toronto

We’re Together In Our Fight Against COVID-19!

COVID-19

It’s been a week since Ontario declared an emergency facing increasing COVID-19 cases in the province, and largely to prevent people from gathering in large numbers. In other words, practicing ‘social distancing’ to avoid contact with infected persons, even if it’s business as usual for some of them. The tremors from the Coronavirus blowout are being felt everywhere even as I’m writing this piece. It all seems like the world has being pounded by an army of invisible invaders while it was napping, but while the governments are doing everything in their power to pushback COVID-19 the residents are clearly losing the plot. The objective to decrease the infections cannot be achieved without everyone deciding to isolate themselves voluntarily and by maintaining a strict personal hygiene routine considering that the virus has the potential to survive on various kinds of materials for days.

Since it’s a new virus our immune systems are being compromised — there is no sign of an infection for days, and moreover, there’s no vaccine or treatment which is currently available. The only way to safeguard ourselves from this brutal threat and that of our society is through preventive measures of self-isolation during infection, and through ‘social distancing’. By not following these precautionary measures, we’re only adding to the risk of an unprecedented and a catastrophic scale that could push our nations into turmoil and affect our livelihoods for several decades. We’re already seeing the economic impacts, so far – the value of gold has plummeted, oil and gas prices are at is lowest since June 2001, the global travel industry has been crippled by cancellations and nationwide lockdowns, and there have been large scale layoffs in almost every major industry worldwide as a domino effect. Besides the official postponement of the biggest event of all, the Tokyo Olympics. It’d be completely appropriate to say, that as a global community, we’re going through our worst nightmares arising out of an inconspicuous element of danger.

Heart of the matter is, we all should be committed in our struggle against COVID-19 with the rules of our involvement pretty straightforward. Get yourself informed and share the info, maintain strict personal hygiene, and avoid contact with the outside world unless if it’s absolutely, positively, necessary.

What’s ‘Social Distancing‘?

– avoiding crowded places and non-essential gatherings
– avoiding common greetings, such as handshakes
– limiting contact with people at higher risk like older adults and those in poor health
– keeping a distance of at least 2 arms-length (approximately 2 metres) from others

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks

Starbucks Reserve @ Toronto

Starbucks Reserve Logo
The ‘Star’ is discomforting!

Starbucks has transformed from serving caffeine into leveraging technology to deliver a delicious cup of coffee. It’s innovating the experience of coffee consumption by combining its products with an imaginative menu of beverages and using a well-integrated service design strategy with retail design in designing stores and more. For instance, not so long ago, they ventured with an innovative concept of giving coffee connoisseurs a peek into some of the finest javas on the planet in a relaxed, informal ambience, and they rightly named this experience ‘Reserve’ for the peculiar seating arrangement that resembles…you guessed it, a local bar! The first outlet opened in Seattle in 2017 and here’s what Starbucks has to say on its exclusive ‘Reserve’ experience:

Starbucks Reserve is a selection of the rarest, most extraordinary coffees Starbucks has to offer. It’s where we push our own boundaries of craft, developing a unique roast for each individual lot before experimenting with coffee as an art form—brewing, aging [sic], infusing and blending it into imaginative and often surprising creations. Through our Roasteries and bars, we share our discoveries and the enjoyment of exceptional coffee with the world.

As I said, it’s targetted at the coffee connoisseurs, so despite the excitement, I waited and finally got the opportunity today to visit the first Starbucks Reserve in Toronto. I had passed by this area at ‘Shops at Don Mills’ a couple of times, having read that there are only a handful of these premium Starbucks coffee locations around the world, I am lucky to experience the aura personally. There’s another retail concept on the same lines which is called the ‘Reserve Roastery’ that provides an immersive coffee experience to the consumers complete with freshly roasted coffee beans and a rare set of coffees from beans that are aged in whisky barrels (whoa!). I am longing to be there sometime in the future to wallow in the aroma of roasting java. (Tokyo, perhaps?)

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(Another) Upcoming Crazy Weather System

Brace yourself, Ontarians, for one last time! Because hopefully, this could be the last crazy weather system before the spring makes its way into Toronto. Personally, just when I thought the mercury was rising, the Canada Geese have arrived and the snow was thawing, unfortunately, there’s more of it coming shortly. If one was looking for surprises in Canada, they can be rest assured, the weather won’t disappoint and would deliver on its promises pronto!

So, Environment Canada has issued an alert beginning Sunday afternoon until Monday, for a “major wind storm” this time that will sweep through most of Southern Ontario.

Weather System Alert - Southern Ontario

The winter this year has been especially onerous, over the past few days the temperatures have swung up and down like a yo-yo, not to mention there was a storm just a few weeks ago dumping tons of snow. And if you all thought all that was a result of a dreaded global phenomenon called ‘climate change’, not only are you dead right but you are free to panic as well, according to this insightful and scary article.

Not to digress from the topic, but there’s no doubt in my mind that winds gusting at 120 km/h seem likely to take some serious toll on the city damaging precious life & property. It’s a weekend too so I just hope that this oncoming dreaded weather system passes on smoothly giving the residents some much-needed breathing space from its brutality. The crazy weather, with a looming threat of power outages and low visibility, means many in the affected neighbourhoods would be sadly confined yet again to the safety of their homes. For those courageous adventurers, who would still dare to venture out and risk everything despite the clear warnings, I can only say — stay safe, stay alert, and if possible, stay indoors.

A Winter Storm Is Blowing Through Toronto

Having landed strictly from a tropical lineage AND having successfully achieved the distinction of surviving the frosty winter of Canada so far, I can speak with a certain degree of authority that winter storms are a unique feature of this country’s culture. Needless to say then, any discussion surrounding the Canadian winter is incomplete without mentioning the word ‘storm’. Just like the monsoon season which brings the city of Mumbai to its bare knees and drives the life of the common man to a complete nightmare, we Canadians, have been blessed with heaps of wintery snow raining to bring our individual lives to a dead end. Likewise, the storm that is sweeping parts of Ontario and GTA as I write this piece has wreaked more havoc today than its usual share with no sign of stopping so far, and it is soon going to be followed by a ‘polar vortex’ — one that is going to be much brutal than what came in 2014.

The ice storm this winter (some reports called it the “Alberta Clipper”) is definitely massive with the snowfall predicted to be at 15-25 cms for a single day and bringing temperatures down to the -40s. However, those figures sound lame when you read what happened two decades ago, during another such massive ice storm of January 1999. It was so severe that the then mayor, Mel Lastman, had to summon the help of the military in Toronto (and got squarely ridiculed for his decision) after the city saw a whopping 118 centimetres of snowfall in the first half of that month! Gosh, I can’t even imagine how that much snow must have felt on the ground.

Though, as I began to look deeper for more facts they continued to unravel itself. I realized it was in fact, the snow storm back in the December 1944 which was the harshest in the city’s history — it took 16 lives in Toronto, and 21 in Ontario overall. It seems we might be staring at yet another record-breaking heavy snow storm this time around.

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Shazam A Song, Just Like That!

Shazam

I was late in discovering Shazam, just like some other apps, but I don’t regret it. I love listening to any form of music and being an ‘old schooler’, the “independent” sorts, I’ve not pledged my allegiance to either Apple Music or Spotify, although it’s becoming inevitable to avoid. Meanwhile, I’m satisfying my urge of listening to soul-stirring melodies through the droves of FM stations of this city who cycle their playlists like kids on a carousel ride, so you can’t miss out on any song now, can you? I also follow an alternative method to understand & discover different kinds of sounds, by visiting the various outlets & malls in & around Toronto. As I’m sifting through the garments or enjoying a meal I’m patiently listening to a soothing melody or a foot tapping anthem that would eventually stick in my head and wouldn’t let me breathe easy until I’m able to locate its creator’s credentials. Ugh! And a Google search would only be fruitful if I got the lyrics right which is challenging in all that chitter chatter in the vicinity, so Nah! Enter, Shazam.

Though I was always intrigued by this nifty app since even before Apple acquired it there wasn’t a practical use for me to experiment with Shazam, but its time had finally arrived. It was simple. I launched it and found the circular ‘S’ logo throbbing and inviting me to tap as a tune played at a busy H&M outlet. Even though it was faintly audible the microphone on the iPhone deftly captured the notes, and in a jiffy, it displayed not only the name of the artist but also the colourful album art, the lyrics, while giving me the choice to buy it on Apple Music. It also added it to a ‘My Shazam’ playlist so I won’t lose the information! The ‘Shazam-ing’ is so seamless & quick and searching for new music has become simpler and more exciting, and enjoyable now. No more anxiety over unknown melodies, eh. I never thought I’d say this but then Google feels weak for a change! So, if you’re late to the party just like me, give it a shot.