Home Remedy: Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

Here’s a short and easy home remedy I use or rather drink when I’m sick, Honey Lemon Ginger Tea.  All you need to do is add fresh ginger to a mug, a squeeze of lemon, a teaspoon of honey (or sweeten to taste), and then mix and mash it all together.  Then add a bag of honey lemon tea or substitute chamomile tea, and pour boiling water.  Let it brew for a few minutes, knowing that the longer it stays in the stronger it becomes (especially the ginger can become very spicy).  I like to keep the mug close to my face and let the vapors unclog my nose.  The benefits of ginger are its anti-inflammatory properties, and it also helps as a decongestant.  I like to drink a couple of mugs a day when I’m sick and they usually always help me feel better, so I hope it works for you too.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXMJXqjywl4

Ratchet & Clank

The first time I played Ratchet & Clank was when I didn’t consider myself a gamer.  I would buy a console off the buy and sell ads for cheap, play the games it came with, and then sell the console right after.  During this period I must have played Ratchet & Clank because I always remembered how good it was.  But like I said, I wasn’t a gamer so I never beat the game and just sold the console right after.  Thankfully years later I came back to video games and I knew I had to have Ratchet & Clank in my collection.

As we’re currently celebrating the 20^th anniversary of this game (released on November 4, 2002), I decided to play it again.  This game feels like a N64 game such as Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day with their action platforming, comedy and puzzles.  It also has spaceship battles like the one’s found in Star Fox.  In fact some areas thoroughly impressed with what they were capable of doing back in 2002, such as walking up walls and upside down (similar to Super Mario Galaxy).  This game is near perfect, but my only complaint is that it requires some grinding to buy or upgrade certain weapons (thankfully you can remedy this with a lengthy cheat).  Other than that, this is a beautiful and fun game that every video game collector must own.

Ratchet & Clank Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank_(2002_video_game)

Insomniac Games: https://insomniac.games/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvf1E2DsAdA

Passion Flakie

Growing up in Canada there were certain staples of Canadian treats that every child had in their 80’s and 90’s lunchbox.  For me at the top was the Flakie (eventually it changed names to the Passion Flakie).  This delicious pastry was made with a flaky crust similar to Filo, with sugar added on the top, and then it was filled with whip cream and an apple-raspberry filling.  Unfortunately as a child, I would always eat them crushed because I wasn’t careful.  Thankfully as an adult I can now enjoy them straight out of the box in immaculate condition.  The best part is, they still taste the same and they bring me back to childhood.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZb8lE7FGxs&t=10s

Vachon Passion Flakie Pastries: https://www.vachon.com/en

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: Dreamer Edition

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: Dreamer Edition for the Nintendo Switch released on September 20, 2019.  The Dreamer Edition includes the game and an art book.  At the time I wasn't the biggest Link’s Awakening fan, nevertheless I was still excited to get this game because of the Nintendo Direct release trailer; which featured an anime video of Link being shipwrecked.  I bought the special edition the day it released and also the lone Link amiibo as well.

Flash forward years later, and I have played the game already and my opinion of the game has changed dramatically.  Initially I really hated the game because the maze like dungeons confused me a lot.  I can’t change my first impressions, however the real value of this game is the re-play.  And it’s in the re-play that I have fallen in love with this game.  Once you know what to do, and where to go you achieve a sort of buzz from the flow of the game.  Despite the updated graphics and console, the game still plays exactly the same as the original release; making this a bonafide timeless classic.  Link’s Awakening is now my favourite 2D Zelda game.

The Legend of Zelda: www.zelda.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nognSBwk9m0

Club Monaco Heritage Crest Sweatshirt

Back in the 90’s Club Monaco was a very popular brand to wear in Canada.  It was similar in style to J. Crew, The Gap (90’s) and Calvin Klein; with it specializing in basic wear such as khakis and plain white shirts.  However what was most popular from Club Monaco was their sweatshirt sweater with their logo crest.  Club Monaco has now brought back this iconic sweater and is calling it the “Heritage Crest Sweatshirt.”

Fortunately I still own my “old” sweater which is now considered vintage.  And while it has seen better days, I still use it during the chilly seasons.  But like I said, Club Monaco has re-released this iconic sweater so I had to buy it in grey.  The only differences that I now see is that it’s made in India (not Canada unfortunately), the logo crest is slightly different, and the sizing is very slim.  As for the sizing, that’s not a big deal because Club Monaco has catered to smaller sizes for years now.  Other than that this is a wonderful sweatshirt sweater that makes 90’s style a forever classic.  (I recommend pairing it with khakis)

Club Monaco: www.clubmonaco.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97e4Rs3DNfg

Costco Birkenstock

I bought these Birkenstock sandals on sale here in Canada for $69.  Initially I was excited because they were half the price that they usually retail for.  I bought them in a smaller size from what I usually wear (size 10, I wear 11 in sneakers).  I was excited about my sandals but once I started doing a little research on them, I found out that Costco isn’t an authorized dealer of Birkenstock.

This had me worried because I assumed that they were fakes.  It also had me questioning Costco because I’ve been a loyal member for years and have never seen them sell fake products.  But after inspecting my sandals for a while, and wearing them I came to the conclusion that they were authentic Birkenstocks.  As for them being a non-authorized dealer I figure that it’s because Costco has such a great return policy that Birkenstock (the company) wasn’t ready to honor any return policy, so Costco decided to sell them without their authorization.  Boss Move!

BIRKENSTOCK: https://www.birkenstock.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC0YzOyje0

IKEA Chili Dog

I was shocked when I found out that IKEA in Canada sold chili dogs.  I don’t know what was more shocking, that IKEA sold chili dogs or that it only cost $1.50 Canadian (about a $1 US)!  Either way, I had to try them out and to my surprise they’re not that bad.  The wiener and bun are basic (almost like what you get at school) but the chili is good and comes with plenty of meat and beans.  For the price and quality this is one delicious chili dog that I recommend anyone try if they visit IKEA in Toronto.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLxra16y0QA

IKEA: www.ikea.com

Why I Quit Collecting Jerseys

 

During the last few years I stopped collecting sports jerseys like I use to a decade ago.  Throughout the years I donated most of my jerseys and also sold some (at a loss).  But what was most significant was that I also stopped buying jerseys.  This led me to ponder why I stopped collecting jerseys, and so I decided to write a list of the reasons why I stopped.

The first reason I stopped is because I’m getting older and wearing a jersey outside to a mall, a bar or a restaurant doesn’t seem too appealing.  I’d rather wear a nice Polo dress shirt than a bright colorful jersey outside.  The second reason I stopped is because jerseys are becoming too expensive to buy frequently.  For example a Michael Jordan jersey from Mitchell & Ness is now $450 plus tax and a NHL Adidas jersey start at $200.

The third reason I stopped buying jerseys is because of poor quality issues such as lack of stitching.  This is problematic for me because letters and numbers are now heat pressed rather than stitched on, causing these numbers and letters to fall off.  And finally the last reason is because jerseys now use Dri-FIT Polyester material.  The problem with Dri-Fit is that it will cause snags to happen more frequently making the whole jersey look ugly.  Unfortunately the future of jerseys doesn’t look too bright with all these concerns I have, but I also have hope that maybe one day my passion for jerseys will return once these issues are remedied.

Blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKcfRk951qE

NES Nintendo Coasters

These Nintendo coasters are so dope!  I wanted them for a while but unfortunately they were hard to find in my area, and I didn’t want to import them.  I was actually concerned that the quality wouldn’t be so good because I assumed they were as fragile as paper coasters.  I didn’t want them to be a one-time-use thing.  Thankfully, now that I own them and have used them a few times I gotta say they have far exceeded my expectation.  They’re made using a thick cardboard material and have a nice wax coating at the top and bottom to protect them from moisture.  I’m so happy I got these because these mini NES game coasters are so cute to use.

Paladone: www.paladone.com

YouTube: https://youtu.be/03QqIoYIsX8