Last updated April 17, 2020

From time to time, when circumstances warrant, I may publish blog posts earlier than the usual last day of the month. I hope you enjoy the second half of this post which I am publishing a few weeks early (“out of band”).

This is a follow-up post to my first IGTV story from a few days back. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I strongly urge you look up my previous post by clicking here.

In the first part of this blog, I shared techniques to help lower anxiety. In this follow-up, you’ve asked me for some assistance with a newer problem… “cabin fever”. Perhaps you’re simply bored out of your mind with social isolation so here’s a list of things you may not have considered doing while isolated – I’ve tried to put these into categories.

 

Thrills seekers

Want to experience Canada’s Wonderland from the comfort of your couch? They have 3 “playlists” (aka compilation) where you can experience the rides from a riders’ POV (point of vu). You know what’s great about this?? There’s absolutely NO waiting in line and people of all height can enjoy!!!

There are 3 compilations offered… family rides, thrill rides and roller coaster rides.

Here’s the family rides playlist

Here’s the thrill rides playlist

Here’s the roller coaster rides playlist

Although not officially released by Walt Disney Resorts, there are several virtual rides for you to take part in. I found this compilation using Google!

 

Circus performances

Cirque du Soleil has several performances available on their YouTube channel and are releasing new 60-minute “CirqueConnect” specials on Friday’s. Here’s a direct link to their first 2 performances… be sure to return to their channel on Fridays to access to the latest special.

March 27th’s special features awe-inspiring moments from KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities, ‘’O’’, and LUZIA.

April 3rd’s special features awe-inspiring moments from Amaluna, Bazzar and Volta.

April 10th’s special features awe-inspiring moments from Alegría, Kooza and KÀ.

April 17th’s special features awe-inspiring moments from the ZED show performed exclusively in Tokyo!

Future specials can be accessed by visiting Cirque du Soleil’s YouTube channel.

 

Live music

Local Toronto restaurant and concert venue Rivoli is letting artists take over their account to do performances

 

Musical recordings

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal (OSM) is also offering some goodies for the music lovers!

Also available as a playlist on Spotify and Apple Music

 

In need of a new playlist?

May I recommend the “Quaranntunes” Spotify playlist

 

Museums

The Royal Ontario Museum has a virtual collection where you get access to over 45k items split over 24 categories for your viewing pleasure. There’s also an interactive map if you prefer looking geographically instead of by categories

Similarly, the Art Gallery of Ontario has a virtual collection which can be accessed at (scroll down to Collection Area)

For the shoe lovers in your family. I’m told that the Bata Shoe Museum also has a virtual 3D exhibit … sadly, the site still requires the antiquated Flash Player…

The Virtual Museum of Canada offers more than 600 virtual exhibits and nearly one million images to explore

The Guggenheim Museum (in NYC)

The British Museum

The Louvre (in Paris)

Vancouver Art Gallery

The Montreal Museum Of Fine Arts is offering virtual tours via the MMFA mobile app (iOS/Android)

Just keep swimming as Dora would say… did you know that the Vancouver Aquarium has a few cameras peeking at some of their famous animals (click on Live Cams at the top of the screen)

Missing the action on the ice? Then check out the Hockey Hall of Fame!

 

Celebrity cooking Lessons

Tired of ordering/eating from the same places and want to pick up a new skill? Learn to cook while you’re quarantined with Local Montrealer and Queer Eye Antoni Porowski Is Sharing ‘Quarantine Cooking Lessons‘ On Instagram.

Looking for an equivalent French version? Look no further than chef Ricardo who created a special section aptly named “confinement” with incredible recipes on his Instagram account. (French only)

A cookbook with recipes from local Toronto chefs available for free online is changing the game when it comes to home cooking. The PDF version is available here and the web version is available here.

 

Looking to submerge yourself in a (new) hobby?

For those of you looking to submerge yourself in a new hobby. Have you considered learning how to draw and improve on kindergarten level drawing skills? Or perhaps calligraphy is more up your alley?

Toronto-based artist Alana Pancyr is offering drawing tutorials on her YouTube channel.

Prefer calligraphy? Look no further than Happy Ever Crafter. She has tons of videos available for free that will teach you all about drawing and writing styles.

 

Streaming services

We’re all too familiar with the tug of war that early spring is… in the event your part of the world is experiencing some not too friendly weather outdoors and prefer cuddling up on the couch to (bing) watch a movie or series? Here’s a list of streaming services available in Canada that offer a free trial period.

Amazon Prime Video (30-day free trial with Amazon Prime) Following the free trial, subscriptions run for $79.99 a month. However, they do offer student discounts for as low as $39.99 a year.

Disney + (7-day free trial) The post-trial cost runs at $8.99 a month with the option to pay a flat rate of $89.99 per year. They’ve recently added Frozen 2 and Pixar’s latest Onwards is arriving a few months early landing on April 3.

Netflix (7-day free trial) When time is up on your free trial, monthly subscriptions run from $9.99 allowing only one device to stream at a time to $16.99 for four devices and Ultra HD video.

AppleTV + (7-day free trial) The platform charges $5.99 a month after their 7-day trial.

Crave (30-day free trial) For $9.99 a month, Crave offers past seasons of popular network shows. However, for $19.98 a month subscribers gain access to their Crave + Movies + HBO package.

CBC Gem (free basic) They do have the option to become a premium member for $4.99 a month and opens up the option to stream ad-free and gives you access to CBC’s live news feeds.

ICI Tout.tv [French CBC] (30-day free trial) $6.99 a month thereafter. Interestingly, it’s included in some Telus mobility plans.

All of the streaming services I’ve mentioned offer free trial of at least 7 days (some offer up to 30 days) when signing up!

As always, comment on my Instagram post, Facebook page or reach out via the email icon at the top right corner of the site and let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to cover in a future post or video!