world of yoga

Before Yoga became the big trend it has become to today, Waldorf was teaching it in schools. It was an alternative to high school kids who didn't want to do Drama or sport activities or Handworking. I had Yoga class twice a week for one semester for two years straight. I didn't really appreciate it as much as I should've as I used it usually as a way to skip class and grab a large coffee from the local donut hangout. However, I did get that connection when I did attend. I had a feeling that Yoga would become as big as it has today. It was just that cool and trendy to be huge in the suburbs. As someone who doesn't really do the gym thing I don't get my chance to go to Yoga classes. I walk everywhere. I think that's workout enough for me. However, I do respect the art form it embraces and the psychology behind it. This is why I was happy to accompany my Mom last weekend to check out the big Yoga Conference in Toronto at the Convention Center. The three day treat for all ages was a Mecca for local Yogagoers around the way and meditation gurus from the local land. It was a hippie fest. Dozens of booths hawking clothing, natural foods, mats, natural medications, and books were placed in a the large room on the second floor while in the center, hundreds of people lined up for a free Yoga class' led by some of Toronto's finest teachers.

The day went awesome as it opened up my mind to the current Yoga universe and how it can really help you. Mentally and physically. My Mother even got a free acupressure mat out of the deal, too which is cool as I tried it the following day and I fell asleep on it for almost an hour and waking up feeling refreshed inside and out.

I'm surprised Waldorf didn't have a booth there as it seemed somewhere the Waldorf name would've belonged. Even without them, it felt like I was in high school all over again and opening my spirit wanting to be educated about the unknown universe of Yoga and meditation. Now, at least, I'm more open to knowing more.

seaweed burrito

It was the first time I had a seaweed burrito today. It was good. Scrumptious, in face. It came with tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumbers and beans inside. I never new seaweed could be so good. I will have to pick some up for myself next time I go for groceries. I also got a little can of an organic energy drink that got me started for my morning. Junk food or fast food never gave me that satisfaction after eating a meal. That satisfaction where I know I had something very good which will keep me full for a few hours. If you ever get a chance, try a seaweed burrito. You won't be disappointed.

fame-o-vision episode 2: in the kitchen

This time in the kitchen we make a hearty soul food meal to make you and your loved ones nice and warm during a cold Canuk winter. This weeks meal is Thai Veggie Soup and Meat Stu

what to eat?

Fettucini with tofu alfredo sauce. For dinner? Or now? If now, do I make a curried turkey stu or eggplant? Or do I forget it all and just have ice cream and cereal for every meal till Sunday like the good ol days?

webasode one: cooking with chef famekwon

I've been meaning to start a vlog for a while now. Last week after school I finally had some time to do a video on how to make Curry Chick Pea and Chicken. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. Eating is another favorite thing. I love them both equally. Even though, creating the dish is always fun. I'm going to try to do more vlogs now that I know how to use Windows Movie Maker. That thing is my new favorite toy. Anyway, here's the video. Let me know what you think..

home for a rest..

I've partied way too much in the past few weeks. Birthday parties, trying to just enjoy the summer type of parties, parties just to party parties. Relaxing mid-week parties. I've consumed way too much. I've done too much of other stuff, too. It's home for a rest. I'm going to take this week off. No smoking. No alcohol. No nothing. Just me and my healthy foods along with a bunch of rest and some exercise added in there for good measure. Today, being my Veggie Day, I had a fruit waffle for breakfast. Salad for lunch. Been drinking water the whole day. I actually also had some tea this morning. It's day two of this detox thing and I feel healthier. Cleaner. I'm going to try to do this more. I don't do detox weeks as much as I should. Maybe I can make this a two week thing. Most likely not, but I think it's good I'm doing it now. I would like to add some meditation into my weeks schedule. I think it would make me reconnect with myself after a wild, stressful, busy and hectic few weeks. We'll see.

veggie day...

I was sitting in class today eating my lunch. I realized that I'm eating pretty healthy today. That's when I realized that maybe I should do a veggie day four. No, three. No two times every week. Don't want to get ahead of myself, now. Yeah. Twice a week being a veg would be good enough. To start. So here we have it. Today on my first veggie day I had: Cut up peaches with strawberry yogurt for breakfast. Salad with ranch dressing and garlic for a snack along with apple juice and water for a quick snack. For lunch, I had a good helping of chickpeas with olive oil with green tea on the side. It feels good. I feel healthy. My second day of the week where I go all veg will be Wednesdays. I think this will help me clean my soul from all the garbage I tend to put into it on weekends and sometimes when I eat out. Balance. That's what we all need. Balance.

eat that, drink that: queen west

I haven't been to Queen West in a while. Miss it. I remember when I working with REMG at their offices on Fridays I would walk over to Queen and Bathurst and get invaded by some of the best food in the city. All neighboring each other complimenting each others odor radiating from the store's front doors. From normal everyday American dishes, to Indian food, to Caribbean servings, to some of the best greasy spoon and sushi restaurants in the city, Queen West is best to walk down on an empty stomach. My favorite is Ghandi's for most delicious and healthy proportions of Curry in the city. From Goat, to Chicken to Beef, Ghandi's rolls up the curry with homemade roti that's to die for. They also have a great Chicken Shawarma. Next is Ackee Tree Jamaican Cuisine which is a new Queen and Spadina find that is raising a lot of eyebrows with the take out eatery. They have an excellent Caribbean menu which is also very cheap on the pocket - perfect for nearby University students. Amato's Pizza is a legendary late night pizza joint that many clubbers crawl to after a night of partying for some of the largest pieces of pizza in the city. A wide range of unique topped pizza, along with a great price for two large pieces, is just a couple of reasons why this pizza joint has become a local treasure.



Those are some of my favorite local spots. Many memories with all of them. If you have taste buds that love the inexpensive culture cooking, check out Queen West next time you're downtown. Your stomach will love for it.

yells and fruit..

You know when you are still sleeping but not really and you're mumbling some nonsensical gibberish? That's what happened to me this morning. From what my Mother tells me, she tried to wake me up because I had to be lucid for the workman to come over and do some stuff around the house. Supposedly, I sat up in my bed and yelled some random words and then fell right back to sleep. While yelling, I grabbed a notepad and wrote some words on paper. It wasn't till later when I read what I wrote. It went like this:

Awakening someone from their sleep by transforming into someone not able to be on property is a criminal justification of the law..

I still don't get it. Was I dreaming about Transformers? Or a court room? Maybe both? Not too sure. All I know was that I didn't want to wake up and I didn't want my Mother to be in my room.


Weird way to start your day.

I got this evite for the free Mandarin lunch on July 1st at selected outlets. I'm going to go. I'm sure we'll have to go early enough to beat the lines. I think all you need to get free courses of food, is a Canadian citizenship. Inspired by the evite, I decided to make some fried noodles. Too good. Got to say it was one of the best dishes I've ever made. After I had some pineapple. Speaking of which, Recently Mom had a friend over for dinner. We were talking about our eating habits. I brought up the fact that I cut out sweets a while ago and only indulge in chocolate and candy very rarely and that for an after dinner treat, I tend to have fruits or veggies. My Mom's friend stated that that's not really a good way of doing things if you really want to spoil yourself. For me, though, that's how I spoil myself. I love fruit. I can live off it. I practically do.

I booked a weekend away for the summer. Finally, am able to get some time for me. Going to Windsor for the weekend to check out John Legend live in concert. I saw him a few years ago when he was touring in support of his first album. He's incredible live. If you haven't caught his show yet, do so. Especially if you're a fan. If you're not a fan, then just do it as a music fan and appreciation of true talent.

canadian music and healthy eating...

I was just cooking an earth day meal. Spelt pasta with organic meat, cucumbers, onions, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Haven't tasted it yet as I'm waiting for my Mother to get home from work to dive in. I have some yogurt for after, too. Sounds good for a day when we should remember that we should always eat healthy. Not only on Mother Nature's Day. Its not only good for the earth but it's good for us, too. For someone who likes his beer, smokes, deep fried foods and late night burger joints, I think I also eat pretty healthy when I want to. But those are the operative words. Want To. I should really start eating like this more often. Be veggie like. I know I can't but I can come close to it. I've been raised in a family where I was brought up liking meats way too much. Curry Chicken, Garlic Pork, Turkey on Thanksgiving. Nachos and Fries and Burgers during the Superbowl. But as we get older, we calm all that down. My Dad has stopped, but I haven't. Well, I have cut down too but I'm way too addicted. The grease. The high cholesterol substances that play hockey in my stomach with the onion rings I had just inhaled.

I think I can only go five days tops without something bad for me in my system. Not including beer. Not including fast food.


When I'm at home, I would make a wonderful healthy dinner then treat myself to something fatty for after. Or visa versa. I would have something really bad for me for dinner and then snack on fruit and veggies for the rest of the night.

At least I have balance, which I like.


While cooking my meal, I was listening to some satellite radio station on Star Choice (or is it Shaw Choice now?). Heard some good tracks. All from Canadian artists. The first one I heard was already posted on here. It was Ivana's Your Girl Tonight. The second was also posted on here. K-OS' 4-3-2-1. The third was a track I haven't heard yet even though it's the oldest track of the three and I dug it. It was Kardi's Numba 1 (Tide Is High). I realized with these three giants in Canadian music, along with others who are working on their own material (I see You CR and D-Sisive ) and some other projects coming out very soon, Canadian music is probably in the middle of its best year in a while. Well, maybe in the urban community. But it's having a great 2009.


It feels good when you know that Toronto has finally arrived.

Earth Day should remind you to live healthy all year around. Mentally and Physically. It should remind you to support homegrown talent. It should remind you to support grassroot movements. It should remind you to Be Green.

eat that! drink that!

For the second edition of the newest feature of the blog where we look into healthy living by consuming nutritious foods, we take a bite into Spelt Bread. I've become a big fan of spelt in recent months. One of my favorite dishes has become lamb and spelt bread with butter. Too good. Too good with some great benefits. Take a look...

Spelt is an ancient grain that traces its heritage back long before many wheat hybrids. Many of its benefits come from this fact: it offers a broader spectrum of nutrients compared to many of its more inbred cousins in the Triticum (wheat) family. Spelt features a host of different nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamin B2, a very good source of manganse, and a good source of niacin, thiamin, and copper. This particular combination of nutrients provided by spelt may make it a particularly helpful food for persons with migraine headache, atherosclerosis, or diabetes.


Concerned about atherosclerosis? You may want to increase your intake of spelt. This ancient grain is a good source of niacin, which has numerous benefits against cardiovascular risk factors. Niacin can help reduce total cholesterol and lipoprotein (a) levels. (Lipoprotein (a) or Lp(a) is a molecule composed of protein and fat that is found in blood plasma and is very similar to LDL cholesterol, but is even more dangerous as it has an additional molecule of adhesive protein called apolioprotein (a), which renders Lp(a) more capable of attaching to blood vessel walls.

Niacin may also help prevent free radicals from oxidizing LDL, which only becomes potentially harmful to blood vessel walls after oxidation. Lastly, niacin can help reduce platelet aggregation, the clumping together of platelets that can result in the formation of blood clots. Two ounces of spelt flour will supply you with 24.0% of the daily value for niacin.

The fiber in spelt can also help to reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels. The presence of fiber also contributes to the cholesterol-lowering potential of spelt. Fiber binds with the bile acids that are used to make cholesterol. Fiber isn't absorbed, so when it exits the body in the feces, it takes the bile acids with it, making less available for cholesterol production.

eat that! drink that!

Another new feature on the blog. This feature will examine good healthy eating and drinking. Stuff that is good and will also make you live longer. We'll start it off with Green Tea. I started to drink green tea on a regular a couple of weeks ago when I was conscience about coming down with a cold as it's always around this time when I get my yearly cold that knocks me out for more than a week. My Mom told me to drink green tea everyday. I've been good thus far. Well, a day of a real bad flu but other than that, I'm feeling great. Thought I'd share some little known effects of drinking green tea.

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.