The Venetian Ball 2009

The spirit of Carnevale came to Toronto at the 16^th annual Venetian Ball, a most prestigious Italian-themed gala benefitting Villa Charities Foundation. The fundraiser, known for great food, dress and entertainment was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on October 30^th, 2009.

Beautiful gowns, expensive suits and exquisite masks were donned in favour of the night's theme.

Hallowe’en 2009

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Happy 40th Birthday Syerah!

On Saturday October 24 and into the 25th, Editor-in-Chief & CEO of MyBindi.com Syerah celebrated her 40th in a big way with her husband Steve in their new home, with close friends.

We were happy to capture the moments; here are a few of the highlights from a great night!

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Spice Safar

The following is a review of Spice Safar (270 Adelaide St W, Toronto). The full review can be found on Foodhogger, but here are the photographs.

The Lavender Sour and Blue Hemingway was served on a wooden trays along with a glass of sparkling water and grapefruit mousse to cleanse the palate.

The executive chef's version of bruschetta: polenta topped with cheese and garnished with pea sprouts and grated endive and sprinkled with a Spanish olive oil (imported weekly).

Chicken Satay, marinated in Malaysian chili lemongrass sauce and grilled. Finished with a soy chili coconut glaze.

Mini Burgers - 3 Dry aged ground top sirloin patties, served on in house made poppy seed buns, with a cherry tomato relish, smoked gouda cheese and a fresh thyme and truffle aioli.

The dumplings, chicken with fresh ginger - pan seared and finished with yuzu juice and soy sauce. Filled with market vegetables, sweet and Yukon gold potatoes and sesame seeds.

Tagine - braised lamb shank, market vegetables, sultana raisins, Safar-inspired Moroccan spices. Served with peach chutney and grilled flatbread.

Cheese charcuterie plate (for 2) - local artisanal cheese, served with a roasted almond and pistachio paste, seasonal fresh fruit, dried figs, in house made sour dough bread and marinated vegetables.

Later we were impressed by Flo's amazing fireshow and absinthe shots.

We'd like to thank (l-r) executive chef Matt, Jaclyn, Florian and Riyad for showing us a great time and letting us take photographs to remember the experience!

Spice Safar is an innovative, elegant and aesthetically pleasing space with a concept unique to Toronto's restaurant scene.
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Golden Heart Affair

On Wednesday October 7th 2009, the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre celebrated 50 years of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program. The Golden Heart Affair fundraiser took place at the gorgeous Windsor Arms Hotel in downtown Toronto setting the perfect backdrop for such an extraordinary evening celebrating the doctors who have dedicated their lives to discovering innovative treatments for this disease.

Seamus O'Regan (Co-host Canada AM, CTV) was the host for the night.

Famous jazz musician June Garber lit up the night with her spectacular voice, wonderfully accompanied by pianist Danny McErlain.

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FILMI 2009

Attended the opening of Filmi 2009 at the Bloor Street Cinema on Oct 1st in support of friends who showcased their talent at the event.

The Filmi 2009 opening itself was done by Vikram Dasgupta and one of the other films "678910" was directed by Richie Mehta (of Amal) and Stuart A. McIntyre.

It was great to meet Dinesh Sachdev (who is co-founder of the Filmi organization) and all the other cast/crew of the films screened that night.

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Montreal

This one is for Hobography.

TIFF 2009

Had a blast at the Defendor After Party last night, hosted by ET Canada. Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas and Michael Kelly were all there. As was ET Canada's glowingly pregnant Cheryl Hickey, who told us she was due "very soon", and our very own Breakfast Television favourite Dina Pugliese and her husband Aleks Mirkovich, as well as Miss Canada International 2010.

Defendor director Peter Stebbings was also in attendance with girlfriend and actress in the film, Charlotte Sullivan (whose Mother Shireen and best friend Katrina were chatting with my husband).

Also saw Michael Moore on Friday, arriving for his film, Capitalism: A Love Story.

One of the highlights of the night was the exclusive ride up to the rooftop in chauffeur-driven golf carts! CBC Radio's Jian Ghomeshi was on the golf cart in front of us on the ride up, as well.

Here are the rest of the highlights!

All photos are copyright of Photohogger.

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Boston's FENWAY: Throwing the First Pitch

My brother in law threw the first pitch at FENWAY on AUG 29, 2009.

It was the Red Sox v. Blue Jays. Red Sox won 3-2.

Rogers Cup Women's Semi-finals

We were fortunate to catch the women's semi-finals this weekend. Serena Williams lost, but boy was she a sight (and such a legend) to see! Elena Dementieva (who won the singles match and the other players in the doubles match) were incredible to watch as well. Here are some highlights!

The other spectators were as equally intrigued with the game as me!

Some of the guys had some serious lenses to capture all the action.

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Luckily we didn't get rained on during the semi-finals match although the clouds threateningly loomed...

Berries!

Went to Andrews' Scenic Acres this weekend for some strawberry, raspberry and blueberry picking!

Here are some highlights in an Amelie-esque red-and-green fashion.

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My Birthday

I hit the big 30 with family and close friends at Archeo in the Distillery District.

There's nothing better than bacon for your birthday. The credit goes to my husband for most of these shots :)