Vancouver International Auto Show 2014 (Mar 25-30)

The Vancouver International Auto Show is back this week at the Convention Centre in Downtown Vancouver! Happening March 25 to 30, the newest models of cars will be on display for you to see. Don’t forget to check out the luxury super cars as well! General admission starts at $10/15. To find out more information about the show or buy tickets here.

20% All LEGO at London Drugs

London Drugs is having a sale on all LEGO products this week. It's a great time to pick up newer sets that have not been on sale before to add to your collection! Check out what they have in stock here.

The Noodle Box Grand Opening Celebration (Mar 29)

The Noodle Box is opening up a new location on Main Street (2511 Main Street, Vancouver BC) and they are celebrating by giving out free noodle boxes! Happening this Saturday, March 29^th, you can get your own stir fry noodle box for absolutely free from noon until 5pm. Donations would be appreciated and would benefit the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House. Head on down for some noodles and community spirit!

Blue Man Group Entertains In Vancouver

 
The Blue Man Group is in Vancouver performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre until March 30th and I had the pleasure of attending on opening night earlier this week. The show is 90 minutes of fun, full of music, humour and audience interaction. The Blue Men play on PVC pipes and it's pretty awesome when it all comes together (plus I really like anything to do with drumming), with their band joining in. It is neat to see music being created out of anything from eating cereal to plastic pipes. Audience participation is encouraged, and the Blue Men will seek out audience members to go on stage as part of a skit or art project, so don't be shy! You'll be laughing throughout the show at their funny antics. The show ends with a giant dance party where everyone is told to get up and shake their behind, streamers shoot out over the audience and there are giant balloons bounce above the crowd. 

You'll get a chance to meet the band after the show and admire the art created. Blue Man Group is a very different type of show, but fun(ny) and definitely worth seeing! Visit Broadway Across Canada for tickets.

Muppets Most Wanted - In Theatres Now!

I went to the advanced screening Muppets Most Wanted last Wednesday. Tina Fey, Ty Burrell and Ricky Gervais were hilarious! Known for poking fun at themselves and their catchy tunes, Muppets Most Wanted did not disappoint. There were definitely a few songs that I was singing along to after the movie. Check out a few of them below!

40% off Select Toys at Toys R Us (Mar 20 - 27)

Toys R Us is having a 40% off select toys sale this week and there are some decent deals to be had. TRU is known for selling their toys for above MSRP so be aware when looking at the sale price. There are also a few LEGO sets that are included in this sale, which is rare since LEGO almost never gets more than 20% off during sales. Check out what they have to offer here.

Frozen - Now Available on Blu-ray/DVD!

 The day has come that Frozen fans have been waiting for - Frozen is now available everywhere on Blu-ray and DVD. With a bunch of Disney movies released on the 18th, Frozen was one of the ones I picked up on the day of release. Arguably one of the most successful Disney flicks in history, the Collector's Edition has been selling extremely well since it's release. It includes a Blu-ray, DVD and HD digital copy. It is packed with bonus features including:

- The Making of Frozen
- D'frosted: Disney's Journey from Hans Christian Anderson to Frozen
- Deleted Scenes
- "Let It Go" Music Videos
- "Get a Horse!" Mickey Mouse Short

Many stores are selling the Collector's edition pack with an exclusive gift.

- The Target exclusive includes a bonus DVD that contains a deleted scene, Frozen art gallery and The Voices of Frozen featurette.
- Walmart contains either an Elsa or Anna Disney Infinity figurine
- Best Buy and Futureshop includes an activity book

Currently on sale this week for only $19.99, Frozen is definitely a must-own for Disney fans! Make sure to check out the offer from Disney Movie Rewards to get your own pull-apart Olaf plushie for only $9.95 when you enter the DMR code included in your movie. You can also purchase a digital copy of the Frozen soundtrack for only $7.

The LEGO Movie - Cloud Cuckoo Palace

With the popularity of The LEGO Movie, I couldn't help but buy one of the LEGO sets that I keep seeing at toy stores everywhere. The LEGO Movie sets have been doing very well as more and more families see the film, and new LEGO fans are born or adults comes out of the dark ages.

I chose set 70803 Cloud Cuckoo Palace because it was the most eye catching with the bright colours on the box. It definitely is the "girliest" set of the line. Cloud Cuckoo Land is one of the Lego worlds that Emmet and Wyldstyle visit in The Lego Movie. It's full of rainbows, creativeness, happiness and positivity and is a place where you can do whatever you want whenever you want!

The set is split up into four bags and you get some solid minifigures in this set, including Emmet, Wyldstyle, Unikitty and an executron. There is a pretty adorable snail included as well!

The build was straight forward. The Cloud Cuckoo Palace set brings to life this very fun scene from the movie with a very whimsical design and bright pastel colours. It was a fun build and has some great playability that includes wheels that turn, and the sun that can go up and down.

Flower flick missile.

Priced at $24.99 CAD, Cloud Cuckoo Palace is a must have for fans of The LEGO Movie. It is one of the most popular sets of the line and has been consistently sold out everywhere, especially at this affordable price. Definitely check out the rest of the sets in this line!

Saving Mr. Banks - Now Available on Blu-ray and DVD!

Everyone knows the story of Mary Poppins, a magical nanny that flies into the Bank's household and saves the family. But do you know the story behind it?

Saving Mr. Banks gives us a look at the life of Mary Poppins’ author, P.L. Travers, and the struggle that Walt Disney went through to get the rights to turn her beloved character into a Disney film. Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) spent 20 years trying to convince Travers (Emma Thompson) to sell the rights of the book to him, to fulfill a promise he made to his daughters. We see flashbacks to Travers childhood where the characters of Mr. Banks and Mary Poppins are created to the uptight Travers who disagreed with everything Disney and his team proposed for the film.

Saving Mr. Banks is really a compelling story with great acting. It is certainly worth seeing, and the now you can own it on Blu-ray and DVD. There are loads of extra features packed into the discs, including:

- The Walt Disney Studios: From Poppins to the Present
- "Let's Go Fly A Kite" tribute to composer Richard Sherman
- Deleted Scenes

Saving Mr. Banks is now out in stores and Disney is offering a $5 off coupon when you purchase the blu-ray combo pack!You can also head on over to Disney Movie Rewards to download a free copy of the original production sheet music of "Let's Go Fly a Kite" when you purchase the movie.

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided by the company for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals and Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

Whistler Never-Ever Days - Snowboarding Lessons

One of the joys of living in Vancouver is that we are so close to the mountains, it's never more than a few hours drive to go up. Yet I never go, though I have always wanted to try skiing or snowboarding. The opportunity came when Whistler offered a special rate for Never Ever Days a week ago for people who wanted to learn how to snowboard. An instructor, rentals, lift tickets and a beer was included in the package for a mere $25! J and I jumped at the chance, as we were planning to head up to Whistler soon anyways. We packed our bags and took the Greyhound up to Whistler on Friday night and settled in at the Cascade Lodge.

The Inukshuk right outside Whistler Village.

We had an early 8:30 start on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty terrible, with rain and wet snow throughout the day. With 100 people per day, everyone was split into groups of four with one instructor. Our instructor's name was Andy, who came from the UK to work (and snowboard) in Whistler. After we grabbed our gear, we took the lift up to the learning area, where we learned how to put the bindings on our snowboarding boots and practiced shuffling around with the board strapped to one foot. It was hard work! We finally got to practice runs down the little hill, and boy was I terrible!! I couldn't stand up once my bindings were on. :(

Trying to stay upright!

A successful day of lessons with instructor, Andy.

We took a lunch break at the Garibaldi Lift Co before having to don our cold and wet gear again and head back up the mountain. We all practiced runs again for a little bit. The lesson ended at 2 when J and I took the lift down the mountain with Andy to get our free beer at the GLC. We chatted for a bit and finally headed back to the hotel to peel off our wet clothes and take a hot shower!   

Pulled pork and pineapple flatbread. A nice hot meal to warm up!

We went to Earls for dinner and went to Cows for dessert. I've been wanting to go to Cows since I went on a Whistler trip with band when I was in grade 9 and missed out! It didn't disappoint! I chose two flavours: Messie Bessie (chocolate ice cream, moo crunch, oreo cookie, english toffee) and Brownie Explosion (vanilla ice cream, chocolate marble and brownie pieces).

The next day we headed out and walked around the village for a bit, since it was a gorgeous day. We decided to try cross-country skiing. The scenery on the walk to the Lost Lake was  beautiful!

I have only been cross-country skiing once when I was in grade 5, and I don't remember it being so hard! I was definitely just shuffling along like an old grandma. I stayed in the tracks and managed not to fall until the end where I tumbled down a hill! Luckily there was someone coming the other way to help me up! It was a beautiful area and made me want to stay up at Whistler.

J and I grabbed some coffee afterwards, when it started raining. Perfect timing! We got some food afterwards and the BG Grill and then we explored the village. There were still signs of the 2010 Winter Olympics that happened in Whistler with the Olympic and Paralympic rings displayed at the edge of the village.

We chilled out at McD's and Starbucks until 7:30 when the Fire and Ice Show was happening. Every Sunday night, they build a snow ramp and light a ring of fire. Then some of the staff at work at Whistler will do tricks on their snowboards and skis. It was pretty amazing to watch and made me want to try snowboarding again. Unfortunately we could not stay for the entire show since we had to catch our bus back into Vancouver, but we did see some of the fireworks on our way out!

It was definitely a very strenuous but fun weekend getaway at Whistler. I definitely would want to go back and take more snowboarding lessons. It just looks so cool! Maybe next season. Be on the look out for Never Ever Days yourself next year!

Disney's Muppets Most Wanted Advanced Screening Pass #Giveaway

The Muppets are back in their newest musical caper in Muppets Most Wanted. A sequel to the wildly popular film The Muppets from 2011, the new movie boasts stars Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell, and the greatest (biggest?) star of all, Miss Piggy (of course!). The Muppets gang finds themselves involved in an international crime caper while they are on a global tour, as the world’s greatest criminal Constantine steals Kermit’s identity.

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Muppets Most Wanted will be released in theatres on March 21, but one of my lucky readers can win a family pack of 4 tickets to the advanced screening on March 19! The screening is happening at Metrotown at 7pm. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

20% LEGO at Chapters Indigo

With the popularity of The LEGO Movie, this sale has come just in time for parents. For March, Chapters is offering 20% off LEGO Movie, City, Star Wars, Super Heroes, DUPLO and other select LEGO items. This a good deal for the new LEGO movie sets as they haven't been discounted anywhere else yet, and the sets have been flying off shelves. Check out what Chapters has to offer here.

Disney's The Jungle Book Diamond Edition Swings Into Stores

Get your jungle drums out because Disney has re-released The Jungle Book from the vault! This Diamond Edition comes as a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD combo pack, and boasts a digitally remastered movie with tons of bonus features. Meet Mowgli and his friends Baloo and Baghera and you will be singing along to Bare Necessities in no time! 

Over 2 hours of bonus features are packed in this released, including:

- DisneyAnimation: Sparking Creativity - go behind the scenes with today's top Disney animators
- Sing-Along
- Alternate ending
- Music, Memories, Mowgli
- Hangin' Out at the Animal Kingdom
- Special introductions
- DisneyPedia: Junglemania
- Plus more!

I grew up with this movie and it's so much fun to meet Mowgli's jungle friends. It is definitely a Disney classic! The Jungle Book Diamond Edition is now out in stores everywhere in DVD and Blu-ray formats starting at $19.99.

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided by the company for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals and Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

Frozen Sing-Along In Theatres Today (Jan 31)

DO YOU WANNA SING ALONG? Theatres across Canada are staged to showcase the all-new sing-along version of Disney’s Oscar®-nominated, Golden Globe®-winning big-screen adventure "Frozen," beginning today! Check out the video below for a sneak peek of the fun. On-screen lyrics and a magical bouncing snowflake will accompany select showings; moviegoers can check local listings for showtimes and theaters.

Free Download of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for Nintendo 3DS

From now until February 2, those with a Nintendo 3DS can download The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition for free on the Nintendo eShop. It's a very simple and quick download, as you only need to connect your 3DS to the internet and select the game. Hurry before you miss this great offer!

Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown (Feb 2)

The Chinese Benevolent Society is once again holding a Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown! Happening this Sunday, February 2, spectators can line the streets to see musical performers, kung fu groups, lion dancers and much more! It's always a fun time, as I especially love watching the lion dancing. The parade starts at 11am and usually lasts around 2 hours.

Afterwards, there will be lion dancers who will be blessing storefronts for another year of good luck, eating lettuce to signify prosperity for businesses

Click here to find out the parade route and the schedule.

Chinese New Year Celebrations at International Village (Jan 30 - Feb 2)

Happy Chinese New Year! To ring in the year of the horse 2014, there are celebrations going on at the International Village on Pender St. in Vancouver. There will be many vendors set up, performances, lucky draws and other family friendly entertainment. It is considered good luck to go walk the "flower market" on Chinese New Years and there will be some good deals too! Admission is free but be aware that it is always a packed event and parking spaces will fill up fast.

For the even schedule, click here.

Free Disney Movie with 3 Reward Codes

Disney movie collectors rejoice! There is a new promotion where you can receive a Disney Blu-ray combo pack for free when you enter 3 Disney Movie Reward Codes! So for collectors who already buy the movies regularly, this is a great opportunity to maximize your freebies! I'm just hitting myself for entering a ton of Reward Codes just a week before this promotion started!

There are four movies you can choose from, while supplies last:

- Dumbo
- Tron: Legacy
- Secretariat
- Cars

This promotion runs until March 31, 2014. Please note you do have to pay $3.95 USD in shipping and handling charges, but given that a Disney Blu-ray combo pack is normally over $20, I think this is still a great deal! Enjoy!

Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2014 - The Oakwood Canadian Bistro

I went out for my second Dine Out Vancouver meal on Friday with C. We chose The Oakwood Canadian Bistro, located on West 4th.

The Oakwood had a very homey feel to it, and we were sitting right next to the fire place, which made it very cozy!

The $28 menu boasted some great dishes and it was very hard for me to choose which ones I wanted! I decided to go for the seafood chowder and it did not disappoint. It was very thick and hearty, just like I like it. C ordered the Waldorf salad and it definitely looked amazing!  

Smoked seafood chowder, cod, clams, bacon lardon, oyster crackers.

Waldorf salad, bacon, grapes, celery, candied walnuts, creme fraiche.

For the main course, I automatically went for the sablefish; it is one of the few fish I like to eat because of the smooth texture. The dish came with two pieces of sablefish ontop of a bed of lentils, shredded pork shoulder and kale. The pork rinds on top were salty, airy and crispy - yum!

Seared sablefish, confit pork shoulder, dupuy lentils, pork rinds, carrot.

C chose the porchetta because she is a fan of spatzle, and the dish looked very appetizing!

Roast porchetta, confit garlic broccolini, dijon spatzle, caramelized onion puree.

Dessert was what I was really looking forward to. The chocolate mousse did not disappoint. Topped with whipped cream and then sprinkled with pistachios and bits of what I think were chocolate, and coffee crunch, the whole dessert was to die for. The chocolate mousse had a hint of coffee flavour in it and it was just delectable!

Chocolate mousse, coffee crunch.

The creme caramel came with an adorable maple leaf shaped shortbread on top of the cranberry gel. C thought it was delicious!

Creme caramel, cranberry gel, shortbread.

Another great Dine Out Vancouver meal! I was certainly impressed with the dishes and I think I will be coming back in the future! Make your reservations at The Oakwood Canadian Bistro now. The Dine Out Vancouver menu is available until February 2, 2014.

Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2014 - Chambar

With the start of the Dine Out Vancouver Festival last Friday, I headed out to my first restaurant this year - Chambar. Much hyped about by my boss, I had very high expectations for this restaurant and it did not disappoint. Located just steps away from the Stadium Skytrain station on Beatty St, Chambar is a small but cozy restaurant and was packed with diners.

Chambar had a $38 menu, with some additional add-on/upgrades being offered that was not listed on their online menu, including foie gras (add $8) and a New York steak (add $10).

J and I both started with the Gamba shrimp with chorizo sausage. (We reminisced about Spain where we had our first giant Gamba shrimp at Carme Ruscalleda).

Gambas et Chorizo - Olive oil poached prawns, grilled chorizo, escabeche vegetables, avocado and peruvian peppers.

I opted for the mussels in white wine while J went for the duck. The mussels came in a large pot, and there were plenty to make a full meal, with a side of crispy fries. The white wine sauce the mussels were cooked in was very flavourful and delicious. Order a side of bread to soak up that sauce!

Moules frites vin blanc - Mussels in white wine, butter, celery and leeks

 

The duck was one of the best I've had. Many places overcook their duck until it's tough and dry but this dish was cooked perfectly and the duck was soft and moist. The sweet berry sauce complimented duck quite well.

Canard aux Marrons - spiked rubbed duck breast, wild berry, chestnut hummus, brussel sprouts and pistachios.

Of course, the best part is always dessert. I went for the chocolate brulee - it was amazing! It was very rich and chocolatey. The lemon ice cream and apricot puree were very sour which went quite well with the sweetness of the brulee.

Chocolat brule - Chocolate espresso torte, apricot puree, pecan brittle, caramelized apple, lemon ice-cream.

J wanted to get something different to she ordered the pannacotta (which I am not a fan of). The presentation was gorgeous and J enjoyed it, but I think if you are a chocolate fan, pick the chocolate brulee instead!

Meli melo de fruits - Coconut raspberry pannacotta, green apple sorbet, macerated pomegranate & Asian pear.

I really enjoyed the food and it was a great start to the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. Their menu was a little pricey, but the service was quite good for how busy it was, and it's definitely worth going for a special occasion! Make your reservations now for Chambar!