NO, NO & NO

As I mentioned before, I’m trying to eat healthier this month and luckily I was able to try the new offerings from some fast food places in August. I tried the smokehouse deluxe burger from McDonalds…and euwww…the taste was bad! It was sooo smokey with nasty onions. It was like taking the smoke when you have a bbq or start a bomb-fire and mix it with meat, let it sit for awhile and it gets a weird smell. Combine all that and that’s what you get. So no, I’m never eating that again!


Next I tried Harvey's the Great Canadian burger and it wasn't new at all. Just the same burger as before with thicker meat…don’t get me wrong I love meat, and more meat is always good but to say it’s a new burger umm no!!! be more original please!

So during my healthy month I decided to give the zesty mango McMini a try...yes I know it's not healthy…but it’s a  mini so what harm can it do. Well I was wrong…it was harmful…it tasted horrible!!! Just discusting! Whatever sauce they put in there is a big NO!! The zesty sauce and some white looking sauce is a terrible mix! Take old mayo, old dijon mustard, some honey, plus some sour taste and mix it all together; that’s what the zesty sauce is like. The McMini should just disappear!!

Lone Star No More

The title of the first canceled show of the new TV season goes to Lone Star. It was the most buzzed about show, the critics’ favourite and most advertise, but it just didn’t attract or click with viewers. The premise seemed interesting and that’s why I picked it as one of my Top Five shows to watch. A small audience tuned in to watched the pilot - around 4.1 million. The second episode only drew 3.8 million…sad! Oh well…goodbye! I tuned in to see The Event, which airs at the same time and that’s why I have yet to see Lone Star….I will watch the two episodes. I have both episodes ready to be watched and I will provide an update later on.

.

. 

Update: I watched the pilot last night and it was alright. It's a layed back drama with no big action. It may seen boring at times and that may have been one of the reasons why viewers did not come back or tuned in to begin with. You have to sit, watch and pay attention to the dialogue to get what's going on and maybe like the show. It may not have a been a good thing for the show to air during the 9pm time slot. Viewers could easily switch channels and start watching something else, like The Event, and forget that Lone Star is on. The show had potential and I'm definitely going to watch the second (last) episode.

Summer 2010 Movies

It is sad how summer ended last week and there are only a few summer movies that stand out in my mind. Most movies were a major disappointment and a majority of them seemed so dull that I didn't even care to watch them. Only a couple films cuaght my eye. My favourite films of the summer were:

Forbes top 5 grossing summer movies:

                        

I have seen three of the top five. Inception was just awesome!! Toy Story 3 was funny and amazing! Iron Man 2 went nowhere and I was falling asleep. 

Sit & Relax

Seeing Mariah Carey fall is the reason why I say that pregnant women should just sit back, relax, and get plenty of rest. When I see someone pregnant out on the street I always start thinking about them slipping, falling, or something happening that would hurt the baby. Too cautious or crazy?!?! Yo no se (I don't know)!

ps. I'm sure mini Mimi is ok :)

Free Quick Face Massage

The Amazing Race began its 17th season last night and as usual there are people making dumb moves and doing crazy things. One of the best moments from last night’s episode was the watermelon task during the road block. As you can see from the video (below), the female contestant got a nice surprise to the face. The first time I saw this was about a month ago and I laughed (I know, I know but hey it was funny to me). When I saw it last night I laughed again..hahahaha...I hope her face is ok. The team that got eliminated last night was the best friends and I guess the guy's education was of no benefit. There is no team that stood out and that I want to see in the final leg of the race, but so far I'm liking this season.

The Amazing Race airs Sunday nights at 8:30pm on CBS and CTV.

The Big Bang Theory

 

Season four is airing on Thursdays at 8pm on CBS and CTV. The show revolves around four nerdy guys and their social awkwardness. There is also the neighbour, Penny - a complete opposite of the guys. The interaction between all the characters can be pretty funny.

Sheldon (Jim Parsons) – Ph. D., Theoretical Physicist. IQ 187, roomates with Leonard

Penny (Kaley Cuoco) – the neighbour, waitress, pursuing acting career

Leonard (Johnny Galecki) – Ph. D., Experimental Physicist, IQ 173, in love with Penny

Howard (Simon Herberg) – M. Sc. Eng., Aerospace Engineer, always chasing women

Rajesh (Kunal Nayyar) – Ph. D., Particle Astrophysicist, can't talk around women unless he has alcohol

Update:
Season four began last night and the episode was awesome! The storyline for both Sheldon and Howard were hilarious. Sheldon finally goes on a date and brings Penny because he doesn’t drive. The conversation surrounding how many people they all have dated was just jokes. Howard on the other hand, he is always going after women, but in this episode the focus was on his new robot invention. He is able to program a robotic arm to do many tasks and one of those tasks got him in a very funny situation.

EUWWW

The famous five second rule does not apply everywhere! This morning on my way to work several teens sat in the seats in front of me. After sitting down, one of the guys gets gum and offers some to his friends. One of them takes a piece and drops it; the piece of gum fell right in the isle. The guy waited a few seconds, picked it up and placed it in his mouth…OMJ Euwww! Gross! Who knows how many people have walked there and who knows what nastiness is on that floor. The guy is like I don’t care and his friends just laughed. If the gum had fallen on something that is cleaned on a regular basis, then sure the five second rule works. However, in a public place where the area looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in ages then hells no! Any public place or area is basically a NO! One, two, three, four, five…NO!!

Here something that may be useful:

        By: Audrey Fukuman and Andy Wright

Burrito Loco

During the last two weeks I've had the opportunity to finally try the burritos from Chino Locos. The burritos are really good! They are big, tasty, and filling. One burrito plus drink is enough for one person. You can always eat more but you’ll end up super stuffed! The burritos are filled with a lot of toppings: avocado, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, different sauces, rice or noodles, etc. They have meat and veggie burritos. Of course I have to go with meat…veggies as a main meal…ummm no…I don’t think so! Meat is soooo good! Anyways, I have tried the Pollo Loco (chicken) and Off Da Hook (steak) burritos. The steak one was alright…it didn’t have that much meat so I was kind of disappointed. The chicken burrito was amazing! It had plenty of meat, the right amount of rice, and a hint of hot sauce…perfecto. Good times!

Two Locations:

#4 Greenwood Avenue

               &
459 Church Street

http://chinolocos.com/

tiff: People’s Choice Award

The winner of this year’s Cadillac People’s Choice Award belongs to The King’s Speech. The drama film is about King George VI and his problem with stammer. The film is directed by Tom Hooper and stars Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist. The two leads had stand out performances and the rest of the supporting cast also did a great job. It was a fine film to watch but I’m not convinced it was the best film at TIFF 2010. I would rank Conviction higher than this film. I’m sure the film will do well when it is released in theaters just like the past winners of the Cadillac People’s Choice Award.

                                   2009 Winner                                  2008 Winner

For Your Entertainment Part II

My earlier post provided recommendations based on shows that have yet to premier this tv season. A number of The CW shows have already aired their first couple episodes of the 2010/2011 season. One of the network's new shows that I was looking forward to watching was Nikita because it reminded me of Alias (I miss Sydney Bristow - played by Jennifer Garner). I watched the pilot and it was interesting enough to make me want to continue watching. I saw the second episode last night and so far it's a good show. Maggie Q does a great job kicking some serious butt. Her character is on a mission and it looks like it might be fun going along for the ride. 

NBC also started its season with a couple shows premiering last week. I randomly started watching Outlaw - a brand new show staring Jimmy Smits. It's about a Supreme Court Justice who resigns from the bench and starts his own law firm. The pilot was ok. I will try watching it again and I’m hoping there is more to it than just another legal drama.

A show that I started watching this summer and trying to catch up on before its second season begins is Moderm Family. Sofia Vergara is in it...need I say more!!!

For Your Entertainment

The new TV season officially starts on Monday September 20th with many fan favourite shows coming back and numerous shows making their grand debut. Here are several shows I recommend to watch during the 2010/2011 season.

Top 5 returning shows:   

Top 5 new shows to check out:

   

If you want to get more info on new and returning shows then go to:

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/fall-tv-preview/

Adios Food Galore

I love food!! I'll eat anytime and anything (as long as it looks good). I even ate crickets (it was for a challenge). A hard question to answer is when I am asked what my favourite food is. If I am forced to choose, it will have to be the traditional Salvadorian meals: pupusas, tamales & horneado (the sandwiches are amazing!!!!) Mmm I'm getting hungry just writing about it.

Over the last year I have been going to the gym two to three times a week. Personally, I have felt and seen a difference. However, most people have seen no difference or a small change. :( It's ok though because my objective throughout the last year was to work out and have the luxury to eat and eat and eat. I know it was bad thinking. I still believe in that because I'm happy just as long as I am not putting on weight. Three summers ago all I did was eat, sit at work, eat, watch tv, eat, go out, eat, sleep and a new me was noticeable within a month and a half. My family joked about it - mostly my sis (yes sis...mostly you..hahaha!!) So I didn't and don’t want that to happen again.

Given that my difference up to this point has been minimal and people keep saying I can't limit or say no to eating, I have decided to watch what I eat. I will try eating healthier...what that means I don't know. It's a learning process for me considering how every food out there is meant to be eaten! My take on eating healthier includes the following:

v Reducing my sugar intake - no more candies, chocolates and other sweets

v No more fast food

v No late night eating (past 11pm)

One meal or one day of the week I will be eating whatever I want...that's to control my cravings. Yeah some of you may be thinking it's cheating...but it's hard cutting all the goodness ok!! I will also try to make it at least three times a week to the gym - how long and how intense the work out is remains to be seen.

Confession: During the month of August I had to indulge and say goodbye to the following:

v Funnel cake at Buskerfest 

v Chocolates (thanks to the people I have lunch with!!)

v Lots of candy – it’s one of my bad habits and it doesn't help that recently we started a candy bowl at work and it happens to be near my desk

v       McDonald’s, Harvey’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Burger King

     (I’m surrounded by them)

v     Lots of poutine during my trip to Montreal...all that cheese and gravy…mmmm

v     Numerous breakfast sandwiches from Tim Horton & McDonalds

v     Chicken wings, fries, pizza – the buffet dinner at Pizza Hut

With all of the above being cut down, hopefully a difference is noticeable in no time. I started my healthier eating routine on Sept 1 and so far I'm on track...I should treat myself to some strawberry cheesecake or a chocolate sundae.

 

tiff 2010: Rabbit Hole

I was looking forward to watching Rabbit Hole thinking it was going to be an intense drama. Plus it stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, and it’s a screen adaption of the award winning play. The film is directed by John Cameron Mitchel and deals with a husband and wife who struggle with their marriage after the death of their son.

The Elgin Theater was packed and everyone seemed really interested in watching the film. My interest slowly faded away. I felt bored at times and wondered when it was going to get into the meaty stuff. Time passed by and nothing. The story was moving soooooo slow. Then all I kept thinking about was the time and when the film would end. A lot and I mean a lot of the scenes involved the characters doing something such as moving a box, taking pictures down, driving or looking out the window with gloomy music in the background. I’m guessing the point was to get more meaning and emotions across to the viewers. For me it felt like the film was being stretched to meet the average length of a film.

Even with the limited dialogue that led nowhere, both of the main actors and some of the other supporting cast did a great job. There were several scenes between Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart that were intense and truly showcased their acting skills. Those scenes really helped the film and showed signs that it had strong potential to go somewhere. The scenes with Dianne Wiest, who played Nicole Kidman’s mother, were a true value to the film. She provided some laughs throughout the film in addition to the mother-daughter moments, making the movie watchable.

I would not recommend people to see Rabbit Hole, unless there is nothing else for you to do or nothing on tv. If you like slow storylines, unsatisfying endings, and films forcing you to analyze the actors’ actions or facial expressions to find deep meaning then this film is for you. Otherwise, skip it. I have seen a number of online media highlighting the standing ovation at the end of the film. The ruling is still out there if it was because the movie was actually good or because the film was finally over or just because the cast and directors were there. I’ll say it’s a combination of the latter two.

It was a let down that there was no Q&A period after the film. I was all ready to take pics this time. The pictures I did manage to take turned out bad since they were my test shots. I would also like to mention that I was starving while watching this movie. Thats  So all in all it was not a good experience.

tiff 2010: Conviction

The Toronto International Film Festival started this year on September 9 and I finally managed to see a film this past Saturday. Almost all major films are sold out and luckily I will be seeing a couple thanks to miss DK and her early purchases. If it was left up to me, I would probably be in the rush line and that’s assuming I really wanted to see the film. This is my third year attending TIFF and it is pretty cool seeing celebrities up close and seeing people go all crazy for them (I will make a future posting about my TIFF 2009 experience).

On Saturday I watched the world premier of Conviction. The film is directed by Tony Goldwyn and stars Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, and Juliette Lewis. The film is based on a true story of a single mother, Betty Anne, who devotes many years trying to get her brother out of prison after being wrongfully convicted and sent to life in prison for the murder of a lady in their neighbourhood. The movie is well done and I recommend everyone to see it. The film has a positive message regardless of the hard moments the brother and sister faced throughout their childhood and the brother's conviction. The acting from all the stars is well done and now I know why there is already some buzz for Hilary Swank's performance in the film and possibly being nominated during the upcoming award season.

I like movies based on a true story, so I guess that is another reason why I enjoyed the film. Plus it didn’t hurt having most of the cast in the same room…several feet behind me. Hilary Swank walked like a foot away from me and wow she is pretty!! I did take some pics and I will post some, but I want to get the better pics from miss DK.

Big Hype, Big Let Down

The MTV Video Music Awards seemed weird, boring and long at times…basically going nowhere! There was a lot of buzz with performances from Eminem, Canadians Justin Bieber and Drake, Kanye West and Taylor Swift (craziness part two possibly).

Talk surrounding Eminem started the moment he was announced as the opening act – was he capable of a much talked about opening like previous years (ie. Britney Spears’ Gimme More performance, and the Britney, Madonna, Christina kiss)? What happened next? Well, there was talk that Rihanna would be unable to attend due to her shooting schedule for the movie Battleship. This could have been interesting since there are a lot of artists that could have stepped in - maybe Elton John, like they did at the Grammy's...possibly...maybe not because OMJ...Rihanna showed up...wow what a big shocker, I did not expect that at all!! It must be impossible to get on a plane and fly on the same day for these celebrities!! So they performed and it was boring…try again! During one of the commercials, not sure if people heard, but the announcer is like, there is so much talk about Rihanna's surprise performance on twitter. Just lame!!

On to the Canadian artists…Justin Bieber performed and is it just me or does his dancing seem awkward?!?!? He seems out of place doing those moves; they seemed very forced. Drake's performance was just blah. Initially I thought it was going to be one of the standouts given the way it started with Mary J Blige and the stage set up....but it led to nada (nothing)…just three artists standing around singing. Mary's vocals were great. Swizz Beatz...umm why were you there?!?!? Do you even know how to play the piano?!?!? Why was your mic so low???

Then there is the whole Kanye West and Taylor Swift story and what would happen during the show. Well nothing! Her performance was good and the song talked about Kanye West, but what was up with the video footage at the start of the performance? Sure, remind us that you wanted to win an award, you won and Kanye West interrupted you. I think it’s time to let go and move on. Kanye West did the last performance and wow he was trying really, really hard - especially with that lame chorus. The red suit (minus those chains) and white background looked good. Other than that, please move along.

The best performance of the night was hands down Usher. The guy was singing, posing, sliding, spinning, dancing, jumping, and lip synching at times; he was doing it all! The whole performance was well put together and great usage of the stage.

Chelsea Handler did alright hosting. I'm with her hosting anytime just as long it's not that guy that Katy Perry is marrying! I liked how Chelsea thanked her Mexican Nugget friend...hahaha! I also like the part with her and the Jersey Shore cast. Seriously those guidos and guidettes have it made...getting paid (as much as actors for each episode) for partying and having fun!

The award show needs to put more focus on the awards and artists actually getting them. How many performances were there??? Too many! How many awards did they hand out??? Not enough. If they don't hand out awards, then why are they called the MTV Video Music Awards and how will they get randomness like Kanye West cutting people off during their acceptance speech? Focus on the awards and in the process create a good balance between the performances and the awards handed out!!!

HOLA

Welcome to OMJ!!!!

It's a blog about anything and everything. It's an outlet for everyone to share their thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. Topics may range from tv, music, movies, sports, food, events in Toronto or around the world, rants, random thoughts, etc. If you have a topic/idea that you would like me to write about you can send me an email. All suggestions are welcomed!

For those who are wondering what OMJ stands for...well it's Oh Ma Jesus :)