Some of the typical fruits and vegetables in my weekly grocery cart are strawberries, bananas, apples, mushrooms, spinach and kale, but I find myself constantly intrigued by the appearance of the other fruits and vegetables that I’m less familiar with.  For this week’s blog, I hit up my local grocery store to explore the tastes, health benefits and cultural origins of the produce I don’t usually grab in hopes to diversify my grocery list and promote healthy eating! Burro Bananas Also known as Orinoco, Bluggoe, Horse, Hog or Largo bananas, Burro Bananas are a shorter and stubbier shape in comparison

Happy Almost Holiday !! 😀 Look at that, who would’ve thought…. We made it to the end of a semester 😮 So in honour of those who may not be able to go home this holiday (we’re on the same boat :/)  or just want some random activities to do during yet another lockdown… I GOT YOU!  *Of course, I tried to make this list as ‘away-from-home friendly’ as possible 😀 via GIPHY Tis the Seasoning: Image Credit: Chow Hon Lam; Boredpanda.com Chef it up– learn a new skill or refine your skill with some more baking (make some gingerbread

Photo by Dan Gold via Unsplash With dining in at restaurants not happening in the near future and COVID-19 cases rising, your favourite local restaurants need your support now more than ever. There are many initiatives going on right now in Toronto that aim to help restaurants stay afloat as best they can. One that I think you need to hear about (which is student budget friendly) is Rally for Restaurants.  This campaign is backed by Stella Artois and their parent company: Labatt Breweries of Canada. Rally for Restaurants aims to encourage people to purchase either $25 or $50 gift

We are all in a tough situation. Most days, we sit in front of a computer, eat our meals, and sleep. It makes it hard to find time for ourselves and our own wellbeing. A good way to keep up with our health is to move our bodies somehow! Some movement is better than none at all and being active contributes greatly to our health, especially in times like these… along with the healthiest diet you can follow (be sure to treat yourself regularly though, these are tough times and you deserve it). Along with the difficulty of staying active,

“Some people say home is where you come from. But I think it’s a place you need to find, like it’s scattered and you pick pieces of it up along the way.” – Katie Kaevinsky Home by Sarah Fouad (Medium: acrylic – Instagram: @s_fouads.art) I am a Third Culture Kid, meaning I was raised in countries outside of my native homeland because of my parents’ job. I have lived in 6 different countries, and have collected experiences, perspectives, and even people, along the way.  When I was younger, I had my fits over moving so much. I didn’t want to

So, I’m vegan. I have been for over 3 years actually! And it’s a huge part of my life. But it can also be sometimes problematic in my life too. It is sometimes hard to find vegan options when I’m out at restaurants with my friends or family who aren’t vegan. Or when I’m shopping and so many brands aren’t vegan because they test on animals. There’s a lot of non vegan things in the world. The good news is, this year so far has been MONUMENTAL in terms of the number of new vegan products. There have been huge

Back in March when COVID-19 shut school down and all of us who were living in residence found ourselves scrambling to get home, I packed my things and moved 3 hours north to Muskoka. I found myself going from the never ending noise and movement of the city, to the stillness of cottage country. In the new climate of the world I went looking for ways to get out of the house without putting my family or others at risk. And so, when looking for things to do in Muskoka, the most logical thing to do is go looking in

2020 has been an eventful year filled with love, hate, empowerment and many more emotions. Not only is Covid-19 taking over 2020 but, the Black Lives Movement protest was a huge part as well. One thing that is helping us through these times is the power of music. Many artists made music specifically to talk about these situations and today I will be mentioning my top 4 songs that cover these topics. #1: I Can’t Breathe – H.E.R Image Credit: Amazon Music H.E.R (Gabriella Wilson) is a mixed African-Ameircan/Filipino singer songwriter from the United States. She wrote an acoustic blues

Even as someone with about a dozen rolls of film in my fridge (more on that later), having fun while shooting film clearly and cost-effectively can be difficult. One of my favourite film captures, I snapped the intersection of Finch and Yonge on a Spring night in early 2019. Shot on the (now discontinued) Fuji Superia 800 with the Olympus IS-10. Image Credit: Joe Mastromatteo So, after almost two years since exposing my first roll, I thought I’d prepare three tips for my fellow Toronto photographers, or anyone looking to make the analogue conversion. 1. Find a lab An introduction

Image Credit: @anthonygarcia / unsplash We’re full swing into the holiday season now as the weather is turning colder, festive music and movies are on repeat, baked goods are in the oven, and our only attire is our pj’s. However normal that may seem, this holiday season is far from what we’re used to. Everyone has been impacted over the past couple of months in so many different ways, and has taken a toll on our own community here in Toronto. As the holidays are quickly approaching, it’s now important more than ever to reconsider how we are going to

TW: mention of sexual assault and violence Image Credit: Thought Catalog In the midst of lighthearted TikTok trends like Ratatouille: The Musical and Billie Eilish’s Therefore I Am, a much more controversial trend has erupted, traumatizing even the bravest of users.  Megan is Missing (2011) is a found-footage horror film directed by Michael Goi, told completely through webcams, video diaries, and newscasts. It centers on a 14-year-old girl who goes missing after meeting a man she met online and her best friend’s quest to find her.  Over the past few weeks, users have challenged themselves to watch this film, with

Each year I look forward to film festival season. Each year I try to attend festivals such as TIFF, Inside Out, ImagineNATIVE, and Reel Asian in some capacity. However, this year has been vastly different compared to last year. Festivals have moved to digital platforms and so there’s a possibility of piracy issues or technical issues. Despite all that, these films are bringing some light in a somewhat odd and difficult year for many.  Last week I attended Reel Asian 2020. Their entire week of programming was online this year, from Nov. 12th to 19th. Their films were available to

No Supe for you. Have you ever watched Captain America: Civil War and then said to yourself; “Hmm, that Iron Man sure is overreacting! Superheroes don’t need to be regulated, what kind of commie nonsense is that?” After watching Amazon Video’s The Boys, Iron Man’s commie nonsense makes a lot of sense.  Adapted from a 2006 comic of the same name, The Boys takes place in a world where superheroes are real. Real jerks, that is. Beneath the product placements, the selfies, and the corporate facade lies a network of super-powered narcissists, drug addicts, and rapists with varying degrees of

So for the last few months almost every student at Ryerson has been doing their lectures, labs and group projects remotely. This means waking up minutes before a lecture begins, dragging your laptop onto your bed and taking notes in your PJs. At first this seemed like an absolute dream and it felt that way in the beginning, didn’t it? But now that we’re half-way through the first semester and still tied to our laptops, we’re finding ourselves a little blue either because of loneliness, unsureness of the future or general disappointment. The online learning environment is not exactly conducive

Photo: Calgary Flames defenceman T.J. Brodie returned to action on Monday after collapsing 11 days ago at practice. (Derek Leung/Getty Images) The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the busier teams during the extended offseason. Going into the offseason, the Leafs knew that they had some key holes to fill and they look to have met their goal. Highlighted by the big signing of T.J. Brodie and the news that went viral with Joe Thornton moving to Toronto, Leafs fans have a lot to be excited for.  Aside from signing T.J. Brodie, Toronto did not make any big splashes