Comments Off on Jake Gyllenhaal celebrates “Stronger” at the Grey Goose after party
Celebrating the TIFF premiere of the film Stronger, Jake Gyllenhaal arrived to the after party at Soho House last night on September 8, 2017.
The film centres on the memoir of Boston marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman (pictured above).
We sipped on cocktails and nibbled on bites while admiring how Jake looks the same as he does on the big screen. He was all smiles as he mingled with guests.
We spotted Tatiana Maslany greeting him and take a photo with him as well.
Comments Off on Fast Cars and Hot Laps at the Chevrolet Ron Fellows Driving Experience
Helmets on, safety restraints in place, clutch in, in gear, green light, go go go! The excitement and exhilaration of driving a Corvette Z06 on the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Grand Prix track makes for one sweet afternoon. Continue reading→
Step aside escape rooms and board game cafes; virtual reality may just be the “future of entertainment” wherein one can immerse themselves into another world. The arcade, bordering the uptown area of Toronto, combines high quality technology with the social aspect of gaming with friends, which intrigues both avid gamers and newcomers alike. One can take on a variety of games to their heart’s content or have a glimpse of the VR world at booths that are pre-setup by tech connoisseurs.
Located at the “World on Yonge” plaza, “VR Zone” recently opened in June by a joint collaboration between an economics and a computer science graduate. After testing out a handful of VR equipment, Ray and his partner, opted for the HTC Vive for its high calibration and ease of mobility. The smooth performance (featuring a GTX 1080 Ti) creates a realistic visual and acoustic ambiance that allows players to feel as if they have been teleported to a different dimension. Most impressively, VR Zone has Canada’s first ever fully wirelessly controlled game system.
“State of the art custom carbon fibre wire management system – removes wire dragging effect”
Currently, the 18 games available at VR Zone are divided into five categories:
1. First Person Shooter
First person shooter is without a doubt a popular pick due to its high-intensity and adrenaline-inducing gun-play. “Mercenary” exercises swift tactile skills for dodging bullets and target accuracy. “Space Pirate Trainer” has a more breath-taking view where you shoot down flying droids on a spaceship horizon to get the highest score.
2. Recreation
You can have your own customizable avatar at “The Rec Room”, a dorm-style lounge that allows you to interact with other real-time users globally, and play various PVP games such as dodgeball, disc golf, and charades. I also enjoyed “Audioshield” where you hold two different-coloured deflectors and shield incoming beats from your song-of-choice.
3. Experience
“The Lab” is a pocket universe which holds a collection of Valve’s experiments and games in varying worlds. “Tilt Brush” brings drawing to a 3D context. The brush allows you to unleash your creativity with a life-sized canvas and animated brush strokes.
4. Strategy
I enjoyed “Vacate the Room” which is a virtual escape room with a definite ending to your puzzle-solving achievements.
5. Horror
For the braver adventure-seekers, “Arizona Sunshine” places you in a survival mode during the zombie apocalypse. “The Brookhaven Experiment” will also be sure to make your skin crawl where monsters pop up from the darkness.
Alongside The Rec Room and Arizona Sunshine, “Battle Dome” and “Raw Data Arcade” are more co-op games where you can team up with your friends, which comes in handy when hosting birthday or bachelor parties.
What makes VR Zone different from other Virtual Reality Arcades is the self-serving aspect. In many other places, the user would require to seek the assistance of the employee in order to manually switch games. Aside from receiving assistance for putting on the headgear and game recommendations from the knowledgeable employees, you decide how long you’d want to play each game for with minimal supervision. Additionally, the projection of blue-grid indicators into the game allows for awareness of the outside world.
VR in action
They are in the works of developing more Steam games, such as “Super Hot” into a virtual-reality format, so expect more new games upon your visit. Unsurprisingly, VR Zone’s efficient self-service experience is already receiving franchising proposals to implement their convenient system globally. The owners also hope to expand the use of VR to bring a more educational purpose (ie. biology demonstrations) to future clients.
A secret location; elegance in white; a 29 year old tradition; soiree outdoors – It was an exciting and glamorous evening among good friends and also new acquaintances against the backdrop of Toronto’s beautiful skyline. Continue reading→
Comments Off on Diwan’s Summer Menu at The Aga Khan Museum
The Aga Khan Museum stands 3 years strong as a prominent landmark in the North York area, comprised of 3 beautifully integrated components: the museum, the park, and Ismaili Centre (a Muslim prayer hall). Aside from their permanent collection in the museum, which features over 1000 artifacts from the 18th to 20th century, Aga Khan opens up temporary exhibits such as the past Syrian Symphony: New Compositions in Light and Sounds, which sheds light on the Syrian culture and brings hope in lieu of recent tragedies.
The Aga Khan Museum at night
The Aga Khan museum’s well-orchestrated exhibits allow us to connect on a deeper level, and also a global scale by bringing together collaborators, musicians, artists, and visitors. Individually, the park at Aga Khan appeals to the five senses: touch (gravel), sight (multi-coloured lights), hearing (water), smell (lavender), and taste (berries).
Diwan’s Summer Patio at the Aga Khan Museum
Speaking of taste, the open-concept restaurant, Diwan, is also quite breath-taking itself, from their inviting patio to the gorgeous interior – complete with intricate wooden panels tracing back from the 18th century. Having their menu curated by the McEwan Group, it is no surprised that this 65-seater space was quite the hotspot for Summerlicious this year.
A new summer-menu was recently launched that highlights Middle Eastern flavours and their respective Silk Route spices. Their dishes range from healthier fare including the Grilled Octopus with Chickpea Salad, to more comforting options like the Advieh Spiced Calamari. Having a preference for any variation of poutine, I would recommend the Masala Spiced Fries, which are generously coated with a heart-warming garlic aioli and tamarind ketchup.
Masala Spiced Fries
Many of the dishes have such a complex and indescribable array of flavours that fulfill one’s appetite with content. Either way, these aromatic spices would perfectly pair with their refreshing pulp-filled strawberry guava mocktails.
Strawberry guava mocktails
With a few weeks of summer vacation life, the Aga Khan Museum provides activities that would accommodate the family. Experience the museum, take an evening stroll around the beautiful park, or catch an upcomingFilms Under the Stars event.
