As per usual, the bad guys get killed in droves, the good guys barely bleed and everything is alright with the world again at the end of the movie. I loved the fact that Harrison Ford's character couldn't understand Statham's english - even asking what language he was speaking - yet somehow carried on a conversation with Schwarzenegger with absolutely no difficulty! And two strange things happen in The Expendables: Mel Gibson is the bad guy and Antonio Banderas is a seriously silly killer begging for a job. I thought both did a great job being these guys who are complete opposite of regular roles we're used to seeing them in. Gibson had the crazy eyes and creepy voice going on, totally getting into the whole bad guy thing. Banderas was too cute and so funny. All in all, I would recommend this movie - as a rental. I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 movie passes! Here's the film's synopsis from rottentomatoes.com, where the movie got a score of 35% from movie critics and 54% from movie goers: In The Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team come face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables' most personal battle yet. Visit the official Facebook page here.
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So last time I gave you a list of websites that offer free stuff for free. This post deals with sites that offer product testing. Although you do get free stuff (no sample sizes here!), you are required to test out the product for a specified amount of time, then log into your account and answer a survey and/or give a review of the product. Items I have personally been sent to test include toys, household cleaners, food and beauty products. Some products sent are new to the market, so you'll be among the first to try it out, and some you'll already recognize - the client wants direct feedback regarding a product already out there. The surveys can be really short (about 15 minutes) or longer (survey + reviews required), but here's the thing, you received the product for free, the least you can do is give them a half hour of your time to let them know how the product fared. Always be honest! If you loved the product, let them know. If it fell apart or gave you diarrhea, let them know that also. And try to be descriptive... don't just give one word answers. With most of these sites I've listed, if you don't answer the surveys or give them the proper amount of participation, you won't receive any more opportunities. Remember that there are thousands of people who are more than happy to get that item, test it and then let the world know their opinion. A note if you blog or before you share your thoughts on social media - check the fine print. It may be necessary to report to the place that sent you the sample prior to any other posts. Even if it isn't, it's just good practice to give them your premier thoughts - then move on to your friends, family and followers. Without further ado, I present (in no particular order) the following (as usual, all links open a new window) sites: Bzz Agent - Sign up, fill in your profile and get ready to answer LOADS of questions about pretty much anything and everything. On the plus side, the "surveys" that must be filled out on the site are only between 1-4 questions long, so even though it looks like a crazy amount of surveys, they are done pretty quickly. Once you're done with that, you need to keep checking back for more surveys to answer and to get to know your way around the site. Once you get chosen (based on your profile and survey answers), you'll receive your BzzKit in the mail - and the campaign begins! You'll either receive a product gratis or a coupon for whichever product you'll be buzzing about. The coupon gets you the item free and I believe that they are issued whenever you have to buzz about food or other perishables that cannot be mailed directly. One campaign of mine was for yogurt and the other for pork, so I received coupons. You'll also receive a kit giving you tips on how to spread the word once you've tested the product and coupons to give out to friends, family and whoever else you want. You'll have to report back about the different ways you're engaging others in conversations about your product. Even if you didn't like the product or it didn't work well for you, they want your honesty at all times. Be Free For Me - Great site for those who have food allergies. Sign up and fill out a few simple questions. They'll email you coupons and mail you samples every now and then of new food products geared toward those who suffer from allergies and/or celiac disease to test out and give your honest opinion. Parent Tested Parent Approved- Sign up for testing opportunities if you have kids at home. You have to be available to pick up the product(s) you'll test at their Concord, Ontario office. They are actually a US company, so be aware that any contests you see on their blog (congrats-a-thons) or Facebook page are only open to US residents. Canadians are only eligible for the product testing. Fill out your profile and one for your child(ren) and wait for an email when you get matched up with a product. Readers Digest - Fill out a form, answer a few short questions and if they match you up with an opportunity to test a new product for them, you'll get an email. Pretty easy and straightforward. And come on, who hasn't heard of the Readers Digest Magazine? Influenster - This one is a little weird. I signed up for it very recently and really can't make a whole lot of sense out of it. The premise is that you sign up, write a bunch of reviews, get your 'influence' score up and hopefully qualify for a Vox Box full of full sized products to test. Apparently they have recently done a makeover of the site, because all the info I have managed to glean from the web on how best to qualify for a box seems to give me advice on things that don't seem to be on the site (maybe I just can't find it?) any longer. I spent a lot of time writing reviews of movies that came out 15 years ago and products that have been out forever. I also had to refresh the selection numerous times before I even found something I'd heard of. Suffice it to say I have not received anything from this site, but it's worth a try as people DO get these boxes, they sent a batch out earlier this month and I have found YouTube videos from May and March of this year of people unveiling their boxes. Home Tester Club - Just sign up, fill out some info and wait. They'll send you an email to let you know when they have a product to send you for testing. I have received quite a few items from this one to try out. Once you test out the product for the specified amount of time, just head on over to the site, log in and fill out a survey with your comments and a brief review of the product. They'll also send you an email with a direct link to your survey around the time your review is due. Product Testing Services - Sign up and wait for an email invite to participate. You'll get a screener email first, then if you qualify you'll get details about the project. Note: So far I have only received invites to join survey panels, which I think are a complete waste of my time and energy. You may have more luck. Beta Test Beauty - Along the same lines as the previous entries on this list, you sign up, fill out a basic questionnaire and wait for word that you've been selected to test out new products. This one is focused on higher-end beauty products and pays between $10-$20 for each survey completed (and you get to keep the product). I have been signed up for this one for quite a while and haven't heard anything from them. Perhaps they did not like my questionnaire answers (I do not spend $250 on beauty products each month and I don't lie about it), I don't know. However, an online search trying to see what testers have previously received got me nowhere - lots of people are using the beta test beauty title, but the items are from other (US-only) companies, but again, can't get anything if you don't try, right? Parents Canada - This one is affiliated with Disney. Fill out a questionnaire and sign up and wait for email invites, same as most. You'll get to keep the product you test, as with all the others, and they also do draws to win other items that have already been tested by others (leftovers maybe?). Chick Advisor - This one requires some work. You sign up, fill out your basic questionnaire and then you need to review products you have already tried out (at least 5) to show that you're serious and willing to let people know your opinion on the products you use. Once you're active enough, you can begin to apply for products they have available for testing. You need to actively check the website for the offers and apply. If you're chosen, they'll let you know by email. You can also follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find out when they have new testing products available. That's it for the product testing websites I have found (and belong to) which offer product testing to Canadians. They're real and I do not get any sort of referral points or gifts if you click my links.
Again, thank you for visiting, if you know of a great (legitimate) product testing site which includes Canadians, leave it in the comments section. Feel free to forward a link to this blog to your friends - let's all enjoy the free! Everyone likes getting free stuff, right? I know I do, and although the old saying is "nothing in life is free", I have actually found quite a few truly free things available online. I love the little surprises in my mailbox. It usually takes about two months before the sample actually arrives, so I've usually forgotten about it by then. Today I thought I'd share my favorite go-to sites which list free stuff available to Canadians. As we all know, it's super easy to find freebies for US residents, but a little more difficult for us Canucks. While it's nice to get free stuff, you do have to dig a little and check often. It also depends on what kinds of things you're happy to get and what you're willing to do to get them. I am not a big coupon user, so I don't generally seek out those or sign up for rebate offers. I absolutely love getting samples, so whenever I see one I want, I dive right in. Usually you have to give them your name, address and whatnot. Understandable, since they're mailing you something. I do not give out my phone number, and if there's something I have to do (I dunno, spam email 50 friends or pay shipping), I usually just close the window and move on. If I have to like them on Facebook or follow on Twitter, I find that a small price to pay. It's so easy to unfollow or unlike later. That being said, here are some of my favorite sites, with which I have had lots of success. Keep in mind that there can be overlap, but there are also differences, so if this is something you're interested in, check all of them on a regular basis. In no particular order (all links will open a new page so you don't have to leave me!) allow me to present: Freebies 4 Her - All you have to do is sign up and every Thursday you get an email with offers. Most of the time it's the same-old same-old, but they do offer a goodie every now and then. A few times a month you'll get a special offer email, and those are the ones to really look for. These are the ones with pretty cool sample offers that are usually limited time - so jump on them. This one is great because you don't have to actively seek out deals, they come to you. All you have to do is choose the ones that interest you and click the link. Canadian Free Stuff - Listing of freebies found around the web. This site also offers tabs to coupons, contests and the like. A nice thing about this site is that the offers are dated, so you'll know that if today is August 16th and the offer is dated February 2nd, the offer is most likely not valid any longer. This is one to check often, as new deals crop up all the time. Free Stuff Finder - Same as above, a listing of what's currently available. They also offer coupons, contests and the like, but they do mix everything together, so just because you clicked the 'samples' tab, doesn't mean you won't also get a bunch of contests thrown into the thread. I just signed up for their email newsletter, and I'm guessing it'll be like the freebies4her one. This one also lists dates for the post, which is nice. I have seen a few who don't, and that can get a little annoying when you see something awesome, click the link, then realize it's two years old (happened to me lol). Be careful if you google this one - I ended up at the US site by accident and got so excited at what was on offer - then I realized I needed a ZIP code... I clicked 'Canada' and went to the correct version. The link above will take you to the Canadian site. Save A Loonie - This one is VERY colourful, but if you look past the Vegas glitz, they do have some interesting offers available. It's pretty up to date and gives you expiry dates also. There are lots of ads and links, so you'll have to do a little maneuvering to find the actual freebies. It's another one where it's best you bookmark and check back often, as they are adding new stuff whenever they come across it. Today's Free Stuff - Same as the previous ones - blog-style listing of freebies, samples, coupons, sweepstakes and reward sites. Offers are a also dated, and this one has a nice little feature of letting you know when an offer is expired. There's a listing of category-specific freebies (i.e. beauty, clothing, kids), but it's probably best to just look at the first page or two for the newest (read: not expired) offers. Sample Source - Pure sample site. All you do is sign up, fill out a short profile survey and wait. 2-3 times per year you'll get an email letting you know that your sample pack is ready, all you have to do is log into the site, pick the ones you want the most (you get to choose a pre-set number from a list available), and check your mailbox for your freebies. So easy. These are brand-name samples like lotions, razors, haircare, household goods and the like. Most are sample sized, but I have received Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Schick razors, which are (for obvious reasons) full-sized. I definitely recommend signing up for this one. That's it for the freebie websites that I feel offer the best selection. They're real and I do not get any sort of referral points or gifts if you click my links.
Next time I'll give you a listing of my favorite product testing websites. Another great way to get (almost) free stuff. Thanks for visiting, if you have a fave freebie site or run one, leave it in the comments section. Feel free to forward a link to this blog to your friends - let's all enjoy the free! Recently I was sent a full size package of OXY Emergency Treatment Wipes from a product testing website I belong to (http://www.hometesterclub.com) to test out and review. As my testing period is over and I have already filled out my survey with the website, I decided to give you my own review of this product. Although we did test this product every day for the requested two weeks, the product itself is intended for emergency spot treatment. In this respect, it does what it claims. There was a visible reduction in redness of the acne spots in within a short period of time (under 24 hours). Because this product comes in wipes in a packet which can be sealed repeatedly rather than as a wash or cream it is easier to use and that alone will enable your teen to use it on a regular basis. The wipes do tend to dry out quickly, however, since you're only using them on specific pimples, it's not really an issue, as you're usually done before they're completely dry. The OXY wipes did dry my son's skin slightly, however, this is commonplace with acne treatments which contain acids and peroxides (this one contains 2.5% benzoyl peroxide) and are easily remedied with some moisturizer. There is no stinging or tightness associated with our usage, so that was also a nice plus, as some acne products do sting when applied. These wipes are portable, easy to use and deliver on their promises. I would recommend this product and will purchase it in the future. Product Rating: 4 smiles out of 5 Product Website: http://www.oxycanada.com/en/pages/products/Emergency_AcneVanishingTreatmentWipes.html Product Type: acne control All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was offered free of charge with no expectation of a review within this blog, favorable or otherwise.
Above: Yesterday's box with cherries, corn, tomatoes, fennel, cucumber and a pineapple. I subscribe to Farms & Forks (formerly organicfooddelivery.com) and I have never been disappointed. Although they offer a fantastic policy in regards to over-ripe or damaged foods, I have yet to find one piece of fruit or vegetable that wasn't absolutely perfect in my box. Customer service is second-to-none, questions are answered and issues are dealt with quickly. They started out small, but are growing quickly, something that usually means the death of such fantastic customer care. However, with the Farms & Forks team, this is not the case. They put you first and deliver fantastic food with many more options offered each week... growth looks good on them. And my delivery person, Roxanne, is so friendly, always waiting around to say hi when I come outside to pick up my box after she rings the doorbell.
Supporting your local farmers by using their CSA (community supported agriculture) boxes is a great option, but we do live in a country with winter, so these are only an option during the growing season. Therefore, I like to subscribe to a year-round box and visit farmer's markets during the summer and fall months. Farms & Forks delivers all across the GTA, and if this is something that sounds interesting to you, I urge you to give them a try. They offer three box sizes (see pic for examples) and you can choose fruit or veggie only, or the combo box with both. If you don't like them, cancelling after your first box is easy. Start small and see how it goes. They also offer a 'one time only' deal, so you can try it out before you commit. Their website is http://organicfooddelivery.com (clicking this link will open a new window) and if you do decide to try them out, I ask that you enter my name (Sonja Pecnik) in the referral area, I do get $5 toward my next box if you do! Please let me know in the comments section if you decided to give it a try and what your experience was.
Above: Last week's box with basil, beets, bananas, zucchini, purple (!) sweet pepper, oranges, red cabbage and strawberries. Also, our dessert featuring the super-sweet strawberries from Ted Eng's Farm. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was fully paid for by myself. The subject of this blog entry has no expectation of a review, favorable or otherwise.
This movie has been in theaters for about two weeks now and has brought in over $310 million, and there is good reason for that. This movie will make you cry with laughter, especially if you are of the generation that grew up in the eighties, as there are some pretty funny jokes about that age. If you stay until after the full credits roll, you will get the usual Marvel clip. This was the only part that disappointed me for this movie. While what we got was a surprise (I will not give it away), I was kinda expecting Ironman, so I guess that's why I wasn't as excited by who actually makes a cameo. My suggestion? Go see this movie. You will not be sorry. I give this movie 5 out of 5 movie passes!
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AuthorHi! I'm Sonja and I'm glad you're here! I'm happy to share some recipes and gardening tips with you while I let you know about great (or not so great) products, services, and media I encounter. Visit my online shop at MysteriousDragonfyre.com
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