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

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.

Juice diaries – part II

Posted on February 5, 2013 by laravangemert

Outside it might be snowing… inside it’s a fruity celebration! Thanks for all the recipes and tons of suggestions. I have made a few green juices of which I wasn’t particular proud, so I will spare you those ones!

(Yes, I have this new found fling with strawberries at the moment, but they are all slightly different ;-))

JUICE 1 – 1 mango, 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 1 apple (red delicious)

JUICE 2 – 170g raspberries, 2 oranges, 1 apple (red delicious)

JUICE 3 – 1 apple (red delicious), 1 grapefruit, 2 pears, grapes, 2 kiwi

JUICE 4 – 2 oranges, 1 apple (red delicious), 1 kiwi, 1 carrot

JUICE 5 – 450g strawberries, 1 apple (red delicious), 1 pear, 1 peach

JUICE 6 – 225g strawberries, 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 pear

JUICE 7 – 225g strawberries, 1 orange, 1 apple (red delicious), 1 grapefruit, 1 peach, 1 lemon

I am from Amsterdam.

Posted on January 29, 2013 by laravangemert

Big news in the Netherlands: our Queen will abdicate the thrown and her son and his wife will be our new King and Queen. From next year onwards, we will no longer have our famous and beloved Queen’s Day, but we will celebrate… King’s Day! I’m sure this celebration will be as festive and orange as it has been the previous decades 😛

Since this is a post about the Netherlands, also known as Holland, I will make use of the opportunity to explain the difference between these two names for my small country :-). I am sure that the majority of Dutch people living abroad struggle with this dilemma as well: am I from the Netherlands, or from Holland? I prefer to say: I am from Amsterdam (sounds much cooler hehe).

So… for once and for all: WATCH & LEARN!

Juice diaries – part I

Posted on January 24, 2013 by laravangemert

My Christmas present: a juicer. I have never made juices in my life before. But is sounds really really healthy. So here’s the result of my first week of juicing… And I’m starting to like my new ‘lifestyle’. CRAZY OF JUICING 🙂

JUICE 1 – 2 apples (red delicious), 2 peaches, 2 grapefruits

JUICE 2 – 1 melon, 1 mango, mint

JUICE 3 – 1 apple (red delicious), 1 beet, 4 carrots, 3 stalks of celery, ½ cucumber, ginger

JUICE 4 – 3 tangerines, blueberries, 4 golden kiwi, 2 mangoes, ginger

JUICE 5 – 1 fennel, 3 carrots, ½ cucumber, red pepper, 3 stalks of celery, broccoli, ginger

JUICE 6 – 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges, 1 mango, 1 apple (red delicious)

JUICE 7 – 450 gram strawberries, 2 oranges, 2 red apples (red delicious)

New York, New Yoooooooork!!

Posted on December 28, 2012 by laravangemert

Another advantage of living in Toronto: living near New York! Even though we underestimated the required boarding time (due to excitement of the closeness of the Billy Bishop City Airport which we can see from our apartment), and missed our flight… One hour later than the original planning, we got on the plane and flew to THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS. New York is magical, especially the weekend before Christmas…