Last day of conferences.
Finished the day at 12noon.
Bought some sandwiches and went back to the hotel to dump the notebook.
***********
The Scruffy Guy
After that, went over to the Odeon area via the metro as usual.
Except today was a scary experience. I was approached/followed by this scruffy white guy. Shorter than me, but had a menacing look.
He spoke to me, something about asking me if I know French. I ignored him and he went his way on the escalator…or rather it was a travellator…like those you find in the airports, flat “escalators”.
Thought he’d gone off when I found out shit we were taking the same train. He stood in front of me and faced me for 3seconds. He had this wry knowing smile on his face…wah lau eh. I was freaking out inside but tried to keep my cool.
He went away to another carriage and I heaved a sigh of relief…
When the train came, I hopped on and kept looking around for signs of him. But he disappeared into the crowd already. He was nowhere to be seen. Got off at my stop and went to a corner to look around again…just to be sure he wasn’t anywhere near me.
He wasn’t and I really felt relieved….
***********
The Uncle
Spent about 10 minutes trying to look for the restaurant CC said I HAD TO GO TO. Hahaa..apparently it’s some gastronomy restaurant helmed by a 3-michelin star chef or something like that…
Was waiting at a cross junction for the traffic to turn in my favour when I heard a voice on my left. It was speaking in French so I ignored it. And then the voice came again. A male’s. I turned.
Oh, this uncle with a wrinkled face and a shock of white hair was speaking to me. Asking if I was looking for the metro. Told him no. I was looking for a restaurant. Asked him where it was and he said there’s lots of restaurants.
And then he asked me to have a cuppa with him…perhaps spend 10-20 minutes with him. Which I declined politely. He asked me again and I declined again. (Yes, the traffic light sometimes takes quite long to change to red). And then he asked if I was Filipino!!
Wah lau eh! I don’t look Chinese meh? People have previously mistaken me for being a Thai, a Jap, an Indonesian and now….a Filipino.
Finally the light turned to my favour. I nodded at the uncle pointed at the road and crossed…Left him on the sidewalk with only my bum for him to look at. Haaa…
***********
Le Comptoir
The restaurant’s called Le Comptoir. Went in, sat down, opened the menu and was stuck.
TMD all in French. Tried to get a waiter’s attention. No go. Tried a waitress. No go.
Sibei dao. All of them were really snobbish. “Nose in the air”…
Finally got a guy’s attention. Think he was the manager of the place cos he wasn’t in uniform. Ordered a fish dish. No idea how it was done though. Whether it was gonna be steamed, fried, baked, grilled…haha.
The fish came, covered with a mound of long beans, sundried cherry tomatoes and some funny vegetable which I wasn’t sure what it was. Zucchini perhaps.
Large pieces of fried garlic and some sambal looking paste on a corner of the place.
But of course, it wasn’t sambal. The paste tasted slightly salty.
I thought to myself…I’m paying $17 euros (i.e. $37 SGD) for this little plate of food?
Tucked in and well, it was nice…but definitely very very expensive.
The slice of fish was thick, and only lightly panseared on all four sides so that the middle was still slightly raw.
The dish was okay. But I think now I know what gastronomy means. If you eat the main item on the dish on its own, you wouldn’t think much of it. But eating it with the rest of the accompaniements helps to bring out its flavour…
***********
Museum de Cluny
Lopped off to the Museum de Cluny after that. FOC entrance. It was cool, but thankfully a small one. Haha…Lots of medieval artifacts. This time round from the 12th to the 16th century. They even had shoes on display.
And the same thing again, there was a lot of religious references. The Virgin & the Child. Christ. The Ascension. The Cruxifying. Mary Magdeleine. St Anne. St John the Baptist.
I have a few questions. A lot of times, both in paintings and statuettes and carvings of Christ in this medieval museum, why is that the bottom of his right chest always has a bleeding cut there? Always at the bottom of the right chest, near the ribs.
And then, what is thing about severed hands? It’s shown a lot of times that worshippers either had one or both hands missing…Hmm mm…very strange..
***********
Notre Dame Cathedral
Went there after the Cluny Museum. The place was thronging with hordes of people. Both tourists and locals.
Surprisingly, it didn’t feel as sacred as I thought it would be. Perhaps there were too many tourists. Too much noise. Too much hustle and bustle.
The security guard was abit irritated and kept shushing the people.
I gave a small offering there and lit a candle as well…Other than that, Notre Dame was nothing much…Oh but the stained glass windows were quite beautiful~!!
***********
The Spanish Brands
Went shopping after that…by now, I had walked for close to 4 hours.
My bunions were aching slightly already….but oh well..for the sake of exploration haha.
I went to the Le Marais area. Also known as the Chatelet area. Pronounced as Sha-Ter-Lay. The first shop I saw was Mango. Went in and came out with 2 tops and a bag.
And then the next shop I saw was Zara!!! Went in, didn’t buy anything for myself though I considered a lot of things for ahboy. Bought a kids’ T-shirt for Marc.
What is it with these two brands? They always have to be next to each other?
Or at least never more than 2 streets away from each other? Haha…
***********
Nissin
Munching on my beloved Nissin cup noodle now as I am typing haha.
I brought 3 cups there to stave off any hunger pangs late at night. But they have since become my meals.
I’m down to my last cup liao. Maybe I’ll take it on Saturday or Sunday night…
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Some Thoughts
I speak for myself and what I've observed over the past few days.
It's a very short amount of time. And definitely not alot of interaction.
So...it's just my two cents worth.
Attitudes
I find it unnerving that I have met many rude service people.
By service people I mean, the hotel staff at the concierge, the staff at the hospitality desk, the guy manning the kebab stall, the waitress serving drinks at the cocktail reception.
Rude and disinterested. No smiles, nothing. And they try to brush you off.
Am not sure if it is a general attitude problem. Or cos I'm Asian.
I usually feel pissed off when I meet one of such buggers.
And then I walk off and somewhere later in the day, I meet with the other kind of Parisian - the friendly one.
I was sitting on the steps of a building with my map spread out in front of me when a French middle-aged guy came over and asked "Are you japanese?? I was born in Tokyo!"
When he found out I was frm Singapore, he got excited and said "Ni Hao Ma?" hahaa...
There were other instances when people see me with a map and approach me to see if I need help with directions.
Romance
To say that French people are romantic is probably true.
You see couples just standing in the middle of the pathway canoodling with each other, kissing and hugging...And others don'tbat an eyelid.
You see happy couples enjoying a cuppa together, in a cafe, in each others' embrace.
Hug and kiss in public in SG and you'll get labelled as one who enjoys engaging in public displays of affection.
Arty
Lots of arty people around. But I guess this is cos of the country's culture...
Was just walking along the streets one day when there were 3 young guys busking...probably in their early 20s.
And boy were they good. One on the clarinet, one on the violin and one on the cello.
And they played classic pieces..Ave Maria and Pachelbel were amongst those which I recognised.
There were many people in the Lourve armed with sketch books, sitting in front of statues and sketching out what they see..
There are lots and lots of theatres around. Showing local French films, showing Opera, mime, etc.
There are also many bookstores and huge stores selling painting accessories. One store selling painting accessories can be as big as one floor of a BHG in Bugis.
Fashion
Shoes sold here are really "orbiang". Clothes are so-so...of cos the nice ones are simply unaffordable. One skirt for $200 SGD? shopping is out of the question here hahaa.
Though I managed to get a singlet for $5 euro i.e. $12 SGD.
People dress normally. Nothing so very fashionable or what. I think the Japanese dress better.
Even in the fashion district where all the mega stores are...people still dress normally haha.
Cars & Traffic
Lots of Peugeots, Renaults and Citroens around. Seeing a Toyota or a Mitsubishi is really a rare sight!
The traffic lights turn red or green with no warning.
Similarly, the red man changes to green with no warning...there's no blinking before it changes or what...
Speech
When they speak in French, they sound nice. When they speak in English, it sounds even better!! haha.... ;p
The French tongue has a very nice way of lolling its way around English syllables...the words come out sounding litlted, pretty and altogether very different!
It's a very short amount of time. And definitely not alot of interaction.
So...it's just my two cents worth.
Attitudes
I find it unnerving that I have met many rude service people.
By service people I mean, the hotel staff at the concierge, the staff at the hospitality desk, the guy manning the kebab stall, the waitress serving drinks at the cocktail reception.
Rude and disinterested. No smiles, nothing. And they try to brush you off.
Am not sure if it is a general attitude problem. Or cos I'm Asian.
I usually feel pissed off when I meet one of such buggers.
And then I walk off and somewhere later in the day, I meet with the other kind of Parisian - the friendly one.
I was sitting on the steps of a building with my map spread out in front of me when a French middle-aged guy came over and asked "Are you japanese?? I was born in Tokyo!"
When he found out I was frm Singapore, he got excited and said "Ni Hao Ma?" hahaa...
There were other instances when people see me with a map and approach me to see if I need help with directions.
Romance
To say that French people are romantic is probably true.
You see couples just standing in the middle of the pathway canoodling with each other, kissing and hugging...And others don'tbat an eyelid.
You see happy couples enjoying a cuppa together, in a cafe, in each others' embrace.
Hug and kiss in public in SG and you'll get labelled as one who enjoys engaging in public displays of affection.
Arty
Lots of arty people around. But I guess this is cos of the country's culture...
Was just walking along the streets one day when there were 3 young guys busking...probably in their early 20s.
And boy were they good. One on the clarinet, one on the violin and one on the cello.
And they played classic pieces..Ave Maria and Pachelbel were amongst those which I recognised.
There were many people in the Lourve armed with sketch books, sitting in front of statues and sketching out what they see..
There are lots and lots of theatres around. Showing local French films, showing Opera, mime, etc.
There are also many bookstores and huge stores selling painting accessories. One store selling painting accessories can be as big as one floor of a BHG in Bugis.
Fashion
Shoes sold here are really "orbiang". Clothes are so-so...of cos the nice ones are simply unaffordable. One skirt for $200 SGD? shopping is out of the question here hahaa.
Though I managed to get a singlet for $5 euro i.e. $12 SGD.
People dress normally. Nothing so very fashionable or what. I think the Japanese dress better.
Even in the fashion district where all the mega stores are...people still dress normally haha.
Cars & Traffic
Lots of Peugeots, Renaults and Citroens around. Seeing a Toyota or a Mitsubishi is really a rare sight!
The traffic lights turn red or green with no warning.
Similarly, the red man changes to green with no warning...there's no blinking before it changes or what...
Speech
When they speak in French, they sound nice. When they speak in English, it sounds even better!! haha.... ;p
The French tongue has a very nice way of lolling its way around English syllables...the words come out sounding litlted, pretty and altogether very different!
Written on 25 June Wednesday
Woke up feeling a bit under the weather, a little feverish maybe…
Found it abit hard to get out of bed. Was hoping I did not catch a bug or something…
Gobbled a sandwich for breakfast and made my usual way to the conference venue.
Was stuck in a technical meeting for 2 hours. Didn’t understand 95% of what they were saying but had to take notes for my technical colleague.
But skipped it before it ended. Went back to the hotel room to sleep and rest.
Discovered that the cause of my feeling unwell was the monthly cycle…Heng I came prepared with the necessary feminine items…
Had smoked salmon sandwich for lunch, popped 2 panadol pills and slunk into bed…
The Lourve
Woke an hour later at 545pm and felt better…time for my own explorations again.
I did not manage to get into the Lourve Museum the other day since the ticket counter was closed. But I still spent about an hour purely taking pics of the exterior of the place…
They close later on Wednesdays, about 945pm and so I decided to go there today.
I reached there around 615pm, bought a ticket from the vending machine…and marched in, unsure of what to expect.
Gosh. Flabbergasted would be a good word to describe me when I first stepped in. Other adjectives like awesome, grand, wonderful, great, magnificent, spiritual, incredible, ghostly, fantastic would be good as well. Surreal would sum it all up.
There were 3 wings, each with 4 storeys, which makes it a total of 12 storeys to cover across the wings. I spent 3 hours there. And I only covered about 5 and a half storeys.
It was incredible.
I think there must be tens of millions of artifacts and prized paintings in the museum alone. French, Italian, English, Spanish paintings.
With many so huge that each paintings’ surface area is bigger than my living room, almost twice. And I live in an executive apartment.
No one paints like this anymore. The level of detail is almost excruciating.
Every strand of hair, every speck of grime, every fold of skin, every ripple of muscle is captured with so much finesse and precision.
You could tell that every square inch of each painting was accorded with much respect and attention.
I went from room to room feeling in awe. I left each room feeling more in awe than the other…The grandeur was indescribable.
The ceilings were painted too...Think my mouth was gaping open a lot of the time.. ahha…Almost in a constant “wah…” or “ooooo”….:)
A lot of the paintings were on Christ, Mary and scenes of war.
Italian, Greek, Eygptian, Iranian, Arabic, French, Oriental sculptures. Other works of decorative art.
Carpets depicting scenes of war, romance. I took a close peek at the carpets and wondered about the ghosts of those who trod on it centuries before…
Cutlery, Egyptian tombstone, Victorian statues, chairs, ancient swivel doors, age old stained glass, long forgotten rosaries…I wondered who touched all these things centuries ago…
The Renaissance period, the Baroque period, the Romantic period, the Revolution…
And of course, I saw the Mona Lisa. I was expecting to see a larger painting. But it ended being smaller than an A2 poster. In between A3 and A2 would be a good bet. It naturally attracted hordes of visitors. Had to shove my way to the front to get a picture...
And I saw Napolean Bonaparte’s rooms & household furnishings too haha!!
The grandiosity of it all. Gosh!!
Crystal & gold chandeliers, gold plated chairs, gold cutlery, red plush cushions, gold crockery…everything was red and gold!
Haha...there I was staring at a long teakwood dining table where Napolean once sat eating merrily. I felt great to be there man… haha…wooo!!
I walked and I walked. Across endless corridors, across endless staircases and across endless passageways. Sometimes I found myself alone in a room.
Ensconced within a stange quietness.
It was almost unnerving to be alone amongst so many artifacts so richly steeped in history. I started at my own reflection once when I passed by a glass shelf...Geez hahha.
It’s late. 12am here. Nearing 6am in SG….I shall blowdry my hair and head to bed…
Aching all over..back, thighs, feet, eyes, arms, boobs… haaaaa….;p Oh yah, I need to go back to LV on Friday again. On a mission to get something for HC’s wifey…
I won't load pics as of now...perhaps later...Stealing bandwidth at the conference haha...
Meeting ends tomorrow. i.e. 26 June. So I'll lose access to any network....bleah..
Found it abit hard to get out of bed. Was hoping I did not catch a bug or something…
Gobbled a sandwich for breakfast and made my usual way to the conference venue.
Was stuck in a technical meeting for 2 hours. Didn’t understand 95% of what they were saying but had to take notes for my technical colleague.
But skipped it before it ended. Went back to the hotel room to sleep and rest.
Discovered that the cause of my feeling unwell was the monthly cycle…Heng I came prepared with the necessary feminine items…
Had smoked salmon sandwich for lunch, popped 2 panadol pills and slunk into bed…
The Lourve
Woke an hour later at 545pm and felt better…time for my own explorations again.
I did not manage to get into the Lourve Museum the other day since the ticket counter was closed. But I still spent about an hour purely taking pics of the exterior of the place…
They close later on Wednesdays, about 945pm and so I decided to go there today.
I reached there around 615pm, bought a ticket from the vending machine…and marched in, unsure of what to expect.
Gosh. Flabbergasted would be a good word to describe me when I first stepped in. Other adjectives like awesome, grand, wonderful, great, magnificent, spiritual, incredible, ghostly, fantastic would be good as well. Surreal would sum it all up.
There were 3 wings, each with 4 storeys, which makes it a total of 12 storeys to cover across the wings. I spent 3 hours there. And I only covered about 5 and a half storeys.
It was incredible.
I think there must be tens of millions of artifacts and prized paintings in the museum alone. French, Italian, English, Spanish paintings.
With many so huge that each paintings’ surface area is bigger than my living room, almost twice. And I live in an executive apartment.
No one paints like this anymore. The level of detail is almost excruciating.
Every strand of hair, every speck of grime, every fold of skin, every ripple of muscle is captured with so much finesse and precision.
You could tell that every square inch of each painting was accorded with much respect and attention.
I went from room to room feeling in awe. I left each room feeling more in awe than the other…The grandeur was indescribable.
The ceilings were painted too...Think my mouth was gaping open a lot of the time.. ahha…Almost in a constant “wah…” or “ooooo”….:)
A lot of the paintings were on Christ, Mary and scenes of war.
Italian, Greek, Eygptian, Iranian, Arabic, French, Oriental sculptures. Other works of decorative art.
Carpets depicting scenes of war, romance. I took a close peek at the carpets and wondered about the ghosts of those who trod on it centuries before…
Cutlery, Egyptian tombstone, Victorian statues, chairs, ancient swivel doors, age old stained glass, long forgotten rosaries…I wondered who touched all these things centuries ago…
The Renaissance period, the Baroque period, the Romantic period, the Revolution…
And of course, I saw the Mona Lisa. I was expecting to see a larger painting. But it ended being smaller than an A2 poster. In between A3 and A2 would be a good bet. It naturally attracted hordes of visitors. Had to shove my way to the front to get a picture...
And I saw Napolean Bonaparte’s rooms & household furnishings too haha!!
The grandiosity of it all. Gosh!!
Crystal & gold chandeliers, gold plated chairs, gold cutlery, red plush cushions, gold crockery…everything was red and gold!
Haha...there I was staring at a long teakwood dining table where Napolean once sat eating merrily. I felt great to be there man… haha…wooo!!
I walked and I walked. Across endless corridors, across endless staircases and across endless passageways. Sometimes I found myself alone in a room.
Ensconced within a stange quietness.
It was almost unnerving to be alone amongst so many artifacts so richly steeped in history. I started at my own reflection once when I passed by a glass shelf...Geez hahha.
It’s late. 12am here. Nearing 6am in SG….I shall blowdry my hair and head to bed…
Aching all over..back, thighs, feet, eyes, arms, boobs… haaaaa….;p Oh yah, I need to go back to LV on Friday again. On a mission to get something for HC’s wifey…
I won't load pics as of now...perhaps later...Stealing bandwidth at the conference haha...
Meeting ends tomorrow. i.e. 26 June. So I'll lose access to any network....bleah..
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Written on 24 June Tuesday
Day 4 of eating breads and sandwiches and mashed potatoes and grilled fish. Oh yes, let’s include grilled tomatoes into the list too…
Haha..Surprisingly, those restaurant meals are not as nice as a simple smoked salmon sandwich bought at a convenience store…The one bought at the store costs me $2.60 Euro…i.e. $6 SGD…and wah…super yummy…
Rushed off after meeting today, went back to hotel room to dump my notebook and I went out again…to explore on my own. I seriously think I’m a born loner….haha. Armed with my trusty map…I took the metro to St Germain Des Pres…supposed to have lots of shops & knick knacks…according to a guide I read online…
Knick knacks my foot ah! It’s was yet another place with branded stores!! I went past Helmut Lang, Sonia Rykiel, GAP, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Hermes, Escada, MAC, Burberry, and the list goes on…zzz…Needless to say, I didn’t get anything.
There were quite a number of shoe stores…But the shoe designs are all errr…..quite orbiang haha. Mostly on sales. But still super ex. For a pair of ballerina flats, a normal one I can get for say $40 tops in SGD was on sale for $56 euro. And that price was after a 50% discount…xiao….$56 Euro is more than $120 SGD lor….
Went into the pharmacy and hmm…a stick of Loreal eyeliner costs $13.90 euro…i.e. about $30 SGD…Argh! Wish I were in BKK! Hahaha…
p/s: did I share that the metro trains…there are some trains that you need to open the door yourself? Else it will not open automatically at each stop? We’re quite lucky that we don’t have to do that. The trains there, either you need to push a button to open the train doors, or you need to push a lever to get it open…else you can’t get in…or you can’t get out…
p/s: another cultural thing..in the supermarkets, after you buy your stuff, you’re expected to put your groceries into plastic bags ON YOUR OWN. The cashier lady will only scan your items & collect $$ from you. She is not expected to place your items into bags. If she so happens to do it for you….then she’s just doing you a BIG FAVOUR. Otherwise, she’ll just stare at you while you hold up the queue and struggle to pay up, collect your change and put your groceries into bags ALL AT THE SAME TIME…voila, do I sound like I’m speaking from experience??? That’s cos I am!!!!!!
It’s 410am in SG and 1010pm here…
Am gonna blowdry my hair, watch one more episode of Season 2 SATC…and then crash into bed…
Think I’m growing fatter hmm mm. Going by SG timing…I am really eating at irregular hours haha…thinking in terms of SG time, I’m having breakfast at 1pm, lunch at 7pm and dinner at 3am. Uh-oh….*crosses fingers*
Haha..Surprisingly, those restaurant meals are not as nice as a simple smoked salmon sandwich bought at a convenience store…The one bought at the store costs me $2.60 Euro…i.e. $6 SGD…and wah…super yummy…
Rushed off after meeting today, went back to hotel room to dump my notebook and I went out again…to explore on my own. I seriously think I’m a born loner….haha. Armed with my trusty map…I took the metro to St Germain Des Pres…supposed to have lots of shops & knick knacks…according to a guide I read online…
Knick knacks my foot ah! It’s was yet another place with branded stores!! I went past Helmut Lang, Sonia Rykiel, GAP, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Hermes, Escada, MAC, Burberry, and the list goes on…zzz…Needless to say, I didn’t get anything.
There were quite a number of shoe stores…But the shoe designs are all errr…..quite orbiang haha. Mostly on sales. But still super ex. For a pair of ballerina flats, a normal one I can get for say $40 tops in SGD was on sale for $56 euro. And that price was after a 50% discount…xiao….$56 Euro is more than $120 SGD lor….
Went into the pharmacy and hmm…a stick of Loreal eyeliner costs $13.90 euro…i.e. about $30 SGD…Argh! Wish I were in BKK! Hahaha…
p/s: did I share that the metro trains…there are some trains that you need to open the door yourself? Else it will not open automatically at each stop? We’re quite lucky that we don’t have to do that. The trains there, either you need to push a button to open the train doors, or you need to push a lever to get it open…else you can’t get in…or you can’t get out…
p/s: another cultural thing..in the supermarkets, after you buy your stuff, you’re expected to put your groceries into plastic bags ON YOUR OWN. The cashier lady will only scan your items & collect $$ from you. She is not expected to place your items into bags. If she so happens to do it for you….then she’s just doing you a BIG FAVOUR. Otherwise, she’ll just stare at you while you hold up the queue and struggle to pay up, collect your change and put your groceries into bags ALL AT THE SAME TIME…voila, do I sound like I’m speaking from experience??? That’s cos I am!!!!!!
It’s 410am in SG and 1010pm here…
Am gonna blowdry my hair, watch one more episode of Season 2 SATC…and then crash into bed…
Think I’m growing fatter hmm mm. Going by SG timing…I am really eating at irregular hours haha…thinking in terms of SG time, I’m having breakfast at 1pm, lunch at 7pm and dinner at 3am. Uh-oh….*crosses fingers*
Written on 23 June Monday
Today’s a sad, lonely, boring day. I had an invite to a dinner at night, after the day’s meetings. Before that we all had a cocktail function held by the meeting organizers. Agreed to meet up at the cocktail place and then we were all supposed to go to the dinner place together at 830pm…
Think I’m too small a fry. I was forgotten…Waited at the cocktail place feeling like a fool. Standing there sipping a glass of punch, I felt pathetic. Approached a familiar Asian face and made small talk. Us minority Asians amongst all the big, tall Caucasians.
And I waited. Till 850pm. I gave up. I took the metro all the way back to my hotel area and walked back…passed by a kebab store along the way and dabao-ed the kebab set meal…kebab burger with fries and a drink. Went back to the room and watched SATC on my laptop…=(
Yeah, felt so “lang bei”.
And to think I didn’t feel good and thought of giving everything a miss by staying in the hotel…but roused myself fup and went for the cocktail…only to have it as a wasted trip…
Think I’m too small a fry. I was forgotten…Waited at the cocktail place feeling like a fool. Standing there sipping a glass of punch, I felt pathetic. Approached a familiar Asian face and made small talk. Us minority Asians amongst all the big, tall Caucasians.
And I waited. Till 850pm. I gave up. I took the metro all the way back to my hotel area and walked back…passed by a kebab store along the way and dabao-ed the kebab set meal…kebab burger with fries and a drink. Went back to the room and watched SATC on my laptop…=(
Yeah, felt so “lang bei”.
And to think I didn’t feel good and thought of giving everything a miss by staying in the hotel…but roused myself fup and went for the cocktail…only to have it as a wasted trip…
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Written on 22 June Sunday....
The day started with a sandwich and a cup of jus d’orange (orange juice) in my room. Bought both items from a nearby supermarket the night before and dunked it in the fridge. Went to the meeting at 9 and was stuck there till 1230pm.
Went for lunch at a nearby French café with a whole bunch of folks from the Nordic countries. Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands. And 2 other Singaporeans and 1 Malaysian. Had the set lunch of roast chicken with mashed potatoes. Choc ice-cream for dessert & eggs with mayo for starter. Portions were darn huge!!
Went to Champs Elysees after that since there were no more meetings for the day for me. Went to LV! And err…heh, bought something. I think I’m having a crush on the sales giy who served me. Sebastien’s his name. Cool~! Uber cool~!! My fav guy from Il Divo happens to be a Frenchman named Sebastien as well…*swoon*
This real-life Sebastien was tall, can joke, very pretty eyes with pretty long lashes…and he was nice enough to show me a map of Paris and show me where to go once he found out I spoke a pathetic smattering of French. Actually, I only asked “What‘s your name?” in French and he stared rattling things off. Haha…Anyway, he speaks good English too and before I left the store, he actually gave me a namecard with his personal email address…Asked me to email him if I needed a guide around town…*double swoon*
The whole of Champs Elysees is like a huge Paragon or Takashimaya. Big brand names. Huge stores. Hordes of people and tourists (and also pet dogs, those small toy dogs like Chihuahuas, dashunds, Yorkshire terriers, etc). Lots of cafes. And lots of cars too. Needless to say, I didn’t get anything else. No more money and well, did I mention 1 Euro is equals to $2.14 Sing dollars!! Sibei ex. Haha…
Visited the Arc du Triomphe. And then walked and walked and walked. I think I covered more than 10km today on foot. Or maybe even 12km or more?? Walked from 4pm to 8pm.
Visited the famous Lourve Museum today. Very nice architecture. A pity I went there late. Couldn’t get in to see the “Mona Lisa” cos the ticket counter was already close…!!! Should I go back there another day just to pay 9 euro to see the Mona Lisa? Hmm mm…
It’s 430am in SG now and 1030pm in Paris…heading to bed now..Meeting will start at 830am tomorrow…zzz….feet are tired. Haha. Will go sleep….
Oh p/s: I think I am not fated with technological gadgets. Net access is impossible in this hotel though I am supposed to get it FOC. (but heng that I can log onto the meeting venue’s wireless network during meetings)
Went for lunch at a nearby French café with a whole bunch of folks from the Nordic countries. Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands. And 2 other Singaporeans and 1 Malaysian. Had the set lunch of roast chicken with mashed potatoes. Choc ice-cream for dessert & eggs with mayo for starter. Portions were darn huge!!
Went to Champs Elysees after that since there were no more meetings for the day for me. Went to LV! And err…heh, bought something. I think I’m having a crush on the sales giy who served me. Sebastien’s his name. Cool~! Uber cool~!! My fav guy from Il Divo happens to be a Frenchman named Sebastien as well…*swoon*
This real-life Sebastien was tall, can joke, very pretty eyes with pretty long lashes…and he was nice enough to show me a map of Paris and show me where to go once he found out I spoke a pathetic smattering of French. Actually, I only asked “What‘s your name?” in French and he stared rattling things off. Haha…Anyway, he speaks good English too and before I left the store, he actually gave me a namecard with his personal email address…Asked me to email him if I needed a guide around town…*double swoon*
The whole of Champs Elysees is like a huge Paragon or Takashimaya. Big brand names. Huge stores. Hordes of people and tourists (and also pet dogs, those small toy dogs like Chihuahuas, dashunds, Yorkshire terriers, etc). Lots of cafes. And lots of cars too. Needless to say, I didn’t get anything else. No more money and well, did I mention 1 Euro is equals to $2.14 Sing dollars!! Sibei ex. Haha…
Visited the Arc du Triomphe. And then walked and walked and walked. I think I covered more than 10km today on foot. Or maybe even 12km or more?? Walked from 4pm to 8pm.
Visited the famous Lourve Museum today. Very nice architecture. A pity I went there late. Couldn’t get in to see the “Mona Lisa” cos the ticket counter was already close…!!! Should I go back there another day just to pay 9 euro to see the Mona Lisa? Hmm mm…
It’s 430am in SG now and 1030pm in Paris…heading to bed now..Meeting will start at 830am tomorrow…zzz….feet are tired. Haha. Will go sleep….
Oh p/s: I think I am not fated with technological gadgets. Net access is impossible in this hotel though I am supposed to get it FOC. (but heng that I can log onto the meeting venue’s wireless network during meetings)
written on 21 June Saturday...
Saturday 630am Paris time. 1230pm SG time.
Je suis presque d’arriver. I am almost reaching…
Abit surreal. Abit tired. Didn’t really sleep much, maybe less than 6 hours? Kept waking up on and off….And 13 hrs in almost the same position is definitely doing no good to my neck/shoulder muscles and my knee joints! Haha..Tried to stretch abit else no good.
They served supper & breakfast. I’m not a fussy eater so I thought the fod was actually not bad…Watched 3 movies”Step Up 2 The Streets”, “27 Dresses” and a Korean one “For The Moment” depicting South Korea’s real life story of going into the handball finals in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Played some in-flight computer games as well.
Brushed my teeth just now with a sniffling little French toddler waiting outside the mini toilet. Think her Dad had the intention of changing her diaper and she was protesting in her own little way…
Pilot just announced weather is 16C. Sounds tolerable…hope it stays fair.
Lady on my right kinda friendly. Abit auntie. And err…divulged too much info. To the point that I know she’s a widower with 2 daughters aged 16 & 20. Stays in Yew Tee, works in Suzhou and has been doing so for the last 1.5 years. Has 3 sisters and I think she is upset about foreign students taking up places in the local universities hahaa….
Saturday 7am Paris time. 1pm SG time.
Just touched down.
The airport was amazingly warm. And was amazingly confusing. Took me 20 mins to find the taxi stand.
Cab 407 FPV 92.
En route to hotel...The uncle just snorted and spit a blog of goo into a plastic cup he pulled out from nowhere…hmm mm.
Saturday Afternoon...
Decouvrir. To discover.
So far, I’ve discovered that I’ve been “cheated”. The weather is hot. And I brought along a thick jacket good for withstanding 10C. I brought gloves just in case. And I have another trenchcoat-looking jacket. But it’s hot. Sun is scorching….wah lau eh!!!
I’ve discovered that Paris pigeons are fat. Well, compared to SG pigeons. Somehow they look more well-fed haha.
And I discovered a bunch of theatres 5 mins away from my hotel. Some host sex shows and or RA shows that kind of joint…hmmm mm..
There’s somehow a lot of Japanese restaurants near my hotel…
The bed in the room is excellent. The TV channels suck cos the only English channel is CNN. And I am having trouble logging into their wireless network….bleah…………
Saturday 7pm
Cham!! It’s 2am SG time…it’s 7pm here. And the sun is still up in the sky….the Parisians are just starting their night life…jialat…I can hear loud noisy music…
How to sleep like that?? Abit jet-lagged…
Je suis presque d’arriver. I am almost reaching…
Abit surreal. Abit tired. Didn’t really sleep much, maybe less than 6 hours? Kept waking up on and off….And 13 hrs in almost the same position is definitely doing no good to my neck/shoulder muscles and my knee joints! Haha..Tried to stretch abit else no good.
They served supper & breakfast. I’m not a fussy eater so I thought the fod was actually not bad…Watched 3 movies”Step Up 2 The Streets”, “27 Dresses” and a Korean one “For The Moment” depicting South Korea’s real life story of going into the handball finals in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Played some in-flight computer games as well.
Brushed my teeth just now with a sniffling little French toddler waiting outside the mini toilet. Think her Dad had the intention of changing her diaper and she was protesting in her own little way…
Pilot just announced weather is 16C. Sounds tolerable…hope it stays fair.
Lady on my right kinda friendly. Abit auntie. And err…divulged too much info. To the point that I know she’s a widower with 2 daughters aged 16 & 20. Stays in Yew Tee, works in Suzhou and has been doing so for the last 1.5 years. Has 3 sisters and I think she is upset about foreign students taking up places in the local universities hahaa….
Saturday 7am Paris time. 1pm SG time.
Just touched down.
The airport was amazingly warm. And was amazingly confusing. Took me 20 mins to find the taxi stand.
Cab 407 FPV 92.
En route to hotel...The uncle just snorted and spit a blog of goo into a plastic cup he pulled out from nowhere…hmm mm.
Saturday Afternoon...
Decouvrir. To discover.
So far, I’ve discovered that I’ve been “cheated”. The weather is hot. And I brought along a thick jacket good for withstanding 10C. I brought gloves just in case. And I have another trenchcoat-looking jacket. But it’s hot. Sun is scorching….wah lau eh!!!
I’ve discovered that Paris pigeons are fat. Well, compared to SG pigeons. Somehow they look more well-fed haha.
And I discovered a bunch of theatres 5 mins away from my hotel. Some host sex shows and or RA shows that kind of joint…hmmm mm..
There’s somehow a lot of Japanese restaurants near my hotel…
The bed in the room is excellent. The TV channels suck cos the only English channel is CNN. And I am having trouble logging into their wireless network….bleah…………
Saturday 7pm
Cham!! It’s 2am SG time…it’s 7pm here. And the sun is still up in the sky….the Parisians are just starting their night life…jialat…I can hear loud noisy music…
How to sleep like that?? Abit jet-lagged…
written on 20 june friday...
Ok, let’s put it this way. Me no balls haa. Literally & figuratively.
Writing this as I’m sitting on the plane waiting for take-ff. Didn’t do Internet check-in so didn’t manage to get an aisle seat for more convenience if I needed to use the washroom.
And so now I’m squashed in between 2 ladies. Both Singaporeans. But heng at least both are ladies.
Am a nervous nervous soul right now.
Travelling on a long-haul flight on your own for the first time in your life is far more scary than going for a brain op. At least during the op, you’re sedated!
It’s a 13h 15min flight to Paris – Charles du Gaulle airport. Work will take up Sunday morning and Monday to Thursday. Will have 3 days on my own after that to do my own explorations & do touristy things. But kinda xian to do it on your own.
They’re making the usual flight announcements on the plane and there’s a guy speaking in French. Voila! I can understand here & there! Haha…
Hmm mm...hope I don’t have to go pee often. Else I’ll have to wake either one of the ladies..Tired. Went to work, rushed home, packed last minute stuff, rested for 45mins, then went off to airport liao.
The luggage’s 14 kg. Jialat. Plus a laptop & a handbag...abit cumbersome. Will be a challenge.
Ok…signing off, they’re dimming the lights already…should be taking off liao. Wonder what movies they have for this “season”.
Writing this as I’m sitting on the plane waiting for take-ff. Didn’t do Internet check-in so didn’t manage to get an aisle seat for more convenience if I needed to use the washroom.
And so now I’m squashed in between 2 ladies. Both Singaporeans. But heng at least both are ladies.
Am a nervous nervous soul right now.
Travelling on a long-haul flight on your own for the first time in your life is far more scary than going for a brain op. At least during the op, you’re sedated!
It’s a 13h 15min flight to Paris – Charles du Gaulle airport. Work will take up Sunday morning and Monday to Thursday. Will have 3 days on my own after that to do my own explorations & do touristy things. But kinda xian to do it on your own.
They’re making the usual flight announcements on the plane and there’s a guy speaking in French. Voila! I can understand here & there! Haha…
Hmm mm...hope I don’t have to go pee often. Else I’ll have to wake either one of the ladies..Tired. Went to work, rushed home, packed last minute stuff, rested for 45mins, then went off to airport liao.
The luggage’s 14 kg. Jialat. Plus a laptop & a handbag...abit cumbersome. Will be a challenge.
Ok…signing off, they’re dimming the lights already…should be taking off liao. Wonder what movies they have for this “season”.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
*sheepish*
I shouldn’t.
I won’t.
I can’t.
BUT………
I needed.
I wanted.
I should.
And well....I did.
Bleah…I watched SATC the serial till 12-plus or 1am yesterday…
And now I am zombified…
Bad girl. Bad bad girl.
*wags fingers at myself*
I won’t.
I can’t.
BUT………
I needed.
I wanted.
I should.
And well....I did.
Bleah…I watched SATC the serial till 12-plus or 1am yesterday…
And now I am zombified…
Bad girl. Bad bad girl.
*wags fingers at myself*
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Money Makes the World Go Around..
Would you lend $1,000 to a friend you've known for more than 10 years?
Who happens to be broke and owing a loanshark a 5-figure sum?
All because of gambling?
One school of thought:
Lend him, else he'll get chopped.
Second school of thought:
Lend him and the cycle has only just begun. A leopard will never change its spots.
Feed him and he will become reliant. Leave him to fend for himself and he might learn better.
Who happens to be broke and owing a loanshark a 5-figure sum?
All because of gambling?
One school of thought:
Lend him, else he'll get chopped.
Second school of thought:
Lend him and the cycle has only just begun. A leopard will never change its spots.
Feed him and he will become reliant. Leave him to fend for himself and he might learn better.
My New Idol...
Po the Panda.
I feel as clumsy as he is.
I feel as pudgy as he is.
I feel as out of place as he is.
And one thing for sure...I don't know if I have any potential in me... haha...
The show was hilarious!! I loved it to bits!
I suppose if you go into the theatre with zero expectations, you can expect to be delighted more...Afterall, your minimum threshold to reach excitement is much lower...
And I guess that was what happened with this show!
The man went in with a "Oh well, another of those cartoon movies..." kind of notion.
And I went in with a "I hope there will be no bawling kids in the cinema..." kind of thought.
And then we were bowled over by Po, Master OoGway and Shifu...
And of course, the 5 other disciples of Shifu...namely, Crane, Tigress, Praying Mantis, Viper, Monkey...
I laughed till my sides ached...and the man had to "shush" me cos I was laughing too loudly...
I giggled, I cheered, I shouted, I teared...I think I was noisier than the kids in the theatre.. ahha..
Very good animation. Very fee-good kinda of show.
Very real. Very believable.
Very good show.
Profound in some aspects if you look past the cartoon antics & the exaggerations...
I think you see a little part of Po & the 5 disciples in each of us.
They were personified to the best of the animators' abilities...
DreamWorks did a good job...:)
Big Thumbs Up.
Definitely in the ranks of Ratatouille which was produced by Pixar & Walt Disney and shown last year...
p/s: I particularly liked Master OooGway...and the way they portrayed him...
His sayings are so profound at times...haha lol..
*whine*
I seriously wonder.
How many times can one's air-con break down within the span of one year.
Mine has leaked for at least 4 times in the past year.
The lastest incident was on Sunday evening.
And why do things always happen when both parents are out of the house and away on travels???
It's so uncanny it's unsettling.
And yes, I'm frustrated.
I am not used to sleeping with a fan blowing on me.
There's no breeze in my area.
The only time there's a breeze is in the months of December and January.
Was told I look darn shack today.
Hope I sleep better tonight...
*signing off*
the pampered one
How many times can one's air-con break down within the span of one year.
Mine has leaked for at least 4 times in the past year.
The lastest incident was on Sunday evening.
And why do things always happen when both parents are out of the house and away on travels???
It's so uncanny it's unsettling.
And yes, I'm frustrated.
I am not used to sleeping with a fan blowing on me.
There's no breeze in my area.
The only time there's a breeze is in the months of December and January.
Was told I look darn shack today.
Hope I sleep better tonight...
*signing off*
the pampered one
The Ultimate SATC!!!
Sheesh. I am hopeless!!
I was a little upset when my full season of SATC grew legs and disappeared sometime back in 2006 I think..
Knowing how I never really got over the series...(Time doesn't heal all the time you know..)
The sweet sweet man got me a new set again from his trip to China last week!!
Haaa...and I'm watching it all over again! For the 3rd time!
I need help...I just watched 3 episodes...and I'm hankering for more...
I had withdrawal symptoms this afternoon in office.
Was thinking to myself..how nice if I could watch just one episode in the afternoon.
It'll probally be a magnificent healing potion for my otherwise drab soul in office...
And yes, I think I might be a Carrie.
Confident at times, Inferior at times.
Neurotic when left alone in my thoughts, Rational when being an aunt agony to friends.
But oh well, she has nice abs and a toned biceps...
I err........you get the drift...
Hope I don't dream of the 4 ladies tonight...
hehehe...
I was a little upset when my full season of SATC grew legs and disappeared sometime back in 2006 I think..
Knowing how I never really got over the series...(Time doesn't heal all the time you know..)
The sweet sweet man got me a new set again from his trip to China last week!!
Haaa...and I'm watching it all over again! For the 3rd time!
I need help...I just watched 3 episodes...and I'm hankering for more...
I had withdrawal symptoms this afternoon in office.
Was thinking to myself..how nice if I could watch just one episode in the afternoon.
It'll probally be a magnificent healing potion for my otherwise drab soul in office...
And yes, I think I might be a Carrie.
Confident at times, Inferior at times.
Neurotic when left alone in my thoughts, Rational when being an aunt agony to friends.
But oh well, she has nice abs and a toned biceps...
I err........you get the drift...
Hope I don't dream of the 4 ladies tonight...
hehehe...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
*pant pant*
Voila! The Anlene Orchard Mile run went well this morning.
Errr....with the exception of me walking for 25m haha...
1.6km..kinda short...
But still a good 'achievement' for one who was exempted from all forms of physical activities throughout all her schooldays hahaha...
Ok...hope to do 3km by end of the year?
And I would like to sign up for the Shape Run next year...5km?
Jiayou!!
============
Heading to the PC Show later..hopefully there'll be last minute deals.
Wouldn't even step in there if it weren't for the man...who wants to get a new laptop...
Hahaa...
Errr....with the exception of me walking for 25m haha...
1.6km..kinda short...
But still a good 'achievement' for one who was exempted from all forms of physical activities throughout all her schooldays hahaha...
Ok...hope to do 3km by end of the year?
And I would like to sign up for the Shape Run next year...5km?
Jiayou!!
============
Heading to the PC Show later..hopefully there'll be last minute deals.
Wouldn't even step in there if it weren't for the man...who wants to get a new laptop...
Hahaa...
Friday, June 13, 2008
Isabella - Search
I used to listen to English & Malay songs when I was in P5 & P6..right up till Sec 1 actually where I switched to mainly Mandarin songs..
And back in 1992, this was my fav Malay song..Most Malays would know this group...:)
Enjoy this song..Isabella
By the group Search
Slash!!!
Sibei talented..!!
One of the most revered electric guitarist of all time!!!
Each GNR concert will have a solo section just for Slash to strut his stuff...
November Rain
What can I say man?
Ultimate classic from Guns n Roses.
Almost 20 years on. And the song still pulls at my heartstrings...
Rock on GNS!!!
Rock on Axl Rose!
Rock on Slash!
hahaa...
The Duckie Encounter
As usual...Put 6 ladies together and you'll get...
Gossips, screams, laughter, giggles, sniggers, guffaws, more screams, more laughter, lots of banter and the list goes on...
It's an infinite equation.
We had 6 ladies and 1 gentleman last night.
Coupled with a pot of chicken curry, some white rice, some baguette...
And we got lots of gossip, lots of screams, lots of banter, lots of guffaws, lots of blah blah blah....
Voila, it's yet another infinite equation. haha....
It was a gathering of souls of the DK gals again. It was an especially good one this time round...
Why so? Cos everyone turned up.
Venue was at Ee Hong's place...
Ee Hong, Selin, Tricia, Lydia, Ginger, Sashi & myself...7 of us.
Crowded around at the dinner table...As the tradition goes, each took turns to give the rest updates. But oh well, needless to say, my life ain't very happening these days. Hahaa...I've been relegated to one of the boring ones already lol....
Lydia as usual bore the brunt of it all with her over-the-top antics and her stories about guys/boyfriends.
Selin claimed to put on weight though I simply couldn't see it. haha...
Tricia had good updates this time round...there's a guy chasing her.. haha..
Ee Hong...poor thing lah..stuck at home with a very painful slipped disc...HANG IN THERE YAH!
Ginger was "chau tah"...having spent 10 days in the States..
Sashi was loud as usual!! His bug eyes every twinkling in mischief, his mouth ever rattling away and his body ever in huge theatrical actions...
Till the next time again! It'll be a long hiatus perhaps...Lydia will only be back in November...
Hmm...we'll see, maybe we can squeeze in something in between.. haha...
Force Tricia out for some updates or something.....hiakzzzz
Gossips, screams, laughter, giggles, sniggers, guffaws, more screams, more laughter, lots of banter and the list goes on...
It's an infinite equation.
We had 6 ladies and 1 gentleman last night.
Coupled with a pot of chicken curry, some white rice, some baguette...
And we got lots of gossip, lots of screams, lots of banter, lots of guffaws, lots of blah blah blah....
Voila, it's yet another infinite equation. haha....
It was a gathering of souls of the DK gals again. It was an especially good one this time round...
Why so? Cos everyone turned up.
Venue was at Ee Hong's place...
Ee Hong, Selin, Tricia, Lydia, Ginger, Sashi & myself...7 of us.
Crowded around at the dinner table...As the tradition goes, each took turns to give the rest updates. But oh well, needless to say, my life ain't very happening these days. Hahaa...I've been relegated to one of the boring ones already lol....
Lydia as usual bore the brunt of it all with her over-the-top antics and her stories about guys/boyfriends.
Selin claimed to put on weight though I simply couldn't see it. haha...
Tricia had good updates this time round...there's a guy chasing her.. haha..
Ee Hong...poor thing lah..stuck at home with a very painful slipped disc...HANG IN THERE YAH!
Ginger was "chau tah"...having spent 10 days in the States..
Sashi was loud as usual!! His bug eyes every twinkling in mischief, his mouth ever rattling away and his body ever in huge theatrical actions...
Till the next time again! It'll be a long hiatus perhaps...Lydia will only be back in November...
Hmm...we'll see, maybe we can squeeze in something in between.. haha...
Force Tricia out for some updates or something.....hiakzzzz
*burp*
Realised I've been eating alot of curry stuff this week.
Wednesday
They served vegetable lemak during the buffet lunch break for the 1-day seminar I had at SMU.
Went home for dinner at night to discover...voila! Mum cooked vegetable lemak too...
Thursday
Dinner with the DK gals was the humble chicken curry...complete with white rice & roti...
Friday
Family dinner, celebration of Fathers' Day. Went to the Chinese Restaurant at Paramount Hotel.
One of the dishes was curry prawns...complete with fried man tou, the same as those served with chilli crabs...
Think I might have an overdose of coconut & curry this week...
Must lay off for next week! haha...
Wednesday
They served vegetable lemak during the buffet lunch break for the 1-day seminar I had at SMU.
Went home for dinner at night to discover...voila! Mum cooked vegetable lemak too...
Thursday
Dinner with the DK gals was the humble chicken curry...complete with white rice & roti...
Friday
Family dinner, celebration of Fathers' Day. Went to the Chinese Restaurant at Paramount Hotel.
One of the dishes was curry prawns...complete with fried man tou, the same as those served with chilli crabs...
Think I might have an overdose of coconut & curry this week...
Must lay off for next week! haha...
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