Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day (or Valentine’s Week as it is quickly becoming in my home) is here to stay. While some people want to hate on it because it is a commercial holiday, it is also a reminder to take a break from our busy lives and spend some time with the one that is most important to us.

If you are like 95% of people out there, right now you are currently scrambling trying to figure just what you are going to do with your special someone this Valentine’s Day. Since I don’t know you or your significant other (unless that’s you Mom and Dad), it is always difficult to say what kind of things are best for you specifically, but here is a broad list of what I think are pretty awesome ideas so hopefully this helps you narrow things down:

BE ADVENTUROUS

Hit the Slopes – Find a mountain, or hill if you are in Toronto like me, and spend the day there. Don’t know how to ski or snowboard? Learn together!

Climb Some Rocks – If your weather is great, and you can do it outdoors, go rock climbing. If you are currently getting pillaged by a polar vortex find a gym nearby that offers rock climbing.

Get Away – Find a place that is under 2 hours away, pack the car and spend a night in a hotel. Bring some bubbles and rose petals if you really want to show off your Don Juan skills.

Take a Hike – No matter where you are in the world, there are going to be some hiking trails nearby. Bundle up if it is cold, stop for hot chocolate, bring the dogs and make a day of it!

Throw Knives – Knife throwing is the latest activity to hit Toronto, and what better way to bond then over flying dangerous objects.

YOUNG AT HEART

Ping Pong – My very first date with my fiance involved ping pong. It is a great way to work up a sweat and have lots of fun at the same time.

Bowling For Dollars – Well maybe there are no dollars involved, but a friendly non-monetary wager could make a round of bowling really interesting. Make the wager something like loser cooks dinner and gives the other a massage.

Darts – I purchased darts around 3 years ago thinking my now fiance and I would go out and use them somewhere, but it never really happened until just a few months ago. We finally went to a bar with some dart boards and had an awesome night!

Skating – Start the night off by freezing your butts off on a pad of ice, then find a way to warm up together after.

Board Game Night – Bust out some of those classic board games and like bowling, add a friendly wager here and there.

WORK UP A SWEAT

Hit The Gym – If you both love working out, why not go together and try some activities you don’t usually do at the gym. Sign up for one of those classes you’ve always wanted to do.

Shine Up Your Dancing Shoes – Either hit up a club and get your dance on, or find a local dance class or organized dance and either learn something new, or just have fun! Also, purchase Just Dance for your Wii or other gaming system and dance where literally nobody is watching.

Namaste – Take a yoga class together to limber up for some post yoga activities.

EXPLORE YOUR CITY (or a big one nearby if you live in the burbs)

Night at the Museum – You don’t really have to wait til the night to visit the museum, but if you haven’t been for years it is always fun to see what science has been up to while you’ve been gone.

Become An Art Snob – Whether you visit galleries, or head to your local art museum, go check out some art that you love.

Watch Some Live Music – Concert tickets might be too last minute but there are plenty of awesome bands playing watering holes all over the city. Just google live music in your city and something should come up.

Grab Your Cameras And Hit The Streets – If you don’t own a camera, chances are you have one on your cell phone. Head out together and explore the city and try to get the best shots. Pic the top 2 from each of you and frame them.

Aquarium! – We just got an aquarium in Toronto a few years ago and I still am ashamed to say I haven’t been. But I WANT TO.

Head To The Movies – Head to an early show and try to sneak into as many movies after as possible.

Karaoke – Every city should have at least one karaoke venue, and if you life in one of the bigger cities you can head to Koreatown and rent a room in one of the karaoke bars. Budget alternative: Many smart TVs, or video game systems have karaoke games that you can play from the comfort of your home.

EMBRACE GLUTTONY

Try a Restaurant You’ve Always Wanted To Try – Make a list of all the places you both really want to try, and GO TRY THEM!

Cook Together – Either hit the market and buy some awesome stuff to prepare at home or take a cooking class together and learn to make something you’ve never made before.

Bar/Restaurant Hop – Map out a bunch of places you want to try and go to each but only have one item at each. Sharing is caring, so by splitting items you will get to try a bunch of different places!

Host A Wine Tasting – You can either do this with other couples, or do on your own, but buy a bunch of different wines, a bunch of cheeses and appetizers and try as many different wines as you can. This also works for beer if wine isn’t your thing.

Go To A Brewery – Head to somewhere that booze is made and learn how they make it. There are plenty of small breweries, wineries or distilleries out there that do tours.

HELLO DON JUAN!

Re-Create Your First Date – Take a walk down memory lane and try to retrace the steps from the first time you met, or on your first date.

XXX Store – Hit up a sex shop and go in with $25-$50 each. Each pick out something without the other person knowing and then head home and have some fun.

Kama Sutra – You’ve seen the book on your aunt’s bookshelf, but now it’s time to get one of your own. See how many positions you can master.

Visit a Burlesque Show – Google should be able to direct you to one near you. I’ve never been to one, but hear they are fun!

Light the Fire – If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace at home, fire that baby up. If not, find somewhere with one, sit close to the fire, and just enjoy each other’s company.

Hopefully this list gives you some ideas on what to do with your lover this Valentine’s Day. If not think about what you love, or have never done but always wanted to do and just do something. After all, it doesn’t really matter what you are doing if you are doing it with the person you love.
 

Single?

If this list just made you throw up in your mouth a little and you are single and looking to mingle, there are plenty of anti-valentine’s day type events all over and loads of singles events if you’d like to meet someone. Also, some online dating sites like e-harmony are doing free weekends over Valentine’s weekend so take advantage.

When I used to visit Montreal a few years back, one of the places I always ended up going out with friends to was Buonanotte. When I heard a while ago that Buonanotte had opened a Toronto restaurant, I was intrigued, but never made a big effort to go there, even though it is just a few blocks from my home. In my mind, there was no way it would be anything like the Montreal counterpart so I didn’t want to spoil my Montreal go-to, in case I made it back there.

That all changed just a week ago when I was invited to try out the new holiday menu at Buonanotte Toronto. After being teased with mascarpone pizza, gnocchi and short rib, it was really hard to turn down.

Buonanotte Dining Room

We started off by sampling several cocktails on their cocktail list. Throughout the night I got to try the following: Continue Reading »

For those of you that know me well, you probably have already heard, but some people may be reading this blog that don’t know what I have been up to lately as I really haven’t said anything here. About 3 months ago I started working full-time as a real estate sales representative at Bosley Real Estate on Queen West (at Dovercourt). Since then I have spent a lot of time seeing as much product (houses and condos) as I can, running open houses, networking, continuing to learn and have even helped some clients find a new home.

Part of the reason I got into this career path was I really enjoy helping people and I believe people should get the best value for their dollar (as you may have noticed from several of the posts on here). I treat every transaction as if my clients’ money is my own and make sure that I either get the most money for my client’s property or help them pay as little as possible for a property that they might want to call home.

If you aren’t from Toronto, you might not know the name Bosley Real Estate, so let me tell you why I chose to work with them. When I first walked in their doors, it just felt right. The management team is very involved with organized real estate, and since starting here, my manager was even elected as President of the Toronto Real Estate board for 2015. Most of the other agents actually come to the office, unlike many other brokerages, and are happy to help with any questions. Everyone is generally happy here.

On top of all that, Bosley has an amazing reputation amongst their peers in the industry and is home to many of the highest producing agents in the city. They are known for having a very high level of professionalism, which is one thing I found to be lacking in my experiences buying my own condo. Best of all, we kick some serious butt when it comes to getting clients the most money for their homes:

So why would you hire me? Honestly, I think I am a trustworthy person, but know trust needs to be earned. Here are some of the things I will do, that very few other agents will do for you:

– I will fight hard for YOU to get YOU the most money, or make sure YOU pay the least amount possible. For example, I’ve already advised clients that I think they should pay less, even though they wanted to go in with a higher offer which I knew would seal the deal right away. My first deal was a lease, which most agents would try to spend as little time possible on, but I spent a good 4-5 days just on negotiating the terms with the other agent to make sure my clients didn’t pay any more than they had to.

– I will NEVER choose my own financial gain over YOUR best interests.

– I have worked for myself for the last 7+ years doing online marketing, so I know a thing or two about getting your property viewed by potential clients. I know where and even when to post to make sure the most people see your property.

– I understand the importance of good photography for a listing and will spend money to make you money. If hiring a professional photographer will get you the most people in through the doors, then I will pay for one. Heck, I’ll even hire a production company to make a video if I think it will sell your special property that may attract buyers in other countries.

– I have an amazing team behind me should I have any questions along the way. Unlike many brokerages, our office works together, and has regular meetings where we talk about what is going on in the market.

– Through our in-house Bosley training program, I learned many real life scenarios including the art of negotiation and how to handle multiple offer scenarios (which I ended up winning), something very important to Toronto’s market.

– I know the city well, and have lived here my entire life. I am always out on the town at various events, and keep a close ear out for major developmental changes.

– I am someone you can turn to for anything real estate related. I will walk you through the entire home selling/buying process and even advise you if I don’t think it is a good idea for you to buy. I will keep you updated on what your home is worth after we close the deal.

– Most importantly, when you hire me, you get ME. Not a team of agents that aren’t who you initially thought you were hiring. You can call me at any time no matter how insignificant the question.

I hope this gives you a bit of insight about my new career, and really hope to hear from you! My website is torontocondos.org, but I am not just focused on the condo market. My idea client is someone looking to sell their condo and move on to their first home, so I have knowledge of both of these subjects. The areas I plan to focus on are from Leslieville to Mimico, up to around Bloor/Danforth, though if you are looking along the Yonge TTC line, I grew up at Yonge/Eglinton and know those areas well too.

GIVEAWAY

Since it can be hard to get people to read about a blog post about real estate, I have decided to add a giveaway down here at the bottom. To start off, I am going to giveaway a pair of tickets to the TFC match this Wednesday at 8pm. The tickets are located in the supporters section which is standing only and is a lot of fun. I will probably change the giveaway up after the TFC game to something else, so keep checking back on this page for the latest giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

On June 12th, I was invited to attend the Tourism Prince Edward Island‘s 1864 pop-up feast with Chef Lynn Crawford. My excitement was through the roof. This was my third Tourism Prince Edward Island event and I have thoroughly loved all three. But there was something extra special about the event put on this year, which took you down Canadian history lane in true P.E.I. fashion. This event is always intended to share the true unique experience and magic this little island has to offer and over achieves every time!

If you’re still contemplating a vacation this summer or fall, then add P.E.I. to your vacation spot bucket list. There is no better time to visit because there are so many amazing festivities planned for 2014. You will see that P.E.I. is more than their beloved Anne of Green Gables, potatoes, and lighthouses. 2014 marks the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference. This landmark event brought 23 leaders together which led to the birth of our beautiful nation. And by no coincidence they have over 150 events and festivals planned. Altogether there’s 70 days of activities throughout the entire summer at no better place than Confederation Landing.

Prince Edward Island started off the summer fun at their designated P.E.I. Celebration Zone with a huge Canada Day party! This included live performances from some of Canada’s top artists including Barenaked Ladies, Tegan and Sara and Classified. To make sure the festival kicks off with a bang, they proudly put on the largest fireworks display to ever take place in Canada. Continue Reading »

Growing up in my late 20’s, my drink of choice was vodka. Even though it was my forbidden alcohol, the one that probably gave me the worst hangover in my life, I still came crawling back. If I was going out with friends for a night on the town, it usually meant that night would be vodka fueled.

During my 20’s I lost a lot of weight, around 80lbs to be exact. I gave up beer and the only drink I would touch was vodka water. This definitely wasn’t something you drank for the flavour, but it did “the trick”. Over the past few years, I gave up on the vodka waters and also have put back some of the weight on, but now I might have a reason to switch back.

Purity Vodka is the newest vodka to hit the LCBO shelves. Hailing from Sweden, the land of beautiful blondes, IKEA furniture and a slightly sub-par hockey team to our own, Purity is quickly becoming one of the most popular vodkas in the world. Produced at Ellinge Castle in the south of Sweden, the vodka is distilled 34 times (I guess 33 wasn’t enough) and during this process 90% of the liquid is lost. The vodka is made exclusively from natural ingredients including organic winter wheat and malted barley and is certified organic in Europe and the United States. They have already received over 80 Gold and Master awards, which according to Master Blender Thomas Kuuttanen, is more than all the other vodka companies. Continue Reading »