Tears Naturale Free artificial tear by Alcon reviews

I cannot understand... I have practically lived in North America for quite a while now... but after returning from a trip to Asia for a few months, I discovered North American climate is making my eyes terribly dry. My eyes are dry to the point if I didn't blink for a while my vision would go blurry. Isn't that sad? And for cosmetic reasons, I do not think having red eyes is considered attractive in any way.

I have never been a fan of putting in eye drops as I have sensitive SENSITIVE eyes (I hope the double word can describe how severely sensitive my eyes are), But I honestly have no choice other than using eye drops.

I wanted drops which were preservative free so I can "cure" the dryness without having to worry about unnecessary chemicals and stuff remaining in my eyes. Voila! Tears Naturale Free is the answer!

Tears Naturale Free contains little vials which must be used within 24 hours after opening as they will go bad and become contaminated (since there are no preservatives).

photo source: http://firstaidsupplystores.com

I do feel a tiny "discomfort" when I use them however they have definitely cured my eyes' dryness. Usually I need about 2 drops per eye, good thing the vials contain enough (more than enough) for me to use (I usually have left overs, but better more than not enough right?)

I highly recommend Tears Naturale Free to anyone who has dry eyes as it does cure your eyes without leaving any preservatives in your eyes. They are a little pricey compared to the other eye drops with preservatives but I think it is definitely worth it.

These can be found at most drug stores near you.

website: http://www.tearsnaturale.com/tears-naturale-free.asp

Green Grotto at McNicoll review - cold drinks edition

I have always been a fan of bubble tea cafes because you can enjoy various types of drinks (which range from green teas, black teas, red teas, coffee, fruit juices, etc) and like most "traditional" cafes they usually provide magazines and a perfect environment to sit, chat, surf web (most places provide free wifi) and just relax.

I have recently been acquainted to Green Grotto which is located at McNicoll and Midland Road. Like most Green Grotto's I have been to, the place is small and cozy. But unlike most Green Grotto's I have been to (and thank goodness!) it is not packed, so it is a lovely environment to hang out with friends and chat and relax.

One thing I like about Green Grotto is that they provide complementary free popcorn, it's nice to chew on something light while you are at a bubble tea place. Usually I am a fan of popcorn chicken, but sometimes, that can be too heavy if you just want to chill-ax with some friends after a heavy meal.

Overall, I think Green Grotto's drinks are well made, at this particular visit, I ordered Fuji Apple Yogurt while my friend ordered Green Apple Yogurt (a frequent visitor of this place recommended their yogurt drinks so we decided to order that). It tasted quite good, it wasn't too sweet or sour just easy to drink.

If you are looking for a place to go for your next friend reunion or simply just a place to sit down and chat, this is the place for you!

To see the review for "hot tea drinks" at Green Grotto please click here

EDIT
my friend asked me about hours of this place, so I thought I would post them here (forgot to ask them about opening time... I think it is around 1PM each day):
closing time:
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00AM
Friday - Saturday: 1:00AM

Olive Garden Review

I have heard many MANY positive reviews about Olive Garden, so out of curiosity  I decided to try it. I only have 2 things to say about this place: Great Service and Delicious food! I have found one of the best Italian restaurants I have and ever will encounter. The prices are extremely reasonable, the food is in large portions, the staff are extremely friendly and  the most important thing, the food is very delicious!

Zuppa Toscana

They had a meal combo available, so it was much easier to choose from the various choices they had. We were a company of three, so we ordered three meal combos, that way we can share and try different foods. The first we ordered was Zuppa Toscana and salad. Since I am not a huge fan of salads, I cannot comment much other than to say the salad was fresh and had a lot of ingredients inside (e.g. various lettuces, olives, peppers, etc). The soup, Zuppa Toscana was my surprise, it is one of the best Italian soups I have ever had! Either I have not really had a chance to try different types of Italian soups (other than the "basic" ones such as Italian Wedding and other various types of tomato based "Italian soups", come to think of that, I am not even sure if the soups I have tried were authentic, or just fusions of the original) nonetheless, I enjoyed EVERY sip of that soup, it was cream based and contained Italian Sausage, Kale/Spinach, bacon, etc. each ingredient played it's part well. 

complementary garlic bread sticks

Olive Garden was very considerate to providing us with complementary garlic bread sticks. It was very fresh and buttery, they even let us bring it home after, which was very nice and thoughtful of them. And, of course, this way, no food is wasted!

Grilled Chicken Toscana

We ordered Grilled Chicken Toscana as one of the combos. It was very tasty, the chicken had a wonderful grilled tasted and it was seasoned so well! They paired it with a kind of cheese Risotto  and some spinach on top. Most importantly, the dish was served very hot. The Chicken was very tender and smooth. 

Parmesan potato crusted chicken

The next thing which came was Parmesan Potato crusted Chicken. I was very impressed with the quality of this dish, just like the grilled Chicken the 

Penne di mare 

Experience tells me to never order seafood at any Italian restaurant, however, I am glad I decided to order ONE dish which contained seafood. Unlike most Italian restaurants I have been to, Olive Garden's seafood dish (Penne Di Mare) had large quantities of seafood (as described on their menu) and the seafood was FRESH!

Chocolate moouse cake

For our combo, we order 2 chocolate moouse cakes and one caramel hazelnut macchiato. I am so glad we ordered these two choices because they were really good. The chocolate moouse cake was delicious, unlike most "Caucasian" places, it's cake was not very sweet (which is good). I liked the presentation too. Though it doesn't look like a lot in the picture, it was more than enough after such a heavy meal.

caramel hazelnut macchiato

For our other choice of "dessert" we ordered Caramel Hazelnut Macchiato. Never in my life have I heard of Macchiato, so out of their selection of Lattes, Cappuccinos, Expressos, etc. I decided to take my chances and try this Macchiato. I do not know coffees enough, but this is one coffee I would definitely try again (when I get the chance to). If I had to describe this drink, I would say it is a cross between a latte, cappuccino and some other type of coffee, but the mix is so well blended that it tastes far better than Cappuccino and Latte.

I would give Olive Garden a rating of 10/10!

Hi-Chew Morinaga review

I have noticed a new product which hit the shelves recently, Hi-Chew from Morinaga in bulk form contrary to the stick form (as seen in the picture).

The bulk form includes 3 flavours: Strawberry, Green Apple and Grape. And it is a better deal. I don't remember the exact pricing for both, but when I bought it, I did the calculation and turns out the bulk one was slightly cheaper. I think that's how most products are like (you always get a better deal if you purchase more).

The Hi-Chew in original stick form is individually wrapped in a sort of foil paper, while the other ones were contained in a plastic "pocket". I personally prefer the original foil paper as it seals the moisture better (as this IS a chewy candy after all), I also like the look of original foil that makes it unique.

For taste, I think it is the same, however, I feel that the HI-Chew candy in the new packaging is slightly dry compared to t

I also find that carrying the original stick form is easier, since you can grab at it with one hand and have the whole stick with you (it's also easier to find it in your purse), however I think for events where you have to "give" candy (parties, halloween trick or treating) the bulk form serves as an advantage.

In Conclusion, if you want a better deal with Hi-Chew candy, I would suggest you purchase the bulk form, but if you want something more "original" and more chewy I would suggest you purchase the original stick.

Chili's Restaurant Review

Chili's was one of the restaurants I have always wanted to try because of it's attractive cute huge chili that is present at every restaurant. To sum up, the food was great, the prices were very reasonable but the service was so-so, could have done better in my opinion.

Ever since I was young, I have learned that Mexican food just contained of Salsa, Jalapenos, Tacos, cheese sauce and corn chips. Mexican cuisine was monotonous and always tasted the same, with no variations or anything creative. I did enjoy Mexican food once in a while, but it didn't create any mood of fascination. However, after visiting Chili's I realized there was more... MUCH more to Mexican cuisine, and not only was I satisfied, I was extremely impressed by the selection and fusions they offered. 

Appetizer which came with our combo: Texas Fries 

The prices were extremely reasonable. They had offered a 2 can dine for $20, which included 1 appetizer and 2 entrees of choice. As we were a party of three we thought, there was no way this ONE combo could fill our stomachs so we got an extra appetizer/entree as well. BUT to our astonishment  when the food arrived we were proven wrong. The portions were huge, what we thought we ordered was almost 50% more. 

Entree #1 for our combo: 6oz steak

After the appetitizer came, we were already excited for the rest of our meal to arrive. The entrees were delicious, we asked for medium cooked for our steak and they did exactly like that, the portion was huge! The vegetables were also lightly seasoned, making it more tasty, we all agreed that the steak tasted a little Brazilian mixed with Mexican style, it was very tasty.

entree #2 for our combo: baby back ribs 1/2 rack

The baby back ribs tasted very good, before coming to this restaurant, and the reason I decided to come was because I read a review that their baby back ribs were delicious, so my curiosity struck and I had to order one to try. It was very tasty, and the portion was large, there were a total of 10-12 ribs, so it was more than enough for each of us to try some. We chose "original" as the sauce, which turned out to be none other than Barbecue flavoured sauce. The meat was very tender and juicy, we were so impressed.

the extra entree/appetizer we ordered: chicken Quesadilla

As I said earlier, we thought a 2 person portion was not enough for us, so we ordered one of the recommendations: a Chicken Quesadilla. The Quesadilla was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside but this was not the reason why we were so facinated by the dish. The chicken meat inside was so smooth and tender (I literally thought it was just cheese inside) and juicy. It was just so well cooked!

I plan to visit Chili's again (and again) in the future. However despite visiting this place on a Saturday, the restaurant could be much fuller and crowed because of the quality of food they share, I think they would be able to attract much more customers if they could improve on their service by asking waitresses to put on a friendlier persona. 

The rating I would give for them is 4.5/5 (lost 0.5 for not very good service.

McDonald's Shamrock Shake review

I have finally gotten the chance to try McDonald's Shamrock shake (the shake that is only available during February-March every year at McDonald's to celebrate the Irish St. Patrick's (St. Patty's) Day).

I must have been hiding under a rock or something for the past few years McDonald's was serving this as I had no idea what it tasted like other than loving the look of this drink, so out of curiosity I bought it.

For those who haven't tried this before, it is a cool mint milkshake (or ice cream shake?) topped with whipped cream and some cherry extract (I couldn't find a full cherry, just some red stuff that had a cherry taste). I liked the taste since I am a fan of mintiness foods. The texture of the drink is also very creamy.

So, if you are a fan of cool minted creamy drinks, I would suggest you try this drink! And keep it mind, it's only served during the month that surrounds St. Patrick's Day, (February - March) so get it while it's still here! :)

Costco - Markham + 14th discrimination

65 Kirkham Dr
Markham, ON L3S 0A9
(905) 201-3500

There are no pictures this time, I am very frustrated. I can't believe I experienced racism in Canada. At least not by someone who can be pretty much discriminated against herself (I think she was Tamil)

Time: 6:00 (January 31, 2013)
Location: 65 Kirkham Dr
Markham, ON L3S 0A9
Booth: Campbell's Soup (I think the product was some kind of vegetable Campbell's "orange looking" soup)
Person: a middle aged women who is Indian/Tamil.

For those who haven't been to any Costco, they have little booths where they would give some food samples (since at Costco you need to buy your food in bulk form, it is good to know what it tastes like before you make a purchase).

So the story:
So I was walking around Costco (the one located at 65 Kirkham Dr) and came across a few food booths. There was a line for Campbell's Soup (which claims it is a vegan soup). My mom and I lined up showing interest in the product. My mom was in line first and I was behind, followed by a Caucasian girl. When it was my mom's turn, we waited for the lady to give her her soup sample, the lady just gave my mom half portion and claimed there were no more samples and told me to leave, just as I took a step back, she waved for the Caucasian girl (who was behind me in that line) to get some samples. My reaction: didn't she just say there wasn't any left? As I watched her, she poured a full portion of soup for the Caucasian girl.

How ridiculous! Totally outrageous! How can we be treated like this in Canada? A country who claims to be multiculturalism? I felt so humiliated and totally discriminated against.

I have always loved shopping at Costco (specifically this Costco), however after this bad experience, I can hardly bring myself to coming back to shopping at this store without feeling I might be discriminated against.

I might be naive, but I hope someone from the management at Costco sees this post and does some justice!

If you have had similar experiences, please feel free to write them in the comments below!