Incomplete - Alanis Morissette

Take it from Canadian career rocker gal Alanis Morissette, ladies; being incomplete can be a good thing. Learn from it, grow from it, embrace it! Here's the acoustic version of a fab song from Morissette's latest studio album Flavors of Entanglement.

Listen closely to the lyrics of this song and you'll perhaps realize that, like Morissette croons, "I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete".

Have a great weekend, ladies, and see you on Monday!

Cherry Cooler

This refreshing and fruity non-alcoholic drink is a great way to cool down after a long work week!



Cherry Cooler

1/2 pound pitted cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup strong hibiscus tea

Extra pitted cherries for garnish

Puree 1/2 pound pitted cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup strong hibiscus tea. Serve over ice and garnish with cherries.

Click here for 49 more summer drinks from Food Network Magazine!

The answers to our lives

We recently heard about GRAVITAS, a fun and introspective game "that gets us thinking and talking again." Learn more about it by watching this short video starring GRAVITAS creator Alan Gratias:

Intrigued? Increase your own "GQ" by getting yourself this little box of big questions. Consisting of 143 cards (three questions per card) totalling 429 questions, GRAVITAS is a game of self-reflection that also has us sharing our life views with others. With playful queries like "What's wrong with a metrosexual?" to ponderous ones such as "What engages you?", there certainly are no right or wrong answers; making it a game anyone can--and should--play.

$39.95 at gravitasthegame.com

Please read this...and thank us later

We live in a world where information is (literally) at our fingertips. Being constantly plugged into our bluetooths, blackberrys, iPhones and other gadgets, we are turning (and some may argue we've already turned) into a society which expects everything instantaneously.

We read In the Digital Age, rudeness is just another virus by Leah McLaren (p. L3, Globe Lifestyle section, May 23/24 weekend edition, The Globe and Mail), and found oursleves nodding in agreement with many of the points McLaren brought up in her article.

We wholeheartedly support McLaren's campaign (which we've dubbed "The Common Courtesy Campaign") to increase the usage of those magic little words “please” and “thank you” in our tweets, posts and e-mails.

Please click here to read the article or copy and paste this link into your web browser: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/in-the-digital-age-rudeness-is-just-another-virus/article1149393/

Thank you for reading this!

Shake it, Sister!

We've mentioned before how important it is for our hair to look its best at all times. Our latest find for keeping our hair in tip-top shape is the Open Sundaes Fresh Shake Hair Powder. We just shake some of the powder into our roots, and work it through to give our tresses a refreshed look, feel and fragrance. Three yummy scents available: chocolate (for brunettes), lemon (for blondes), and strawberry (for red heads). Our hair feels, and smells, utterly fabulous!

$12.95 each (100 g / 3.5 oz) at opensundaes.com

What It Feels Like For A Girl – Madonna

We’re pretty much in awe of the iconic Madonna, a woman who sure knows how to constantly re-invent herself and thus never ceases to keep us mesmerized by her goings-on. Here’s an oldie of hers but one we CCGs absolutely love from her eighth studio album Music.



Have a great weekend, ladies, and see you on Monday!

Seaside Lemonade

The easy, breezy summer days of lazing around are almost here. Get a head start on chilling and relaxing with the summer's ultimate drink...lemonade!

Seaside Lemonade

1 oz gin
1 oz Limoncello liqueur
¼ oz Campari
½ oz lemon juice
3 to 4 oz lemon-lime soda or Italian lemon soda
Fresh sprig of basil

To a wine goblet, add gin, Limoncello, Campari, and lemon juice. Top with soda and garnish with a fresh sprig of basil.

From the LCBO Food & Drink magazine, Early Summer 2009 issue

How can I help?

Check out this inspiring video of American writer, editor, and publisher Dave Eggers acccepting his 2008 TED Prize. Eggers talks about how his 826 Valencia writing center inspired others to open their own volunteer-driven, creative writing labs. He urges the TED community to do what they can to engage with local public schools in both a personal and creative manner. Best of all, he reminds us that the simple act of asking a teacher "How can I help?" is all it takes to make a difference.

To watch Eggers' entire TED Talk, click on the video below:

Learn more about Dave Eggers and his work, and also share your own volunteering stories, at his website onceuponaschool.org

Work trend alert: job sharing

We read Two workers, one job by Tavia Grant (The Globe & Mail, May 16/17 weekend edition, Report on Business section, page B14) and felt we had to share this one (pun intended).

A popular concept in Europe, the idea of job sharing is only just emerging in Canada. Just like it sounds, this work arrangement involves two employees splitting the duties of one job in order to create a work-life balance that suits their schedules. Read how two employees at agricultural not-for-profit group AgCare and two senior account managers at the Royal Bank of Canada are making job sharing work for them.

Click here to read the article or copy and paste this link into your web browser:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090515.wworkout0516/BNStory/lifeMain/

Fang-tastic Flick

Aren’t there days when you wish you could sink your teeth into your most annoying of co-workers? Of course, that just wouldn’t be civil (and probably not in accordance with your company’s HR policy either). Here’s the next best thing—a film to pop into the DVD player on an evening after a stressful day at work. Escape into a fantasy world where vampires walk the earth and live amongst humans. Based on the wildly popular series of fictional books by Stephanie Meyer, TWILIGHT (distributed by E1 Films Canada) will make you forget your work troubles as you find yourself absorbed in the story of girl meets vampire. Is their love meant to be or does fate have another plan for Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)? You'll have to watch for yourself to find out.

$19.99 (2-Disc Special Edition) at Amazon.ca

Here I Come – Fergie

“Any minute, I’ll be rolling through so get ready, get ready…”

Party it up and enjoy the three-day non-work bliss, ladies! You deserve it!

Even though it’s a stat holiday on Monday, CCG is still working so be sure to check in with us for the pick-of-the week!

Everything’s Zen

The long weekend is just one day away. Kick it off by getting yourself in a Zen state with this fresh twist on a classic.

ZEN Mojito

Ingredients:
1 oz. ZEN Green Tea Liqueur
1 oz. Havana Club® Añejo Blanco
½ oz. fresh lime
½ oz. simple syrup*
Club soda
Mint leaves

Directions:
Muddle mint leaves, lime and simple syrup in a cocktail glass. Add ZEN, Havana Club® and ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

*To make simple syrup, in a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

Click here for more ZEN cocktail recipes!

Top 10 Tips for Thriving in a Recession

In today's video, Jill Keto, author of Don't Get Caught With Your Skirt Down: A Practical Girl's Recession Guide, offers tips for thriving in this economy. With practical advice like "ditch fear", "evaluate your living situation", and "stay healthy", this 4-minute clip is worth your time to watch.

Click on the video to hear Jill's seven other valuable tips for surviving a recession!

Dream home could become a reality

We stumbled upon a great article in a special issue of Fortune Magazine (December 22, 2008 issue) that talks about investing in the housing market during the economic crisis. In Should You Jump in Now?, senior-editor-at-large Allan Sloan makes a convincing argument for why it’s time to buy now. And for the ones who can afford to do it at the present time, Sloan suspects that, in the year 2016, they will be quite glad they made the investment.

Click here to read the full article or copy and paste this link into your Web browser:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/09/magazines/fortune/sloan_crisis_investing.fortune/index.htm

e-Expertise

Unless you live in complete solitude or the life of hermit, we suspect that at some point in your life you have had to turn to others for advice. Whether it's with our professional or personal life, it's human nature to reach out to our fellow human beings for support. And in this wired world, it's only natural that good solid advice is now available online too! We recently discovered LivePerson.com and are impressed by the number of experts (30,000!) the site has on its roster.

Around since 1995, this New York-based online company puts the world's experts at your fingertips. With subject categories such as technology, education, arts, business, coaching & personal development and more, LivePerson.com is a go-to site for a career gal who's seeking expert advice on virtually any topic. Bookmark this site, ladies! It's well worth it.

Mama - Spice Girls

Happy Mother's Day to all the fabulous CCGs who also happen to be moms! Here's an ode to CCG mommies across the country, some who may even be presently raising CCGs-in-the-making. And to the moms who have already raised fabulous CCGs too!

Have a great weekend, ladies, and see you on Monday!

Bobby Flay's White Peach-Silver Tequila Cocktail

With shows like the Emmy-winning Boy Meets Grill, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Grill It! with Bobby Flay, Bobby Flay is by far one of our favourite Food Network chefs. Not only is Flay a grill master extraordinaire, he comes up with some pretty darn good cocktails too.

Give Bobby's White Peach-Silver Tequila Cocktail a throwdown tonight!

Ingredients:
2 ripe white peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup silver tequila
1/4 cup peach liqueur (recommended: Creme de Peche)
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons simple syrup
Ice cubes
Slice peaches, for garnish
Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
Place the peaches in a food processor and process until smooth. Pass through a mesh strainer into a bowl.

Combine the peach puree, tequila, liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve over ice in rocks glasses. Garnish with a slice of peach and mint sprigs.

Prep Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 2 servings

For working moms-to-be

Here's something for CCGs who are also mommies-to-be! Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff is the author of the authoritative expectancy guide What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Check out this great video in which Murkoff offers sound tips for how to stay healthy while pregnant on the job:

Are you a CCG who's looking for an exhaustive online resource for mommies-to-be? Check out whattoexpect.com (published by Waterfront Media) for tons of tips and tools including more advice from Heidi!

How to advertise effectively

In Are You Advertising or Just Gambling? Strategies to Take the Risk Out of Marketing, Illiki Rai, owner & publisher of Rising Women Magazine, talks about the importance of understanding one's advertising approach. The most important ingredient to a successful advertising campaign according to Rai? Consistency. Learn how to generate maximum awareness for your product or service by taking a gander at Rai's tips. Click here to read the article or copy and paste this link into your web browser:
http://www.risingwomen.com/arcilliki12.htm

Violet Reaction

Talk about an office fashion statement! The gorgeous Space Violet In-Ear Headphones by Swarovski are sure to make you stand out from your fellow cubicle-dwellers when each of you are buried at your desks and hovered over your computers. These superb quality earphones are the perfect accessory to help you combat office chatter, especially if you're a CCG in an open-concept workspace. Just plug into your computer, play your favourite tunes and get working! The earbuds' polished stainless steel body with pretty drop-cut violet crystals on the exterior give off just the right amount of subtle bling.

$105 at swarovski.com

Simple Days - Babyface

Hope you all take the time to enjoy the Simple Days and simple pleasures of life!



Have a great weekend, ladies, and see you on Monday!