As the title implies, the Madison Avenue Pub, better known around town as simply "The Maddy", is one of those bars that is a lot of fun if you're in the mood. What mood? Well, the mood to be pressed up against by drunken frat boys, have beer spilled on you from every angle and then lose all your friends.

The best way I can describe the Maddy is it is laid out like a fun house for mid-20 somethings looking to get drunk and party. The only thing missing is a room full of distorted mirrors, although if you drink enough and look in the bathroom mirror, you may see a distorted image anyways. There are many, many rooms and patios to walk around in this place, so it is very easy to get lost and misplace friends!

If somebody were to ask me to think of a typical university pub full of over (or under) stressed students looking for a night out to get crunked up, The Maddy is definitely the place that comes to mind. It CAN be fun on some nights, but before diving in you should be aware that it does get VERY busy on weekends, so if you are planning on trying to get a place to sit, definitely arrive early. The Maddy also attracts very long line-ups on special nights like St. Patrick's Day, so be aware. It's a Toronto staple so it's worth checking out (for the 21+ crowd only), just bring a raincoat (a real raincoat, that isn't code for anything) to protect yourself from spilling beer.

A few weeks ago I went to Alleycatz at Yonge and Eglinton for a friends birthday. Alleycatz is a restaurant/lounge in the heart of the Yonge/Eglinton district serving a moderate selection of food for dinner in the evening, then opened up to a more club like environment at night with a live band.

FOOD: Great! The menu, while not overly large, does have something to offer most people, even those of us who are sometimes a little picky. I ordered a pasta dish, but many of my friends ordered salads and other entrees. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, as did all my friends. The food is moderately priced, with a pasta dish costing between $15 and $20.

MUSIC: Awesome! On the weekends Alleycatz features live cover bands, with a DJ playing music in between. Live bands are a really fun change to the typical club scene with a DJ. The band of the night when I was there played a lot of R&B and Top 40, and was really great to dance to. The lead singer did a great job covering songs by Usher, Justin Timberlake , and many other popular artists.

DANCE FLOOR: The dance floor at Alleycatz basically consumes almost the entire restaurant at night, including the bar which is located in the middle. The dance floor does get VERY busy on weekends, so be prepared for a little rub-a-dub from a stranger or two. Hey... maybe it will lead to something more serious.

DRINKS: Alleycatz offers the typical selection of drinks at reasonable prices, with domestic bottles costing around $5 or less, and cocktails around $6.

CROWD: Definitely middle to late 20's, although the club does allow in those who are 19+.

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING: Located approximately one block north of Eglinton on Yonge Street, Alleycatz is extremely accessible by subway (Eglinton station), bus and car. There is a lot of street parking available, HOWEVER be aware! Many of the side streets require a valid parking permit after midnight, so be careful to read the signs where you are parking, and return to your car at the right time! Yes, you guessed it, I have gotten a parking ticket or two in this area! As a tip, there is a great underground parking garage underneath Alleycats that I always park in when I go, but it can be a little tricky to find. The entrance is located on Broadway Avenue, which is just south of Alleycatz, and requires you to drive through an apartment building lot first, but don't get confused by this, it is public parking! Parking for the night is about $3 on weekends, which is great.

Overall, Alleycatz is a fun place to go if you are looking for a smaller venue for a fun night out in Toronto. The Yonge/Eglinton area is FAR less crowded than most of the other popular nightlife areas, which makes for a much easier evening with smaller crowds, better parking etc. I always have a good time at Alleycatz, so I definitely recommend trying it out!

Banana Republic is a retail clothing store for men and women that is owned by Gap Inc. It exists at the top of the Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic spectrum of stores (in terms of price, material used etc.), and has several locations around the city. This particular location is located inside Bayview Village Shopping Centre at the corner of Bayview Ave and Sheppard, and is my location of choice.

The clothing at Banana Republic can be classified as classically trendy. The clothes are both formal and casual, offering everything from graphic t-shirts to full business suits. The prices are in a middle to high range, with a typical sweater ranging in price from around $70 to over $150. With that said, this store is definitely for those people looking to spend a little more on their wardrobe, or maybe looking for a nice outfit to wear to a special event.

As for the store employees, this definitely varies from store to store and day to day. Most of the staff are very helpful and are willing to stay with you to help you pick out what you need, often even helping you put outfits together, which is a huge help for some of those people who may need a little help matching clothes (not me!).

After having shopped at both the Gap and Banana Republic, the biggest tip that I can give anybody who is shopping at Banana Republic is to first check out the Gap, as the two stores often carry items that border on identical, only the Gap version being half the price. Finally, check out the sale section at the back! Don't be afraid, there are often a few great deals on items that have been discontinued.

As the child of a mother and father who have never been too fond of cooking, I have definitely had the opportunity to visit my share of restaurants! Most people who know me also know that I tend to be an extremely picky eater, so this review should mean that much more!

Szechuan Gourmet is a small and relatively unknown Chinese food restaurant located on Steeles Avenue, just west of Bathurst St. Don't let the size and decor fool you! The food at this restaurant is delicious! They have a very large menu of typical and atypical Chinese dishes to sample from, and having dined at this restaurant almost every Sunday night for the past year, I can tell you that they are all equally excellent.

The servers are very friendly and the cooks are willing to accommodate most requests and substitutions. Although it is usually busy, the wait for a table is usually less than 15 minutes. As a tip, they DO take reservations, so if you plan on going in at a busy time on the weekends, it definitely helps to call in and let them know you're coming. They also offer delivery.

Some of my my favourite dishes:

General Tso Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Lo mein noodles (Vegetarian or with your choice of meat or shrimp)

Finally, and maybe most importantly, there is a large container of fortune cookies on the counter near the door, so if you're not completely satisfied with your first fortune, or think you may like to re-write your future with fortune cookies, you can help yourself.

OK I will try to keep this review to the point! While I'm reviewing Apple Canada, this review obviously applies to Apple Inc. in general.

Apple is by far the most innovative technology company that exists right now. From humble beginnings with Steve Jobs and his partners working out of a garage, to developing the first available consumer personal computer, to revolutionizing the way people listen to and purchase music with the iPod and iTunes, it is difficult to argue with the impact that Apple has had on the technology industry. Clearly, I'm an Apple fan. In fact, I'm typing this review on my Powerbook running OS X and loving it!

PRODUCT LINE:
The Macintosh is the generic name given to all of Apple's current computers, but they can be purchased as either notebooks or desktops, with each offering consumer (Mac Mini, Macbook, iMac) and professional (Macbook Pro, Mac Pro) models. All of Apple's computers come loaded with Mac OS X, the Apple operating system. Mac OS X is an extremely intuitive, easy to use and fully featured operating system that is rivaled by NO other operating system on the market today. I recommend OS X to any computer user, beginning, intermediate or advanced!

The iPod is by far the most popular portable music device available anywhere in the world, and shouldn't need much explanation. Apple continues to update the iPod line to improve the products, most recently with the iPod touch.

The iPhone is Apple's first attempt at a mobile phone, and in my opinion, an excellent one! The iPhone combines the power of Mac OS X with the elegance and ease of use of the iPod, combining a mobile phone with a portable Internet device (using Wifi or Edge) and an iPod video and music player.

PRICE: Many people jump quickly to the conclusion that Apple products are on the expensive side for each of the product categories (computers, mp3 players and mobile phones). However, the Mac computers begin at just $649 CAD for a Mac Mini and iPods at just $89.00 for the iPod Shuffle. In my opinion, the Macs and iPods are well worth any premium that you may pay, as they are far more advanced than any comparable product. The iPhone, priced at $399 in the United States may be expensive for a mobile phone, but again it is far superior, and combines an mp3 player with Internet device and mobile phone.

PURCHASING AND SUPPORT: Apple products can be purchased online, over the phone, at a 3rd party reseller (Best Buy, Future Shop etc.) and an Apple Retail Store (Yorkdale, Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens etc.). The products can also be taken to any Apple Store for quick and painless support! The Mac Genius' at the Apple Store seem to be able to help out in almost any support situation, and I've had many friends give me positive reviews about the staff at the Apple Store.

So that was my Apple rant! Most people that know me have heard me ramble about Apple over and over again, but I truly feel that the products made by Apple are superior in construction, ease of use, innovation etc etc etc. Everybody should switch to the Mac! WOOT MACS!

I first started going to Pet Valu when I first adopted my dog Billie Jean 4 years ago. Although not as big as some of the big box pet stores, pet valu has a more than ample selection of food, toys, and everything else that you'll need for most house pets, especially cats and dogs. The smaller store size in this case means a lot more service for the customer, which is great when you're looking for something specific, or anything at all.

What stands out most about Pet Valu over any other pet store I've been to (and there are many of them!) is the great advice that is given by the staff and owners of the store, and the personal relationships that you earn with these people. Especially for those people who are new pet owners who are often overwhelmed with all the choices available, as well as the desire to provide the best care for their pets, the staff at Pet Valu are there to help you through the process.

Not only do the staff at this particular Pet Valu location (Yonge St. and Elgin mills) remember who I am everytime I come in, but they also remember my dog by name, as well as my usual selections for food etc. In my opinion, it is an excellent idea to find a pet store that you like for your pet, and stick with that store, because this will help you to be consistent with your purchases for your pet. Pet Valu definitely comes highly recommended by me and Billie!

P.S. I also took this opportunity to attach some more photos of Billie!

Shallow Groove is a hip lounge located at Bathurst and College in Little Italy. This bar has a really fun vibe with a lot of space to move around. There was a short line-up there on Saturday night, so very little of the night was wasted standing in line, which meant a lot of the night was wasted getting wasted!

MUSIC: The DJ's at Shallow Groove played something for everybody, with most of the music coming from the Hip hop, R&B and Top 40 genre. The music was great for dancing, which meant a lot of people out on the dance floor.

DANCE FLOOR: The dance floor, which is more like a dance pit, at Shallow Groove is both the best and worst aspect of the club, depending on who you ask! It is a lowered area that is kept in almost complete darkness. This meant a lot of people bumping into you while you are dancing, which is definitely interesting to say the least! The dance floor is big enough to hold everybody, so there's no problem finding space to bust a groove.

DRINKS: The drinks are moderately priced at $5+ and there was never a long line at the bar, so service was quick and the bartenders friendly.

CROWD: The crowd at Shallow Groove consists of mostly mid 20 somethings.

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING: Located at Bathurst and College, the Shallow Groove is accessible by the Bathurst streetcar. Parking is abundant and only costs a few dollars at any of the public lots.

The Shallow Groove is a fun and lively lounge/club in a cool and trendy area. One thing to note is that they do have mandatory coat check for $2. Cover charge on Saturday night was $5.

Club V is a trendy club right in the heart of Yorkville. It is located partially underground, and as a result the ceiling is quite low, which can get a little uncomfortable for us taller people. In fact any song that may have required jumping (Tumthumping, Jump Around etc...), quite possibly could have resulted in a mild concussion.

While Club V isn't a very large club, they tend to keep the crowd at a comfortable size so that it is never too busy. The small line up at the door also moves very quickly, which made for a quick entrance and a fun night.

MUSIC: The music at Club V varies dramatically thoughout the night, ranging from pure house music to Top 40, Hip Hop and R&B. While this made sure there was something for everybody, it was sometimes boring when they were playing a genre of music that was less than preferred.

DANCE FLOOR: Most of the club acts as the dance floor, so there was plenty of room to move around for most of the night. I didn't get grinded on by too many strangers either.

DRINKS: The drinks at the club are pretty standard, and the bartender will make up your drink of choice. The drinks were quite expensive ($9 +++), but this is to be expected from any bar in the Yorkville area.

CROWD: Nice, trendy and fun. Most of the crowd was in their early twenties.

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING: Parking is fairly easy in the Yorkville area, there are many public parking lots (about $5 for the night) and street parking as well. Located at Bay and Bloor, at the Bay St. subway stop and just a few blocks from the Don Valley Parkway .

Club V is a unique club that offers entertainment throughout the night. On this night I was there, an artist was painting a lady in the club (see picture), which was fun to watch!

If you're looking for a fun night out at a trendy club, then Club V is perfect, just be prepared for the expensive drink prices.