Le 25e Salon du Livre de Toronto | Blogmas Day 2

December 02, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog

(Let's pretend it is still December 2 and my French doesn't suck. ??) Aujourd’hui je suis allé a le 25e salon du livre de Toronto. C’est arrivé dans la bibliothèque de référence. Je étudie françaises c’est pourquoi notre professor a invitée nous là-bas. Nous avons regarde une présentation du livres pour enfants. Quelques livres est sur la famille et enfants. Quelques livres est sur adventure et science-fiction pour adolescents.

Il y avait un loterie et j'ai gagné un livre! La title est « Mica, fille de Transyl ». Très cool.

Voilà, voici les photos.

Website: https://www.salondulivredetoronto.com

More of my book reviews

BLOGMAS 2017 ANNOUNCEMENT

November 30, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog

Blogmas 2017 While filming NaNoWriMo vlogs (and failing at it), I had an idea to do Vlogmas. But then I realized that I simply had no time to accomplish something like that. While googling vlogmas ideas, I came across the term blogmas. Which essentially means the same thing but posting on a text blog, not YouTube channel.

Bingo!

Writing and scheduling blogs ahead is way easier and more doable with my fulltime job than vlogging every single day. Plus, this will give me an opportunity to catch up with some of my long overdue reviews and do wrap-ups for this year and recommendations.

I have already written down approximately 25 topic ideas. My Blogmas will be mostly book related, but I will also do some theatre and stationery posts.

I am excited, are you? Anyone else doing it?

(The image was doodled by me in Procreate app on iPad using Apple Pencil. I can't draw.)

Blog: What the heck is FODMAP diet and why do I need it?

November 29, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog

Okay, let’s get a bit real here. My blog is my safe space filled with books, theatre reviews, and cute stationery related things, but my health, in particular, my digestive system, has been a bit rocky recently, so, I thought it would be only fair to share it here.

This is going to be a bit TMI. Beware. And a little disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a dietician, so if I get something wrong - please, do not blame me.

I have been experiencing chronic digestive issues since I was very little. At the age of four, I contracted dysentery at the kindergarten. In case if you don’t know what dysentery, it is a contagious, inflammatory disease that affects the intestine, especially in the colon. I was very little to remember much of it, but I do remember lots of tummy ache, being taken to the hospital in an ambulance and demanding that my grandma brought me all of my favourite books along. (My favourite books came with me everywhere. I used to take up to 10 books with me on vacations.)

I, obviously, recovered, but as a result of being treated with antibiotics and the virus itself (not sure if it was viral or bacterial infection, to be honest, but let’s just roll with it) I developed a condition called dysbiosis (or dysbacteriosis), which is a microbial imbalance in gut flora. It is not a disease and basically means that I lack certain healthy bacteria that help with digestion.

I used to take a lot of probiotics when I was a child. On a daily basis. Since my grandparents were doctors (as well as my mother), I am pretty sure that I have been given everything that was available back then (we are talking about more than 20 years ago). But the probiotics didn’t fix things for me. Mostly, I was taking Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria probiotics as those two bacteria types were the ones I was missing the most. Can’t say I did not benefit from probiotics at all but I continued to experience issues with my digestion. At times it was better, at times, it was worse. Tummy ache used to be my most common excuse for missing classes at school.

Fun fact, during one of my flares, I got tested on those two bacteria types again, and I had zero bifidobacterium. ZERO. The doctor who run the tests - our family’s close friend - said that she had never seen anything like this in her life. I felt almost proud of myself.

I used to have way more digestive issues that I do now. As a kid, it was way more difficult to restrain myself from eating certain foods. I vividly remember devouring handfuls of dry apricots in secret and then having horrible cramps in my abdomen. Or drinking a milkshake and then getting a bout of diarrhea. Sometimes those things would happen regardless of what I ate. I took probiotics from time to time during my teen and 20s. But mostly I was - and still am - taking digestive enzymes. Those are my lifesavers. I take so many of them that I should be investing in the stocks of the companies that produce them.

I am not going to bore you with more details, but let’s just say that till this day my digestive system is so touchy that I experience one type of discomfort or another on a daily basis. It is something that I am used to by now, as I don’t remember not having any digestive issues. I mainly manage it by eating only certain types of food. Although, sometimes I give in even in spite of a potential discomfort. (I use the word “discomfort” very loosely here as it can be anything from gas and bloating to severe abdominal pain and diarrhea and nausea for a couple of days.)

I spoke about it with my family doctor here, when I moved, and I was told that my symptoms right now are very similar to Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There is no real cure for IBS, but it is possible to manage symptoms with diet and exercise.

I was referred to a dietician upon my request to help me manage my symptoms better. (Because I can eat a perfectly healthy meal and be in terrible pain for two days after that. And it is very annoying.)

I did a lot of googling ever since the term of IBS was brought up and came across FODMAP elimination diet even before it was mentioned to me by the dietician. The term FODMAP is an acronym, derived from "Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols". A low-FODMAP diet avoids foods containing certain sugars and certain fibers capable of causing diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating and abdominal pain in people with IBS.

Examples of FODMAPs include:

Lactose (also known as milk sugar; found in milk, yogurt and ice cream)
Fructose (also known as fruit sugar; found in fruit, high-fructose corn syrup, honey and agave syrup)
Sorbitol, mannitol, and other “-ol” sweeteners (also known as sugar alcohols; found in certain fruits and vegetables as well as some types of sugar-free gums and candies)
Fructans (a type of fiber found in wheat, onions, garlic and chicory root)
GOS (a type of fiber found in beans, hummus and soy milk)

I went through certain phases in my diet, when I would switch to gluten-free bread and lactose-free milk, but I have never eliminated fructose or sugar or all of those together.

Perhaps, starting a diet so close to my birthday and holiday season is a bit crazy, but I was not ready to wait any longer and agreed to try the elimination diet for the next 6-7 weeks.

There is no guarantee that it would remove all of my symptoms. There is not a forever diet as later I will start adding those FODMAPs back into my diet to see what is causing bad reactions.

I was given the list of good and bad foods and was relieved to see that many of my personal staples are there. E.g., eggs, butter, hard cheeses (thank goodness), bananas, blueberries, and tomatoes. If I can eat those together with gluten-free bread, other proteins, and lactose-free dairy products, it won’t be as bad.

Here is the full list if you are curious - https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/ (there are plenty of lists online).

For whatever reason, I am excited. This is the first time in years that I am actively doing something to deal with this issue. I am ready for some change!

I love cooking, and I am looking forward to exploring new recipes. I have already stocked up with some staples, and I am ready to roll! (As I am writing this, I am on the second day of the diet, and all I am craving is chocolate, but I can’t have it!)

Since my blog is not related to food and cooking at all, I decided to create a new Instagram to post what I eat within those weeks. Perhaps, somebody else would find my recipes helpful.

Follow me at @foxcooks.

Let me know what you think!

My other blog posts

Blog: "Fancy a cuppa?" (Adagio teas review)

November 15, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog

If somebody asked me about five years ago, whether I prefer coffee or tea, the answer would have been wholeheartedly tea. I did develop a certain addiction to coffee, and even invested in some of the coffee making paraphernalia.

But my love for tea has stayed strong. It got someone dampened by the fact that I struggle to find a good quality tea in Toronto. Especially, loose leaf. I tried grocery stores, Homesense stories, and speciality tea stores. I am yet to find what I like.

One of the online stores that I like is Whittard of Chelsea, but, sadly, they are a UK company, so shipping to Canada can be a bit pricey. Although the quality is great.

I have heard of fandom teas before. I spent at least 6 years being very active in several fandoms on tumblr, so I was familiar with the concept. I was, however, always wary of self-made blends as I thought that it was difficult to guess the correct (or tasty) blend of ingredients, although I have several online friends who enjoy creating custom blends.

And, of course, I have heard of Adagio teas before.

I was approached by Adagio with an offer to review some of their teas, in particular Fandom Blends. I was very intrigued and jumped at this opportunity, as it had been awhile since I had any good teas.

Adagio fandom teas

Here is the list of all the samples that I ordered and the review for each will follow. I went through all of my favourite fandoms but eventually ended up going with Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter fandoms.

Reviews

Shot In the Dark [His Last Vow]

created by Bran Mydwynter

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=107533

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Pu Erh Dante, Lapsang Souchong, Natural Caramel Flavor, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Natural Vanilla Flavor

Teas: Tiger Eye, Pu Erh Dante, Lapsang Souchong

Accented With Cocoa Nibs, Cocoa Nibs And Red Peppercorn

Rating: 2 (of 5) stars

Comment: I liked the description of the tea ingredients (and the title - let's be honest), but I didn’t take into account peppercorn, which was way too strong for me in this tea. If you are ok with peppercorn - then you will enjoy this tea way more than I did.

Adagio Sherlock Fandom blend

Earl Greg [Greg Lestrade]

created by Bran Mydwynter

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=78894

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Apple Pieces, Natural Blueberry Flavor, Orange Peels, Blueberries, Natural Bergamot Flavor, Blue Cornflowers,

Teas: Earl Grey Bravo, Berry Blues

Accented With Cornflowers

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

Comment: This tea works great, but I love everything with bergamot. The flavour of berries and flowers only adds to it. Will definitely order again.

Adagio Sherlock fandom blend

John

created by Katy B

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=103514

Ingredients Blended With Green Tea, Gunpowder, Orange Peels, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Natural Spice Flavor, Cinnamon Bark, Ginger Root, Natural Orange Flavor Teas: Spiced Green, Gunpowder, Blood Orange

Rating: 3 (of 5) stars

Comment: I am a bit on the fence with this tea. I like Gunpowder, and ginger, and hibiscus, but added blood orange was just not for me. I felt as if it dominated the flavour too much.

Adagio Sherlock Holmes fandom blend

Worth A Wound [johnlock]

created by Bran Mydwynter

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=91273

Ingredients

Blended With Green Tea, Black Tea, Orange Peels, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Natural Orange Flavor, Ginger Root, Natural Ginger Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Natural Lemon Flavor

Teas: Blood Orange, Citron Green, Ginger

Accented With Hibiscus, Orange Peels And Ginger

Rating: 5 (of 5) stars

Comments: I loved this tea! I was so disheartened by some other samples, that I was taken by surprise after tasting this one. It has the same blood orange that I didn’t like in another sample, but it works perfectly well in this one! Will definitely order more.

Adagio Harry Potter fandom blend

House of the Loyal

created by Mallory Walker

Fandom: Harry Potter

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=68297

Ingridients

Blended With Oolong Tea, Chamomile, Black Tea, Natural Peach Flavor, Apple Pieces, Natural Forest Berries Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Raspberry Leaves, Apricots, Raspberries, Strawberries

Teas: Forest Berries, Peach Oolong, Chamomile

Accented With Marigold Flowers And Orange Peels

Rating: 3 (of 5) stars

Comment: I felt really ‘meh’ about this tea. I think chamomile didn’t really go well for me with other berries. Although I liked the tones of other fruit in it.

Adagio Zodiac sign blend

Sagittarius

created by Kali Levon

Fandom: Zodiac signs

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=116131

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Assam Melody Tea, Ceylon Sonata Tea, Orange Peels, Natural Coconut Flavor, Blue Cornflowers, Dried Coconut, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Natural Bergamot Flavor, Natural Creme Flavor

Teas: Earl Grey Moonlight, Irish Breakfast, Coconut

Accented With Cinnamon, Coconut And Lavender

Rating: 3.5 (of 5) stars

Comment: I found this tea rather pleasant - fruity and nice. However, it reminded me of many other teas I had in the past. I might order it again, if I am in the mood.

Adagio Zodiac sign blend

Sagittarius

I also got a free Sagittarius sample based on my birthday month. Not sure if they changed the size of a sample or something, but it is not the same as the one I got sent (same blend though).

Link : https://www.adagio.com/gifts/sagittarius.html

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Raspberries, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Natural Creme Flavor, Safflower, Natural Raspberry Flavor And Natural Bergamot Flavor

Rating: 2 (of 5) stars

Comment: This tea was too bland. It tasted like English Breakfast tea and I barely tasted any particular flavour. Might do well with milk, but I drank it black and was disappointed.

I also got 2 other freebies with my order.

Adagio tea blends samples

Cherry (a sachet)

Link: https://www.adagio.com/flavors/cherry.html

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Natural Wild Cherry Flavor, Rose Petals And Dried Cherries

Rating: 2 (of 5) stars

Comments: Very disappointed with this tea. Mostly because the flavour of cherry (that I love) wasn’t that strong and I am not a huge fan of black teas in the first place. This blend is too caffeinated for me. Might be okay with milk, but I definitely oversteeped it when I made it for the first time. I will try it again, but I was not impressed by overall flavour.

Cocomint green (a sachet)

Link: https://www.adagio.com/green/cocomint_green.html

Ingredients

Blended With Green Tea, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Chocolate Mint Flavor And Peppermint Leaves

Rating: 1 (of 5) stars

Comments: I tried two sips of this tea and had to pour it down the drain. No, just no. I am okay with peppermint chocolate but not in my tea, apparently. This was a huge mistake. I want to forget I have ever tried it.

Conclusion

I deeply thankful to Adagio for providing me with a coupon to taste their teas. However, I found that I am a rather picky tea drinker and I need an option of smelling a tea before purchasing it. Some of the blends sounded very good in description but turned unpalatable for my taste. Which is absolutely fair as tastes differ.

There is also a small matter of shipping. Since I live in Canada, the shipping costed me almost $15 CAD, which is a bit steep for a couple of tea samplers.

Still, I consider my experience with fandom teas a success as I did find some that I liked. I heard of Sherlock blends by Bran Mydwynter for awhile and always wanted to try them. Even though I didn’t love all of them, I feel like I might return to Adagio to sample some more.

My book reviews

Blog: John le Carre - An Evening with George Smiley

November 07, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog, Books

There is nothing like reading a well-written book by an intelligent and knowledgeable author. Through into the mix lots of espionage, cultural references and a subtle British humour, and you get an incredible reading experience. And that is John le Carré’s books in the nutshell.

John le Carre

John le Carré is a British author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and '60s, he worked for both the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. Following the success of this novel, he left MI6 to become a full-time author. In 2011, he was awarded the Goethe Medal.

I didn’t know that John le Carre did any public appearance, as he is of a rather advanced age, but the moment I heard of this presentation, I knew I had to go and see it. It was broadcasted live by Cineplex on October 25, 2017.

Trailer

Synopsis

Captured live from London's Royal Festival Hall, join us for a celebration of one of the world’s greatest writers as he shares the secrets behind the creation of his most beloved character. From his extraordinary Cold War novels – such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – to his powerful descriptions of the arms trade in The Night Manager, and the War on Terror in A Most Wanted Man, the writing of John le Carre has come to define the last half century. In this one-off event, the author discusses the full breadth of his career, and reflects on the continuing story of his most famous creation, the tubby, bespectacled spy, George Smiley. Coinciding with the publication date of his new novel, A Legacy of Spies, the event will include readings from the book by the author. The novel sees the return of some of le Carre’s most iconic Cold War characters, including George Smiley and his trusted lieutenant, Peter Guillam, as their past comes back to claim them in the present. With a rare question and answer session, this will be an unmissable opportunity to experience one of the foremost chroniclers of our age, direct and in his own words. In support of MSF, the leading emergency medical humanitarian aid organisation, John le Carre is donating his speaker’s fee, and the producers of the live cinema broadcast, The Ink Factory, are donating their share of the profits to the charity.

My experience

The theatre was only half full with, predictably, people far older than me (I find it rather refreshing to be the youngest in the room). Right before the start, a Cineplex representative came into the auditorium and announced a one-question quiz. The prize was the new George Smiley book, “A Legacy of Spies”.

The question asked was “What is the latest book by John le Carre?”. I did a double take, as I am sure many in the audience, as nobody expected to be asked a question with such an obvious answer, so I didn’t say a thing. Someone in the audience yelled out the title of the book, and we had our winner.

Except, that person already had a copy of “A Legacy of Spies”.

The Cineplex rep was stuck - he had to do the giveaway but he ran out of questions - so a gentleman in the audience voiced the question for him.

Somebody answered it, and the Cineplex rep was ready to hand over the price. Except - that person also already owned a copy.

Can you guess what happened next?

The helpful gentleman asked the audience another question.

It was also answered by someone who already had the book.

We all were starting to giggle hysterically, because it was just too good. There were, perhaps, only about 50 people in the audience, and most of them have already purchased and read the book that was being given as a price. But since there were more than one people who didn’t have a copy, the rep couldn’t just give it to somebody.

To be honest, I didn’t even try to participate. I am not good with quizes and the questions concerned the George Smiley books that I haven’t read yet (I also have a feeling that I was spoiled certain things from the Karla trilogy), but I was enjoying the show a lot!

The fourth question came up, and finally an elderly lady next to me answered it with a help of her friend. The game was over. The Cineplex rep thanked everyone for an incredible entertainment and especially the person who stepped in with his questions (his questions were so deep, that they reminded me of my late professor of XX Century World Literature).

Finally, the show began.

The first part had John le Carre talk in extensive detail of his writing journey, how he came up with the character of George Smiley, as well as his own experience in intelligent service in UK and his work abroad. He also read small bits from “A Legacy of Spies” and talked about certain characters in detail. He mentioned several actors who portrayed George Smiley and Peter Guillam in various adaptations. (He even mentioned Benedict Cumberbatch in 2011 movie version of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and how his movie character was different from the book - which is something that I am still on the fence about.)

His hour long presentation is interrupted by interviews with several actors and producers: Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman (The Night Manager, 2016), Simon Russell Beale (who narrated The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization), Michael Jayston (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (miniseries)), and some others whom I, unfortunately, did not remember by the name.

The second part of the broadcast was a Q&A session with John, which was run by Jon Snow.

It was a delightful evening overall. I left Cineplex itching to read the first novel about George Smiley, “Call for the Dead”, as soon as possible. So far, I have only read “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Night Manager”. But I can’t wait to get my hands on more of le Carre’s books. If anything, this broadcast got me even more into the spy novels set during the Cold War.

Buy the latest book

My book reviews

Autumn in Montreal: October 14-15

October 17, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog, Photography

Random Photo Challenge: Wrap-Up

October 07, 2017 by Fox Clouds in Blog, Photography

I was so close, but Anya won fair and square as I missed the last day challenge. As a matter of fact, I only took pictures for the last challenge today. Eep. ? So here are all of my photos in descending order. Check out Anya's Instagram and blog for her photos.

I happened to purchase a new phone mid-challenge, so half of those pictures are taken by two different iPhones.

Challenge: Make a slideshow about old building

Title: "Old being swallowed by the new"

Date: October 7