Juice diaries – part V

Posted on May 15, 2013 by laravangemert

Okay, this is not the most exotic juice diary ever. But…healthy and delicious! And very welcome after my trip full of Dutch treats 🙂

Yammy!

JUICE 1 – ¼ pineapple, raspberries, 1 orange, 1 pear, 1 apple

JUICE 2 – 2 apples, 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, white grapes, raspberries, 3 mandarins, ¼ pineapple

JUICE 3 – 1 mango, 1 orange, 1 pear, 1 apple

JUICE 4 – purple grapes,1 orange, 2 pears, ½ cucumber

JUICE 5 – 3 kiwis, 2 oranges, 1 apple

JUICE 6 – 1 orange, 1 apple, 1 kiwi, 1 pear

JUICE 7 – purple grapes, 2 oranges, 1 kiwi

Holiday in the Netherlands

Posted on May 9, 2013 by laravangemert

For more than three weeks I was almost acting like a tourist in my ‘own city’ Amsterdam. Touring around on my bike felt so familiar, but yet so different because I was just visiting and somehow I realized more than ever how much I like this city! Three weeks full of seeing friends and family, lunches, dinners, birthday parties, baby showers, housewarmings, celebrating the coronation of the king, and spending hours on the terrace. Not too bad.

But… Being back in Toronto feels SO good! And the best part is: S U M M E R is in the air!! Who wouldn’t be happy if the sun’s shining after a long and snowy winter?! All terraces and patios are open again, the parks are green, the beach is waiting for us… Let the summer begin!

Funny enough, at the same time temperature rises, Toronto has the (ice) hockey fever. The Toronto Maple Leafs are for the first time since 2004 back in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Almost every Canadian on the street, man or woman, young or old, is wearing a blue or white Maple Leaf shirt with names on the back like Lupul, Kessel or Van Riemsdyk. Even the entire staff of our supermarket is dressed as a hockey player. And of course the CN tower is blue coloured for this special occasion. All together, is it a BIG happening that takes places in the Air Canada Centre, right under our house! Half the city is watching outside the stadium, and therefore it is inevitable to stay indifferent about it. While writing this, the Leafs have just lost the game… I’ve never expected to be disappointed about a lost ice hockey game (during summer time!). Am I getting Canadian? Hehe..

Babymoon?

Posted on April 9, 2013 by laravangemert

When telling my Canadian friend about the short trip we were about to plan, she pointed me at the term BABYMOON. Uhhh yes… well… okay! If that’s what they call it… we’re going on a babymoon!! Is this something typically North American, or did I miss something? Maybe it’s because we’re totally new in this ‘business’ 🙂

Anyway, babymoon or last minute holiday trip, we wanted to go. And as soon as possible. There are many advantages of living abroad, but one of them is definitely the opportunity of new holiday destinations. Just a three-hour flight away from Toronto lies… CUBA! On a whim we decided to book a trip to this amazing island that was on our wish list for ages and two days later we were enjoying the Cuban sunshine! And these sunrays were more than welcome after our first Canadian winter 😛

Next to the Caribbean Sea, beaches, palm trees, music and people we couldn’t leave the country without visiting Havana. I’m impressed by Cuba’s history and it’s capital.

Downward Dog!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by laravangemert

Warrior, Child’s pose, Pigeon, Cat, Cow, Plank and back to… good old Downward Facing Dog! Yes man, that’s yoga! And yoga is popular. There are almost 700 studios in the Greater Toronto Area. That’s a lot!

Since a few weeks I’m into yoga too. Searching for the perfect match I am trying out different studios, classes, teachers and types of yoga. There are so many possibilities, and everyone has their own preference (personally, I’m not a big fan of chanting ;-), but maybe you love it!). One thing I know for sure, the Downward Dog becomes easier after a while. I like yoga!

Juice diaries – part IV

Posted on March 27, 2013 by laravangemert

A friend of mine came up with this expression lately, about people who look like their juice. I know they say the same thing about people and their dogs… But about juices, really? OMG, how do I look like another week of enthusiastic juicing?

On the other hand, how bad can it be to look healthy, colourful and fruity 😛 ? CHEERS!!

JUICE 1 – raspberries, strawberries, 2 honey tangerines, 1 orange

JUICE 2 – 1 grapefruit, 1 kiwi, 2 apples, strawberries, 2 oranges

JUICE 3 – 1 honey tangerine, 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 1 apple

JUICE 4 – 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 honey tangerine, 1 grapefruit, 2 kiwis, 1 orange

JUICE 5 – 1 mango, 1 orange, 1 apple, 2 kiwis

JUICE 6 – 1 lime, 1 grapefruit, 2 mandarins, 1 grapefruit

JUICE 7 – ¼ pineapple, 1 mandarin, 1 orange, 1 pear

And… CUT!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by laravangemert

Just living in Toronto, I was watching a movie and realized it was shot in Toronto! Soon I found out that Toronto is a ‘hot spot’ for film locations. Very often, streets are fenced off in order to shoot a film, music video or TV series. Did you know that for example American Psycho, Brokeback Mountain, Cocktail, Cruel Intentions, Good Will Hunting, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, John Q and Mean Girls are shot in this city too?

Why did I never spot a famous movie star?? Maybe I have to be patient and wait for September, when the Toronto International Film Festival (tiff.net) takes place. Or… Be aware of filming notifications (that are cooler than ‘The Listener’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ hehe).

Pop-up!

Posted on March 17, 2013 by laravangemert

Pop-up sales are HOT. Together with the UK and the US, Canada is one of the most enthusiastic performers of pop-up events. And together with my friends I am one of their most enthusiastic supporters 🙂

Pop-up events in Toronto vary from plain sales to artisanal night markets with DJs, vintage clothing, street art, jewelry, food and drinks. Perfect start for the Friday night out! Thanks to these events we discovered a lot of great designers like Fredrick Prince (fredrickprince.com), Shop for Jayu (shopforjayu.com) and Wild Moon Jewelry (wildmoonjewelry.com).

Next time, we’re in again!

Juice diaries – part III

Posted on March 4, 2013 by laravangemert

Need a POST WEEKEND DETOX? Why not try a week of fresh juices… YUM!!

JUICE 1 – 450g strawberries, 1 pear, 2 oranges

JUICE 2 – blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, 2 apples, 2 pears, 4 oranges, 1 grapefruit

JUICE 3 – 4 stalks of celery, carrots, ½ red pepper, 1 lemon, 5 tomatoes

JUICE 4 – grapes, 1 orange, 1 pear

JUICE 5 – 1 pear, 4 stalks of celery, 7 carrots, tomatoes, basil

JUICE 6 – 1 mango, grapes, 1 orange

JUICE 7 – ½ pineapple, 1 orange, 1 honey tangerine, 2 plums, 1 apple

And the Award goes to…

Posted on February 25, 2013 by laravangemert

A few weeks ago I was already told to be lucky living in North America to watch the Super Bowl live. It was fun, but lucky?? Yesterday I was really lucky: time for the Oscars!!

When I lived in Amsterdam, I wasn’t aware of this huge event. Of course I knew it took place, which movies were nominated for best picture and I saw the best and worst dresses in the magazines. But I never saw the live show.

It was amazing! A few highlights and other noteworthy elements of the show: the red carpet interviews, the dress of Jennifer Lawrence, the fall of Jennifer Lawrence (!), the risky jokes of host Seth MacFarlane, Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino winning their Award, the (lack of) height of Daniel Radcliffe, a 9-year old nominee and the contribution of Michelle Obama.

You can read all about it at oscar.go.com (although it is more fun to read the comments of Perez Hilton: perezhilton.com/category/oscars). Next year I’m in again – by this I mean sitting on the couch again with a huge bag of popcorn, commenting on the outfits, hair-do’s and jokes. Can’t wait.

Discover the slopes…

Posted on February 21, 2013 by laravangemert

Our trip started at the most fairy-like airport I have ever been to: Mont Tremblant. A wooden building that looks more like a cosy chalet than an airport. White minivans were waiting to take us to our hotel in the pedestrian village along the scenic route. Accustomed to the European slopes, just the one mountain was a different experience, but the snow was perfect and the Canadian environment and especially the views were magnificent. Due to the Washington break (a holiday for American kids) the tranquil, innocent looking village turned into a true party place by the time dusk set in. Thanks to our blue jackets, the DUTCH PROMO TEAM didn’t have to pay any entrance fees hehe.

After three days of skiing, snowboarding, consuming (favourites are wine, ginger ale, cheese, nachos, burgers, caesar salad, oysters and pork ribs), filming with the Go Pro and dancing, it was time to move on to our next destination: Montréal. Driving past all the Québécois slopes contributed to our awareness of being in Canada instead of the Alps. And then… Paris in North America! Our stay in Montréal was way too short, we’ll be back!!