Photo by hubby Shahid Hadi ( @eggshell_mind ) @ Tiff Lightbox Toronto

This particular image I had posted to my pinterest via (tt pictures on VisualizeUs) and the amazing thing was how many people repinned this image….it was like this photo was talking directly to each person who saw it.  When I first saw it there was something about the melange of colour that was so inspiring along side with the content look this woman had on her face.

So obviously I was curious to see what there was on this self.  The first book I picked up was The adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain printed by the Press of the Hunter-Rose Co. LTd. I picked it up and first thing I did was open it to a random page and put my nose in the middle if the book at the spine and took a deep smell. Gosh…how I love that smell….the smell of grass mixed with a sweet smell and then mixed with a scent of paper.  That smell is so specific as I remember all the school text books and reading books from the libraries.  I also suppose I have begun to appreciate this smell more and more because of the way technology is taking us.  Technology as pulling us away from the art of the act of reading, the lesson of taking care of a book , or destroying it  with passion from readying it and adding all the dog ears and or loosening the spin. All things that are special and that are being lost by the digital age.

This video below is wonderful – its a moment to stop and appreciate the beauty of books and love we should have towards them.

Support the purchase of books, visit Type bookstore in Toronto.

After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago (http://youtu.be/zhRT-PM7vpA), my wife and I (Sean Ohlenkamp) decided to take it to the next level. We spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating books at Type bookstore in Toronto (883 Queen Street West, (416) 366-8973)

A brief history lesson for some of you who do not know what Japanese Matcha tea is that it has been used for over 1,000 years. In the 12^th century a Japanese Zen monk created this powdered tea which he introduced to the people of Japan.  It was tea leaves that were ground down to a very fine powder which was frothed and then drunk. It was then made popular by the Samurai class  in the late 1300’s to the mid 1500’s as they us to use tea ceremonies to show their particular social class.  They did not just drink the tea it was about the creating of the tea by using the right utensils as well as the perfect number of whisks it took to have the tea just right. The polularity kept rising due to love of being in a  high social class. Throughout history it kept growing in popularity and got more and more refined and more exclusive.

The process of how Matcha tea is made is very extensive and true Matcha is made by tencha tea leaves, other teas resembling it may be made with sencha or lower grades of green tea which of course can be spotted by the colour. Another way you can tell if its real is by the price tag…it will be high! Reason for that is because Matcha is pulled once a year.

Anyhow enough about the history. Today Matcha is used in many different products and then attached with a higher price tag as people who know about the tea are willing to pay the extra to not only have it in their beverage but as well as in their products like soaps, body scrups and so on.

I hope you have a chance to have a cup of Japanese Matcha tea, and I hope I get a tin for Christmas…did you hear that dear?!

Mr. Brightside via LOUIS MARINO 

Recently I was mailed a brochure by their head office with their fall collection which included their current and unique styles of their scarves. The brochure was the perfect coffee table magazine with the most inspiring design details along with the most visually appealing photographs. It was a clever booklet with colours that flew off the page.

Currently I own two Hermes scarves, but I think I am needing another one very soon!

Tesco Homeplus  an online grocery shopping company. They managed to come up with a concept that worked with the lifestyle of South Koreans.

South Koreans live a very busy life and  mostly  travel by subway.  Tesco Homeplus decided  “let the store come to the people”. They put up posters (or Virtual marketing) which mimicked the store itself.

Tesco Homeplus created an app which allowed the consumers to be waiting for their train and scan their desired grocery list. Each product has a scan bar which works with the phone app. You check out and by the time you get home your grocery is waiting for you at the front steps.

Different from Gateway? I think so…difference is that Tesco Homeplus is coming to you…giving you tools during your busy day to make your life slightly easier.

A great concept which just shows us how busy our lives are becoming that we can’t even  take the time to buy some food!

Two loves…food and fashion. Why wouldn’t these two go  hand in hand. Okay so most of the fashion industry is starving its self…but the general public do appreciate food and fashion together!    Photos via Linus Morales

By Furrukh Qureshi

A weekend that most of us have been waiting for…..IIFA!  International Indian Film Awards! Months ago when I first heard about these awards being held in Toronto, I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was along with some of my friend Most are excited that some of their favorite actors and actresses would being coming to town, but for me it was slightly different.

For me its the memories that Bollywood movies have given me…most of which take me back to my childhood where every Saturday night my father would rent a new Indian movie. I believe he did that so that my siblings and I would learn the language a bit  more. He also knew this was family time and in family time we had to do something that everyone would learn from…and this was it!

I have seen many movies..fallen inlove with many on-screen actors….at age 9 I wrote a love letter to the famous Amitabh Bachchan after I watched the movie  “Khudaar” with my family.  In fact my letter began after they sang  “I Love U”. I actually thought he was singing it to me…you really have to understand…I really loved him! lol -  Odd part was my Hindi/Urdu at that age was pretty weak…perhaps it was my parents who would give me the play by-play if I didn’t understand. But back to my love letter…I wrote the letter placed it in my night stand and then was trying to figure out how I was going to get this letter to the famous Amitabh? Unfortunately my brother who was four years older found the letter before I was able to come up with a solution.  Of course he handed it over to Mom…that was not good! She read the entire letter…all of it including parts where I told Amitabh to come take me away and marry me….and much more…yes yes I know I was 9!  All mom could say was “Beta…you are too young to know about love…we don’t write strangers!” A great moment I will never forget!

Grateful that Toronto is embarrassing this event. I love the fact that I live in a city that wants to learn about other people’s cultures and why things are important to them. Thank you Pearson Airport for the Awesome Billboard welcoming the Industry to Toronto!

You might enjoy my previous post: Bollywood Posters