summer break has officially begun

It was my last class for the summer term. At this point, I am half way through the program. Kind of sad but at the same time, pretty excited to see what's next.

Good bye New World Wine Regions and Vinifcation.

Hello Old World Wine Regions?

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summer is here.

geez, it's july already.  i completely missed the month of june.  it was a month of adventure for me.  i'll start with the first ..
a few months ago, i turned to oprah's channel and a message flashed across the screen ..

you get in life what you have the courage to ask for.

that one quote was the inspiration for my first adventure.  i have been studying vinification and i couldn't get enough of it.  it combined chemistry and process .. very .. chemical engineering-like.  i didn't want the course to end but after 4 weeks, it was done.  i decided to create my own co-op program to allow me to continue learning the concepts of vinification.

i emailed some local winemakers asking whether they would mentor me or allow me to shadow them for a few weeks.  of the many wineries i asked, three of them replied to my request.  one of them was norman hardie.  norman hardie was the former sommelier at the Four Seasons in Toronto.  we spoke over the phone and it was like an interview.  the interview went well and i was invited to the winery for a visit.

i decided to stop in the winery while i was on the way back from a trip to Toronto.  i met with mr. hardie for a brief discussion and then we launched into a tasting exam.  he handed me a riedel pinot noir glass and said "i would advise you to spit because you'll be drinking a lot today and i can't have you drink and then drive home".  so that's what i did .. we started off tasting the 2010 county pinot noir .. then the 2010 niagara pinot noir.  "can you tell the difference?" .. the county pinot noir had a bit more structure (ie. more tannic) than the niagara pinot.  i preferred the county pinot over the niagara.  i also sampled the county pinot noir at various stages of barrel aging.  when it came to the cabernet franc, it was the most interesting one.  the pH level of the cabernet franc was too low for any fermentation to take place.  in cool climate regions such as ontario, the growing season isn't warm enough or long enough to allow the sugars in the grapes to develop.  hence, the result is a more acidic grape - yes, even with red grapes.  this cabernet franc was a prime example of this.  the pH was about 2.8 and in order for fermentation to take place, the pH had to be around 3.3 to 3.5.  so what do you do?  you add calcium carbonate .. which is a base (do you remember your chemistry?  :)).  this process is called de-acidification.  by bringing the pH up to 3.3, it would produce a suitable environment for the bacteria to kickstart fermentation. 

once we were done with the reds, we moved on to the whites .. specifically, the chardonnay.  i tasted the chardonnay at various stages of malolactic fermentation and barrel aging.  some were smokey-er than others .. the more 'smoke', the longer it has been in the barrel.  when malo is still going on, you get an effervescent feeling on the tongue.  mr. hardie then started going from barrel to barrel .. blending.  wow .. at one point, the changes were too subtle for me to figure out what the blend was.  but i was like a kid in a candy store.  and yes, i spit everything out.  when i left, there was absolutely no redness on my face.

it was such an amazing experience.  i learned a lot from him and i got to see the practical side of my favorite course.  i even got to give my take on the wines. 

my second adventure was inspired by the exerpt from theodore roosevelt's speech about "the man in the arena".  many times, we tell ourselves that we will enter the arena when we are bulletproof and perfect.  but we all know that may take forever.  so does that mean you'll never enter the arena? 

i decided that i wasn't going to wait for perfection ..  so for my birthday, i made arrangements to dine at a tasting restaurant called Atelier.  i've always wanted to try their 'molecular gastronomy' cuisine by award winning chef Marc Lepine.  you need to book 1-2 months in advance to get a reservation.  i managed to get a reservation with only 2 weeks notice.  i asked for a table for 1 and the chef was able to accomodate my request.

the meal was 3 hours long but the courses were fantastic.  it was such a shame that i didn't have the wine pairings but i was driving so no wine for me.  but after all was said and done, i had consumed 17 courses that night.  i know .. 17!!  i was full after 9 courses but they just kept bringing more cutlery - new cutlery for every course!  i even got a jar of truffles to take home.

i will definitely go back for another meal.  maybe in the fall or winter when the menu is completely changed.  but best birthday dinner ever.

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Quiet month of May

it's been a quiet month so far and my blog has been pretty quiet as well.  i stumbled upon this great quote recently. 

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”  - Theodore Roosevelt

gave me much to think about ..

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Recovering from the nastiest flu ever ..

it's been a while since i've been this sick.  been battling a nasty flu bug for over a week now and i'm just starting on the road to recovery.

about three weeks ago, i had the chills while sitting at my desk at work.  i spent most of the day working with my coat on while the sun was shining outside.  i know .. huh?  i know how my body reacts when i'm about to get sick, so i took the next day off to get some sleep and try to avoid getting sicker.  i didn't want to get sick before my final exam.  luckily, i got through my finals and was looking forward to a long weekend in Toronto.

i wasn't planning on staying long and it seemed like there was little time for friends - why are my vacation days spent like this?  (that's another post for another day).

Monday rolled around and i knew i wasn't fit to drive.  the whole nine hundred yards hit me .. chills, fever, muscle aches, headaches, joint aches, everything-aches.  i messaged my friends to let them know that i wasn't going to be home yet.  they all wished me well and that luckily i was home so my mom could take care of me.  :)  well .... dr. mom doesn't believe in western medicine.  so i had medicated plasters, white flower oil, and ginger solutions, etc .. all in the name of drawing out the 'toxins'.  after all that pickling, i smelled like an 80 year old woman ..

my condition seemed to get worse and worse by the day.  i lost my appetite for 3 days, constantly felt dizzy, and had sinus headaches that could kill the average bear.  i even missed my class dinner at the Divino Wine Studio.  :(  i was really looking forward to it and had a dress picked out for the occasion.  i also missed out on the Git workshop but i'm sure there will be another.

finally, by friday .. good old big sister, Justine put an end to my misery.  she went out and bought me some cold and flu tablets from the drug store.  :)  popped two of those pills and i never looked back.

so i ended up staying in Toronto for longer than i expected but i was in no shape to see anybody.  :(  i don't know when i'll be back next but the next time .. i'm making sure i see friends ..

oh yeah .. final exam for Grape Varieties.  i went 3 for 3 on the blind tasting!  the written was pretty easy too. 

good bye Grape Varieties .. hello Vinification and New World Wine Regions!

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End of Fiscal Year

in a blink of an eye, it's the end of the fiscal year. this signals a few things ..

1. Tax time
this always has to be done. and this is the time of the year when you get more mail. T4s, T5s, and whatever receipts for reporting on your tax returns. this year, i get the added bonus of tuition. :) will it really help? we'll see ...

2. school semester is coming to an end.
the grape varieties course was really good. i learned so much more and it built on the last course i took with greater depth. this is the pace and depth i like. the wines in the class were very good too. the instructor managed to change my opinion of pinot noirs and sauvignon blancs. you can't generalize pinots or s.blancs. different growing regions influences the final product.

i will miss the instructor as well. many good conversations about different wines with a wine genius.

i've decided to change my route again .. maybe not the beer course either. i switched gears and registered for New World Wine Regions. apparently it is an indepth look at the growing regions of california, australia, chile, and spain ..

the beer course would have been nice but for my own good, it's better to take it at another time.

3. Summer badminton at the RA.
always look forward to summer badminton at the RA. playing feather again. :) lots of cardio and very social. the price of admission is worth it.

4. contract renewal
i've been lucky enough that my contract has been renewed .. i'll be here for the next two years. unless the housing prices start to fall in Toronto, i have to stay put for a while. i'll be back for a visit around the easter holiday. us lucky gov't workers get a four day weekend! :)

i hope my fellow readers/followers are happy and healthy. recently a friend told me that as we get older, instead of accumulating material things .. we spend our hard earned money on experiences - such as education, social activities/sports, and travel. in the end, material things don't enrich our lives .. it's when we experience something new/different that changes us .. that's what i seek out every day. this summer, i encourage you to try something new. blog about it. :)

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the roses are smelling good

my wine course midterm came and went .. i got an A+. :) the instructor said i did well. i couldn't believe how well i did on the tasting component. the written component was pretty straight forward. i remember when i was studying for the final on my previous course, i over-studied and couldn't remember the characteristics of tempranillo, malbec, and grenache. i was so bummed afterwards. i still did well in the course but i was disappointed in myself for completely blanking out on those three grape varieties.

for the second course, there were more grape varieties to remember .. some i've learned for the first time .. like albarino, silvaner, and gruner veltliner. yeah, like what the heck are those? :)

i'm going to be sad when this course ends. i really learned a lot and i am finding it better than course 1. for example, did you know that wines from sancerre are made from the sauvignon blanc grape type? but a sancerre will taste and smell different compared to sauvignon blancs from new zealand. sauvignon blancs from new zealand give off a fresh cut grass aroma but you won't get that from a sancerre. i think that's what makes sauvignon blancs from new zealand a lot better. :) pair it with some goat cheese and you have a match made in heaven.

next up is vinification. this is a saturday course. aiy .. getting up for 8:30 am? i haven't done that since university! i know i said i might take the food and wine pairing course along with vinification but i may change my mind and go with the beer course instead. since it's a summer term .. what better than to take a beer course? :)

our monthly food adventure to the Lindenhof was good. i'd give it 7 out of 10. i wasn't blown away by the food like i was at the cheshire cat pub, but it was decent. it wasn't decent enough for us to want to order dessert. next on the list is a restaurant called Absinthe.

in other news, i also tried out for the westboro badminton club recently. the club is strictly for strong intermediate or advanced players. i've been looking for an advanced club to play at for a while now because i don't want to pay the hefty annual membership at the RA. the folks at westboro have already told me that i'm a strong enough player so we'll see ..

i still have to think about my next trip back to toronto. i haven't been back since christmas so i know i'm due but things are just so busy around here with school and work. maybe i'll visit after my course ends in April. cuz after that, the madness starts all over again. this time with two courses. oh yeah, if my contract gets renewed .. we've already been told that vacations will be on hold until november due to project demands. lovely, eh? i haven't been on vacation in almost three years. i would love to just get away but now is not the time.

i'll see whether i can plan something for a long weekend during the summer. ideas are welcomed. :)

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Stopping to smell the roses ...

wow.  look at that.  it's February already?!  my last post was back in December 2011.  you'd have thought i was hibernating.

well .. you might be on to something.  :)

the last month and half was a crazy busy time for me.  from home, to work, to personal life .. it just didn't stop.  i'm taking a short break now to provide this update. 

overall, things are pretty good in pudgyland.  i had an opportunity to take on a part-time contract with another consulting company recently which has eaten up much of my weeknights and weekends.  is pudgy all work and no play?  not really.  i still find time to do non-work related activities.

this year, i also won a photography contract with the ottawa badminton association - i am one of the main photographers for their events.  :)  my friend Clem and Ming are the other photographers.  we contribute to Clem's ottawabadmintonscene photo blog site.

my wine class has been going well.  i really enjoy it and it doesn't take much effort to study or remember the course material.  i wrote my midterm recently.  hope the results are good.  in the spring/summer term, i am hoping to take two classes a week - vinification and food and wine pairing.

for those of you who are concerned about me turning into an alcoholic, rest assure .. the wine courses have not turned me into a regular wine drinker.  my schedule is too busy for me to drink on a regular basis.  yes, i should be practicing and training my palate but it's not something i do regularly.  besides, it can get pretty expensive and y'all know how frugal i can be!  :)

some friends and i have started a monthly dining club where we go and try a different restaurant in the city.  last month, we went to the Cheshire Cat Pub out in Kanata.  it was a pub out in the middle of no where!  but y'know what?  it was so worth it.  the place was packed and the food was really good.  i had the mushroom, elk, and stout pie with mashed potatoes and veggies.  the portions were huge!  we all agreed that it was a place we would go back to. 

this month, we are going to the Lindenhoff for some German food.  i heard their ham hock is huge!  i'll post pics on facebook.  :)

with all that eating and drinking, how do i stay so slim?  :)  there is still time to exercise.  during the regular season, i've cut down my badminton time drastically.  with wine class being on wednesday nights, i have only been able to play badminton one night a week.  i used to play 3-4 times a week and by cutting it down to one night a week?  it's really not the same.

i end the week with hot yoga at the Moksha Yoga studio.  it helps with stress reduction that has built up during the week.  i used to take regular yoga classes but i found that i wasn't able to focus or get the full benefits of yoga.  a friend of mine introduced me to moksha yoga, which is a form of hot yoga.  it completely changed my view of yoga.  i don't know if it's the heat in the room but somehow it managed to keep me focused and i wasn't just moving from pose to pose.  i sweat buckets in 60 minutes but i feel good and i am able to sleep better at night.  the class i take is a charity class where the proceeds go to a local charity.  i highly recommend it ..

before i end this post .. i wanna say that i fulfilled a "dream" recently .. i went snowboarding!  i've always wanted to do it and my friends helped me achieve that.  it was so much fun!  too bad the weather hasn't been that great lately .. too warm for snowboarding.  :(  i hope to do it one more time before the season ends but there's always next year.

i encourage you to go out and try something new ..

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