home to find that her dad is missing and finger painted on the wall with blood, a message: "Come to Silent Hill". So then begins the adventure to Silent Hill, so that Heather can retrieve her father and figure out the truth behind everything.

That's the shorten version of it. The entire movie I was completely confused, the plot was messy and a lot of the actions from the characters in this movie didn't make sense.

For example: two Silent Hill Cult guards walk into a horrified, rusty emergency room with a man on a gurney. Inside this ER, are creepy nurses that cannot see, and only respond to sound. So these guards roll this gurney in causing all sorts of audible ruckus, stirring the nurses.

When the nurses wake, they slash at anything and everything.

You'd think that being a guard, in Silent Hill, for however many years, and knowing the location of this room, you would know that there are blind psychopath nurses that slash at any sounds.

You'd think when pushing the gurney into the room, they'd do it with extreme caution so that they don't get stabbed and mutilated.

Nope. Instead they ram the stupid gurney into the room and start screaming at the nurses trying to push them back with their hands and cattle prod acting like they're SWAT in a giant riot. But of course, the nurses overwhelm the guards and do what they do, which is stab and mutilate.

What did you expect? Was this your first time coming into contact with these nurses? Who hired you?

Anyways, that didn't make sense and to think that this was just one scene. Try and hour and a half of this stuff.

I guess on the upside, if you stop trying to make sense of the movie, it becomes really funny, but unintentionally, because this is a scary spooky horror movie.

But what makes me the most sad is that Sean Bean and Kit Harrington are fantastic actors. They have the chops and you can see that in Game of Thrones. In this movie they seem like B-Movie actors trying their hardest to mask their English accents.



Should you go see it? No man, just go to Hi-Tech Gametraders, fork over the same amount as you would for a ticket and play the game(s).

Case and Point
Silent Hill: Revelation is: as confusing as realizing that girls don't have cooties anymore.

Nike Soccer | Mercurial Vapor VIII "CR7"

Today is the release for Cristiano Ronaldo's new Mercurial Vapor VIII's (will be on sale December 1, 2012). His new logo was introduced yesterday and we have spotted him wearing these mysterious boots in his training sessions for a while now. The aesthetics of this boot are different than the originals with the big Swoosh but they will still look great on the pitch. Other than that, the materials, stud pattern and fit should be similar. These will probably offer the ACC (All Conditions Control) technology too.

These are ideal for a pacey outside midfielder or striker who plays top level soccer. Although, they will most likely offer lower tiered versions of the CR7 Vapor too. Who's going to be the first in Saskatoon to own them?

Yours Truly

DJ Jazzy Jeff | November 6, 2012

You can purchase tickets for $25 at JT's or at the Double Deuce.

The Other Guy: Munny's

The Other Guy is an artist from Saskatoon who spends time creating artwork on unique items. These unique items would be Kid Robot figures, specifically their Munny. Do-it-yourself Munny's are quite popular to work on around the world. They are white figurines like the one below.

The Other Guy takes these toys apart and paints/colours them to portray a theme or a character. I have always been intrigued of how he gets the idea to create the characters he does and how he does it. They are very professionally done. In the past he has sold his Munny's at expos or in-store at Unreal City. But as of now, the only way to buy them is online. Below are some of the ones that he has for sale.

Like him on Facebook at The Other Guy.
Follow him on Twitter at @TheOtherGuy.

Yours Truly

Aftermath: Vamps, Tramps and Nerds - Halloween Cabaret

Thanks for those who came out last night to the Halloween Cabaret. I can't speak for the club members, but it seemed like a massive success to me.

I had a blast spinning at it. What I loved even more was having complete control over the music, from House to Nu Disco to Electro and I even threw in some Japanese tracks, heh. It was all across the board.

I shared the stage with Adam Kirk, aka Helium 3 and he threw down a fantastic set that got everybody working it.

All in all, last night was the best time I've had in a while. With the music, drinks and dancing like a fool in front of all those people, I'd definitely do it again in a heart beat.

If there are any other events that I sign myself up for, Hello Saskatoon will be the first to know.

Once again, if you came, and you're reading this. Thank you.

Also, shout outs to the Juggalos who were dancing early on in the night, I love you.