Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Montreal Shaadi Show 2


Montreal Shaadi is a wedding directory for Montreal's south asian community. They hosted their first bridal show on March 24th 2013. I got to see their 5 PM show. They had 2 shows (one at 2 PM and another at 5 PM). The fashion show was good. The outfits were just so beautiful and the model models looked great! Since I got there a little late, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to try out the food being the foodie that I am.

So when I found out they were hosting their second show on March 16th at Plaza Volare (Crowne Plaza Hotel), I was looking forward to it. I wanted to check out the vendor booths because I was really impressed with some of the booths from last year. Sonia, my best friend's sister, was one of the organizers this year, so I got a free ticket to the show.


But plans changed... They needed some last minute help at the show, so Sonia asked some of us if we can volunteer at the show, and so her sister, my other friend and I ending up volunteering. Click here to read my volunteer experience at the show. 

That's Sonia getting ready for the show

Since I volunteered, I didn't really get to see the show or check out the vendor booths but I got to see some of the highlights of the day by watching the following video by Video Maruty production:
There were a few photographers who covered the event. I shared some of their pictures below but you can check out all their photos on each of their Facebook page:

Organizers & Lead models: Girish (on the left) was the organizer and MC of the event. The four ladies also organized the show and they were lead models of the show (Sonia on the right).

Photo by MediaVision Cinematic Motion

Models: You can see all the models' hard work through the show but they definitely seemed to have had a good time throughout the event.


Photos by Alfaaz Photography

Makeup: Everyone looked flawless with a little help of make-up artists:
MakeUpBySP
Photo by Alfaaz Photography 
Amber Esthetics
Photo by Alfaaz Photography 


DJ/Lighting and other services: The Jannat Productionz team was there to ensure that the show went on smoothly. Some of the services they offered at the show: DJ, stage setup, lighting, etc.


Jannat Productionz
Photo by MediaVision Cinematic Motion

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Les Glaceurs

I love Les Glaceurs! They mainly specialize in cupcakes but they also make cakes, cakepops and macaroons. They are very professional and reliable. They have four locations: Old-Montreal, Downtown, Westmount & Quartier Dix30 (Brossard). You can visit their website for more information.

Cupcakes
If you're craving for a cupcake, you can simply walk in and choose one or more from their wide selection of flavors. Regular size cupcakes start off at $3.25 each. I personally find them very filling. My favorite is red velvet.

You can get a cupcake to go

They usually have an assortment of a dozen mini cupcakes that you can get wi
thout having to place an order beforehand. 
A dozen of mini cupcakes cost $16 (you can click here for their prices). 
You can also order a dozen of your desired flavor by phone or online on their website. I prefer mini cupcakes because they're much easier to eat. They aren't too filling. I can easily eat 2 at once. 

If you customize the cupcakes though, the prices may increase... 

Here's a cupcake my friend got me on a rainy day. I love the message! What a cute idea!

My friends & I got one of our good friends Michael Kors themed cupcakes to go with her present.

You can see more pictures on my web page

Cakes

Rehana's Birhday Cake 2012
What I love about them is that you can be sure that the cake will look and taste good. The price of cake depends on the design and portions (you can click here for their prices). However, if you want to design it, the prices will vary.. What I would suggest you to do is give them your ideas and budget and they will help you reach that budget. I've been doing this for years and they've never disappointed me. 

I rarely call them. I simply email them with pictures and share my ideas; they respond back normally within a day. On most orders, they ask you to confirm your order through phone by providing them a credit card.

Here are some of the pictures of the cakes that my friends, family and I got for our birthdays.  


My recent birthday cake

Jiya's 2014 birthday cake

Anjali's 2013 birthday cake
My brother's 2013 birthday cake
My sister's 2013 birthday cake
Jiya's 2013 birthday cake


You can see more pictures with details on my web page

Macaroons
You can get a variety of 4 macaroons for $6I got them last week while I was getting cupcakes for a friend's birthday. They were alright. I prefer the macaroons from La Maison du Macaron.



Monday, March 17, 2014

Ces Gars-là

Ces Gars-là is a French show featuring two comedians: Sugar Sammy and Simon-Olivier FecteauSugar Sammy's character is an Anglo-Indian, while Simon-Olivier Fecteau's character is white francophone. 

Sugar Sammy basically wants to move out of his parents house, while Simon tries to get over his ex-girlfriend. Even though they have their own personal issues and are very different from each other, they remain to be good friends. 

I love the chemistry between these two. Sugar sammy seems to be very confident, laid-back, indifferent and irresponsible, while Simon is almost the opposite. He lacks confidence but he seems more responsible and caring. I immediately fell in love with his character! 

I mainly wanted to watch this show because it featured Sugar Sammy, my favorite comedian. He's just awesome! I've been a fan ever since I've seen his show at Dawson College back in 2007. But as I started watching the show, I liked it even more because it brought up some of the issues that Montreal residents can certainly relate to. 

Click here to watch it online on V-télé.

I've only watched two episodes few days ago but I can't wait to watch all of them...


Saturday, March 15, 2014

Bikram Yoga Dix 30

Bikram Yoga Dix 30


Why Hot Yoga?
Yoga itself is a great workout and it improves your posture and spinal alignment. Hot Yoga
makes 
you sweat, which detoxifies your body... It gets rid of the toxins and cleanses
your body.

Where is hot yoga offered?
There are a number of hot yoga studios in Montreal... Just to name a few:

My friend and I initially wanted to go to ensō yoga (I read some good reviews online) but my friend and I live in Brossard, so we found it more convenient to go to Bikram Yoga Dix30

Reservation & Schedule

Although reservation isn't always required, it is best to reserve a spot because some classes may be full. Our class was scheduled at 2:30 PM. We didn't reserve but we were still able to join in the class. All the hot yoga classes at Bikram Yoga Dix 30 are 90 minutes long but other yoga studios offer classes from 60 to 90 minutes. We looked at their schedule online and decided to go on a Friday at 2:30 PM.


Pricing
My friend and I paid $25 each (taxes included) for trial week at Bikram Yoga Dix 30. We got it on Friday, so we had 7 days and the following Friday was inclusive.

I made a table comparing the prices for some of the studios (prices don't include taxes). Bikram Yoga Dix30 offers best value if you plan on taking only one class. However, ensō yoga offers the best rate when it comes to the unlimited 3 month membership. 


Discounts/Promotion

Students
If you're a student, then you might pay less depending on the company.
  • Ensō yoga offers contracts.. For example, for a 4 month unlimited membership, you pay registration fee of $50 & $85 per month
  • Bikram Yoga Dix30 offers a discount for students. You pay about $15 per class (see full list of prices here)
  • Bikram Yoga of Montreal locations also offers student discounts. Students pay $14 per class (see full list of prices here)  

Off Peak Hours         
  • ensō yoga offers a limited number of classes for $10 (an hour each). They are great for people trying hot yoga for the first time but the schedule isn't for everyone (visit their website for the schedule). 

What You Need
  • Yoga mat
  • 2 towels (1 large one for yoga and the other one for shower)
  • Bottle of water

My First class (March 7th 2014) 

We tried calling Bikram Yoga Dix30 but they didn't pick up. So we basically just showed up and were welcomed in. We mostly had everything we needed, so didn't buy anything except a bottle of water. We paid for the trial ($25) and filled a form.

After changing, we walked in the class. Most people just warmed up before the class started. Then the instructor walked in and gave the class in English & French. I did the first few poses but then I felt so dizzy to the point that I had to lie down. I was embarrassed to have been lying down at first but realized no one was really there to judge me. Everyone seemed to be paying attention in class (including my friend), which was great. The instructor came to check up on me and I reassured her I was fine. I tried getting back up for the other positions but simply couldn't, so I did some of the poses while lying down but did the last breathing exercise with everyone. 

The moment I heard "Namaste" at the end, I was just so happy that the class was over. It was way too long especially for me. I walked out of the class feeling relieved that it was over. We waited until there were less people in changing room and went to shower. The space to shower was a bit small in opinion. However, it was clean and they even had shampoo and body wash, which was convenient. 



When I got home, there was this glow on my face. My skin felt so nice and clean! I loved it! I had a salad and went out and had late dinner. When I was at the restaurant, I got a headache, which didn't go away until I fell asleep. I think it's because I didn't eat properly. I made another mistake that day.. I didn't hydrate myself before going in for hot yoga. This is probably why I felt so dizzy, so I don't want to give up on it just yet. I'd like to give hot yoga another chance... But next time, I will be better prepared.


My Second Class (March 14th 2014) 

I was tempted not to go back to Bikram Yoga but somehow I ended up going back with my best friend. This time we went a little later (5 PM class). I was a little nervous at first but surprisingly, it went really well! I was able to do all the yoga moves without constantly feeling dizzy. In fact, I felt dizzy for few seconds while doing their camel pose but otherwise, I was fine!

Yes, it was still hard but I was just so happy that I didn't feel dizzy this time. But it may be because I did few different things...
  • I ate at least 2 hours before my class (it's suggested that you avoid eating 2 to 3 hours before class). I also ate properly this time.. I had some chicken with salad and brown rice.
  • I drank a lot of water and some juice before my class.
  • I didn't try to perfect the yoga moves this time. I just tried to do it as best as I could without putting too much pressure on my body. If I wasn't able to do a certain move, I simply tried my best to the extent that I didn't feel any discomfort. I did this because I didn't want to take the risk to become dizzy this time. However, as I take more classes, I do plan on doing to perfecting the moves.

When the class was over, I was overjoyed that I wasn't dizzy at the end of the class. Sadly, that night I went for late dinner again and didn't eat right after my class even though I was very hungry and so, I got a small headache again but this time it went away easily. It didn't ruin my night at all unlike last time.

Since my trial period ended, I'm most likely not going back to Bikram Yoga Dix 30. However, I am planning on trying other yoga studios in the next couple of months. Especially since I found a way to overcome my dizziness.  

You can see more pictures on my web page