TFC Players Red Tunnel + TFC Lounge – Exclusive VIP Access (Winmar Toronto)

This past Saturday, I was invited by Winmar Toronto, the Property Restoration Specialist, to attend it’s corporate event, which was to watch the Toronto FC vs Colorado Rapids at the BMO Field. Better yet, we were watching the match inside the Private Suite Box. I thought that was an amazing experience already. Not so fast, the best as yet to come! One of the Winmar Toronto friendly staff, Byron Kent informed me that I, along with another adult, along with 5 kids, will be guided by a TFC staff to head down to the TFC Players Red Tunnel to meet the players, take photos and videos of them and seek autographs. That was a totally surprise for me. I guess Winmar Toronto know me too well because I love Exclusive Behind-the-scenes content.

The TFC Players Red Tunnel, along with the TFC Lounge were some of the renovation that the MLSE had invested this past year. The area looked modern, stylish and a great place to chill with other TFC fans while watching the game. This is definitely a prestige membership only area.

As TFC beat the Rapids by a score of 3-1, you could tell the positive vibe were in the air. More TFC players tend to stay longer to sign autographs with their fans. The safety of our 5 kids was my priority, making sure they are safe and sound and away harm’s way from other taller and bigger adult TFC fans. Also, I got to ensure that each and everyone of them received an autograph from any TFC player. Once those criteria were taken care of, I got an autograph by Sebastian Giovinco, who is a great player and scored 2 goals during this match. This experience was totally unexpected and Winmar Toronto made it happen, bringing a memorable experience for the kids and bringing a BIG smile on the kids’ faces. Everyone went home happy.

I would like to thank Winmar Toronto for hooking us up with such an exclusive arrangement to meet & greet the TFC players up close and personal. That was very thoughtful. To find out more about Winmar Toronto and the services it provides, you can click here.

Follow my journey on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos.

And MoVernie is outta here!

TFC vs Rapids – Winmar Toronto Private Suite Box Event

This past Saturday, I was invited as an Exclusive VIP by Winmar Toronto to attend its corporate event, which was to attend the Toronto FC vs Colorado Rapids game at the BMO Field. A few days before, one of the Winmar Toronto drove to my work place and hand delivered the Private Suite TFC ticket as well as a VIP parking pass that allowed me to park underground but close to the BMO Field. Let me tell you, Winmar Toronto is great at what they do, which is providing restoration services with its expertise. But I also think they are thoughtful and provide some of the top notch excellent service that is above and beyond.

The weather during the game was a bit unstable so I was very grateful that Winmar Toronto took care of me and also took care of my car. My 2016 Mazda CX-3 GT AWD was nicely parked underground so when it was pouring rain, my ride was still nice and dry. Since the TFC football game will proceed rain or shine, I was glad that Winmar Toronto hosted the event in a private box suite so that when it was raining, we weren’t affected at all because we had a roof in the suite. Meanwhile, the TFC fans were soaking wet wearing pachos (FYI – umbrellas aren’t allow in the spectators stands).

The TFC took an early 3-0 lead in just the 1st half of the match. All game long, we had loads of food and beverages to allow us to enjoy the game. List of food goes on and on but in particular, they were serving sushi platter, jumbo shrimps, chicken souvlaki, chicken tenders, greek salad, spring rolls, veggie dip, nachos, popcorn, cookies. Oh man, did I mention ice cream bar? Ice cold beer and other cold beverages were being served throughout the game.

It’s been a while I last went to a TFC game, so it was nice to attend this game, especially I heard they are trying to make the playoffs for their very 1st time in franchise history and this year, they have a hot goal scorer named Sebastian Giovinco who scored 2 goals during this match alone.

I would like to thank you Winmar Toronto for the kind Exclusive VIP invite and they definitely came through for me and the rest of the attendees.

Follow my journey on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos.

And MoVernie is outta here!

 

Mazda CX-3 GT AWD – MoVernie First Drive

This past weekend, I went to the Mazda Canada Headquarter and picked up a nice hot ride, which was the all-new 2016 Mazda CX-3 GT AWD. The moment I saw the CX-3, I was in love! The ride was in the “Soul Red” body paint. I am usually not a red car type of person but Mazda has successfully developed this special red colour that they can call it uniquely it’s own invention, it’s a special red!

I think it’s love at first sight as from any angle, front, side and back, this car loves amazing! The best part has yet to come, the moment I used the keyfob to open the door, to my surprise, what a beautiful interior! It is by far one of the best use of rich material and colour combinations that I have seen in a car. The use of leather, suede, metal and carbon fiber looking type of material were used to give the CX-3 a high-tech, sporty and futuristic look. It feels way more expensive than it’s asking price. And the best part? The use of white, black and raspberry colour combo throughout the entire cabin. The stitching along the dashboard, oh mine, super thoughtful by the designers.

I can’t wait to take this car for a spin and I will be driving this car for a week, attending to various cool events and places. Stay tuned for my in-depth driving experience at a later date. For now, check out some of the photos that I took with this gorgeous 2016 Mazda CX-3 GT AWD.

Follow my journey on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos.

And MoVernie is outta here!

Timbit Poutine – MoVernie Tweet on BuzzFeed

So….a number of my peeps told me that one of my tweets made it to the BuzzFeed, which as you know, BuzzFeed is a huge source for content and interesting entertainment stories. That tweet of mine that made it to stardom was my tweet about the Timbit Poutine that created lots of buzz at the CNE this year.

CNE, also known as The Ex, have quite a long list of wacky food items annually by the vendors who try to woo the people to try them during their visits to the CNE. I got to say, I love the creative attempts by many of these vendors. However, some of the food items just doesn’t taste right. But for some food items, which may sound weird, but the ingredients actually works well.

Anyhow, MoVernie is honoured that one of his tweets made it to the big shot in BuzzFeed.com. The tweet was used as a backbone to build around the story of how BuzzFeed created its own version of Timbit Poutine, which actually sounds and look better than the original Timbit Poutine. I think you should it a try by clicking this link.

MoVernie VIDEO: Timbit Poutine & other Wacky Food

In addition to the Timbit Poutine photo that I took, I also made a Mini-MoVernie video of the food that we ate, so check it out here on MoVernie vs Food Video.

Thanks again to BuzzFeed for the kind feature!

Follow me on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos on my experience at CNE 2015.

And MoVernie is outta here!

CNE 2015 – What’s New This Year?

In case you haven’t been to CNE this year yet, you still have about a week left to visit. Honestly, it’s not something you will miss out but I do think it’s a great festival for you and your loved ones to relax, grab a bite, try some new rides and just having a calm and collected day before school starts.

I still recall those days when I was still in school, I had a great time at the CNE but also the reality kicked in when I realized CNE also signify that I have to go back to school. CNE is famous for wacky new food items that will wow you for all the weird reasons. Many food vendors will try to think out-of-the-box and wanted to shovel all the weird ingredients that may not make sense and try to put them into your stomach. Food items that created lots of buzz include Timbits poutine, Bison sausage poutine, double donut burger, etc.

Personally, the Timbits poutine was disappointing to say the least, it’s just purely a bunch of Timbits placed at the bottom of the coffee cup, toppled with whip cream or ice cream of some sort, it lacks flavour and both items didn’t blend well for my taste.

The bison sausage poutine was my pick, sausage was chewy and tender, gravy on the hot fries were top notch.

Double donut burger, it looks nasty from an appearance standpoint but when I got a bite on it, it actually worked well. Must be the sweetness of the donut bun mixed well with the salty beef patty.

And as usual, you get those game booths located outside the buildings. You have water gun, roll the ball, darts, whack a mole, etc. This year lineup of plush toys include The Minions; Big Care Bears (I mean bigger than normal human beings); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and much much more. Back in the days, my bro and I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and there was a fishing game. My dad wanted to win a medium sized Michelangelo for us. So, he asked the staff how to win. The dude thought my dad was some guy who possibly wouldn’t know what to do. 5 minutes in, my dad used his amazing dexterity to pick out the red fish out of hundreds of blue fishes and he won the Michelangelo for me. I will always remember that and still have that plush toy in my room.

As always, there were tons of midway rides that your kids or yourself would appreciate. In one particular ride, which I highly recommend is the “Skyride”, it’s basically a ride that stretches from one side of the BMO Field and runs all the way to the Direct Energy Centre, approximately 15 ft above ground. It’s especially beautiful at night, seeing the BMO Field upclose, the Ferris wheel upclose and flashing lights were amazing. Each stretch costs you $5 per person but it’s worth it, to be high up in the air, overlooking the CN Tower and seeing human beings walking beneath you, it’s a great feeling. And oh yes, and I am scare of heights so that’s shows you how much I love this ride, overcoming my biggest fear.

If you love country music, there is a venue called the “Northern Saloon”, country talent such as the rising star Cory Marquardt and many other talents performed there nightly. If you prefer pop or rock music, Bandshell Stage featured various talent daily, including the pop sensation Cody Simpson, who performed last evening.

So….you still get your chance to check out all the goodies that CNE has install for you until Labour Day long weekend. Don’t forget the traditional air show that happens throughout the long weekend as well. Sit back and enjoy the rides!

Let’s go to the Ex and MoVernie is outta here!

Follow me on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos on my experience at CNE 2015.

CNE 2015 Photo Album