Me Heart Paris

Video finally

2008-11-03T23:58:00.002+01:00

So here is the video I was talking about. Sorry it took so long to post. Hope you enjoy. :)

Hello, My Name Is: Loser

2008-08-31T19:57:00.002+02:00

I promise I haven't abandonned my blog. It's just that there's a lot going on and I promise as soon as I can, I will start posting regularly again. :)
There is something I want to show you though... it's a short video I helped my friend make. But I will put it up soon because I need to get the link first. It's really cute.

La Tour Eiffel

2008-05-07T13:47:00.003+02:00

The Eiffel Tower from different views. Enjoy! :)

My Bad

2008-03-29T17:43:00.007+01:00

I know I've been gone for quite a while...

But that's because we just moved and I've been trying to decorate. I finally finished the bedroom!

I love it! What do you think?

:P hehe

Just kidding... I wish this was my bedroom. It's actually one of the rooms at L'hôtel Particulier de Montmartre. They have very very nice rooms.

Anyways... I know I've been gone more than 2 months... but nothing interesting has really been going on. Really.
I haven't been able to take more pictures of Paris and I haven't eaten at a restaurant this year yet (gasp... I know).

Hopefully I'll be back soon with tons of nice pictures and say interesting stuff. ;P

What A Crazy Day

2008-01-19T18:47:00.000+01:00

I walked miles today!! Well... I guess here I would have to say, I walked kilometers today!! But that sounds funny.

Anyways... I started my day by meeting up D during his lunch break because I was bringing him lunch. Then I found this....

STARBUCKS!!!

Man I was tempted. I wanted a frappuccino soooo bad but I had already made plans to check out a boba place. Which wasn't all that great. I mean, it wasn't bad but I would've rather spent money on Starbucks. The small boba milk tea cost me 4,50€ which is about the same price as a tall frap here. Dammit. Oh well, how often do I drink boba, right? Whatever.

Oh and I also found this on Rue de la Boetie. It's some artist guy who spray paints on the street... and I forgot his name and the exact story. :/ Sorry.

So I did a lot of walking because I was taking pictures for my Paris by Arrondissements. I pretty much walked half of the 2nd district and then some.

I also got a little lost along the way and ran into these photos somewhere. It reminded me of a recent conversation D and I had.

Me: (watching tv) Ooooooh how cute!!! Look at the cuuuuute elephants. Awwwwwww!
D: You're not scared of elephants?
Me: No.
D: You should be. They are wild.
Me: Well I've never seen an elephant in real life (except maybe at the zoo.. but I can't remember) so I think all animals are cute. I want a monkey.
D: I'll take you to Africa and then you can tell me if they are still cute.

This picture makes me scared of monkeys.... it's not cute. I wonder if this was taken in Africa.

Anywho, I ended up trying to get to Rue de Rivoli to try and get some shopping in and went through the park (or garden... whatever) at Palais Royal. I've only been inside the park twice but this was the first time I had noticed all the cool statues. I didn't take pictures of all of them, but they are definitely worth seeing. They are not your average statues.

Oh by the way.... I know where all the smokers went. You know, since people aren't allowed to smoke in cafés anymore. They are all at the park! Seriously.

And of course the highlight of my day is when I'm on my way home...

So this drunk guy... maybe mentally handicaped too.... follows me all the way into the metro. At first I was scared but then I figured if worse comes to worse I could just go back to D's work. So he kept talking to me but I was trying to ignore him and I didn't understand him anyways. But he keeps getting closer and insists that we talk. So I finally respond with, "I don't understand." But he continues and I make out that he has a headache and wants me to give him a massage. I say no.

By the way, where I was standing an Asian girl ended up sitting next to me.

So he asks if we are sisters? ...friends? I say no. He then asks if I'm Chinese? ...Cambodian? I don't even know how he went from Chinese to Cambodian but I said no. Of course he asks what I am. I say Korean. Then he gets all excited and asks if I have a brother who is a singer because he knows a Korean guy who is a singer. I say no. I was getting tired of it so I finally decided to ignore him completely. So he starts bothering the poor girl next to me. He tries to play footsy to get her attention and asks how shes doing. She says fine and ignores him. He finally gave up and exited the metro but not before waving his hand to get my attention and says bye. I'm just glad he didn't tap me or touch me to get my attention cus then I would've been really mad.

2e Arrondissement

2008-01-19T18:13:00.000+01:00

There really isn't much to see in the second arrondissement.... the business district and the smallest of 20.

The first place I hit up was a cafe called ZenZoo where they sell boba drinks.

It was all right. I tried the taro boba but it wasn't made the way I'm used to... purple, milky, creamy, thick.... so if I were to ever go back I would try a different flavor.

I made my way to one of the Bibliothèque Nationale buildings. (Don't mind the smoke... I don't even know what that is.)

Then I went to Palais Brongniart... the former headquarters of the Paris stock exchange.

And I stook outside the Passage des Panoramas. I went inside but only a few feet before turning back... it didn't interest me much. It's just a bunch of stores and restaurants mostly. I did see a tour group though.

And that's pretty much it folks.

If I only had a short time in Paris, I think the only part of the 2nd arrondissement I would go to is Rue Sainte Anne where there are many Japanese restaurants and stores... and some Korean ones too.

I Failed Already

2008-01-12T17:12:00.000+01:00

So, one of my new years resolutions is to really enjoy and take in Paris.

Because after my first visit to Paris I dreamed about one day living in Paris for what seemed like an eternity. But then I moved to Paris and I've been here for about a year and a half so far and I've barely been out to explore. What the heck?! So yes, explore the beauty Paris has to offer before it's too late. Cus its not like I'm going to be here forever. And I don't do regrets.

So another resolution of mine is to eat out at least once a month and it can double as "date night" for D and I. Because we really don't get out. D usually eats anything and everything... but he's very particular about who makes it and how many people it's being made for. Basically he doesn't like eating out because who knows what happens behind closed doors... and he should know, he used to run a restaurant. Mistakes happen.

But seriously, we only eat out maybe a few times a year. And it was very hard for me to get used to. I mean, I used to buy everything I ate (about twice a day) and cook about twice a month... which three out of four times used to be a hamburger helper.

Now I cook everything! If I want lasagne... I cook it. Cheeseburger... I cook it. Fish and chips... I cook it. Pancakes... I cook it. You name it... I cook it and try my best to satisfy my craving. And that is why I don't have any dining out posts on this blog. But this year I want to change that.

And I've already failed. We had our eating out day yesterday and I forgot my camera. :( Not that we went to a restaurant or anything... but still! We ended up just going out for crêpes to my favorite place at the Latin quarter since we weren't too hungry. But to me (and definitely D) that still counts as "dining out". But maybe I'll try to convince D to actually do a restaurant before the months up. Maybe. We'll see.

Oh, and I promise to get a shot of the crêpe place one day.

1ere Arrondissement

2008-01-04T16:05:00.000+01:00

So, here is the first part of Paris by Arrondissements.
I hit up pretty much all the must sees of the first arrondissement minus the dining places.

I started from the Châtelet metro exit at Place du Châtelet.

Then went on to pass Pont Neuf

and Pont des Arts... one day I will get a nice picture of this pedestrian bridge... I just didn't feel like walking all the way to it on this particular day. Blame it on the empty stomach.

(Note: You can probably take better pictures of the bridges when here... because mine seem a bit boring in my opinion.)

I forgot.... across from Pont Neuf is La Samaritaine. It is the second oldest department store in Paris and currently closed since mid 2005 due to fire hazards.

Next is only part of L'Eglise St-Germain l'Auxerrois... it was too large for me to get the whole thing from where I was standing. :/

And now the famous Musée du Louvre.
Here is one part of the museum.

And the glass pyramids.

This is the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel which leads into the Jardin des Tuileries from the pyramids of the Louvre.

Pictures of the garden...

duckies!

And this would be the end of the garden.

Now I show you Place Vendôme. This is where you have the Ritz, Chanel, Cartier.... all the expensive stuff.

Here are a couple of pictures of Palais Royal.

And this is the very decorative Palais Royal metro entrance/exit.

Another church... St-Eustache which is located near Les Halles.

And finally... I have one but I couldn't take any good pictures of Les Halles because all it pretty much is are a bunch of stores and restaurants/cafes. However they do have some good stores underground (Forum des Halles). But in my opinion... I think shopping wise, you'd be better off on Rue de Rivoli.

Here are a few food places for you...

Jean Paul Hévin : 231, rue St-Honoré
La Maison du Chocolat : Carrousel du Louvre, 99, rue de Rivoli
Joe Allen : 30, rue Pierre Lescot
Kinugawa : 9, rue du Mont Thabor
Scoop : 154, rue St-Honoré
Deliziefollie : 7, rue Montorgueil
Angelina : 226, rue de Rivoli

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T18:59:00.001+01:00

Maybe now I can bribe some people to come since France is now smoke-free.

I have an idea for the blog this year... I will be posting pictures and info about Paris by arrondissements. And maybe some parts of the Paris banlieues. So stay tuned. ;P

Pictures Part Deux!

2007-12-27T12:11:00.000+01:00

So here are some pictures of the Christmas market at La Défense. Every year for the month of December (at least) there are a bunch of markets set up throughout Paris. I think the one at La Défense is supposed to be the biggest one.

Tents.

Balls.

Cute... I wanted one but they were a bit pricey.

Selling stuff.

Food!

You can't see them too well... but these are candles in the shape of fruits.

More stuff for sale.

Reminds me of a carnival.

I thought the lights were cool.

Chocolate covered goodness on sticks!

Cheese and meat. Yum.

More food. :p

Foie Gras.

If I had a house I would put a fountain on my lawn.

Even polar bears were there.

Oysters!

Grec.

I wasn't sure if this guy was waving or trying to cover his face.

Dried fruits and stuff.

Christmas ornaments. Pretty.

Funny kids found here.

Weird art thing. I like it.

So empty... nobody wants a ride.

Santa!!!

I guess I was hungry at the time... I didn't know I took so many pictures of food booths. I took these pictures at around noon and lucky for me there weren't too many people around. I mean, there were a lot but in about an hour or two the whole place was packed. Seriously, you're pretty much going at snail pace because there's too many people everywhere! I had to leave before I started pulling my hair out.

Pictures!

2007-12-27T11:29:00.000+01:00

Merry late Christmas!

So my internet was down for about a week.... but it felt like months! And I have so many photos for you!! (This post is for Laura... since she asked me what Champs Elysées is.)

I'm actually going to have to split them up.... so, first, here are some pictures of Champs Elysées.

This is one end of Avenue des Champs Elysées.

Trees!

The water's frozen.

Eiffel Tower... if you can find it.

Some building.

Sephora.

Ladurée.

Louis Vuitton... headquarter.

The other end of Avenue des Champs Elysées... the Arc de Triomphe isn't lit so you can barely see it.

Car On Fire

2007-12-11T19:53:00.000+01:00

There was a car on fire outside my apartment the other day. I don't even know how it started. There were so many people standing and watching... even in the rain. I took some pictures because I had my camera with me... but you can't even see the car. I circled it... maybe if you squint hard enough, you can see something. ;p

I'm baaaaack... with some Christmas decorations

2007-12-02T19:05:00.000+01:00

I know, I know...... I've been such a bad blogger. But I'm back for now and I have some pictures. :)

So December 1st was World AIDS Day and I saw the signs/banners up but didn't see any special performances or anything like that... maybe I was too late? Or maybe in the wrong areas?

Anyways.... there were a good amount of people ice skating at Hôtel de Ville. I don't know if they charge you... but I did hear that they have another one set up in front of the train station at Montparnasse and you can skate for free.

Before Hôtel de Ville, I went to Notre Dame and took some pictures of the Christmas tree.

I hate how pictures are harder to take during night and most of mine come out so blurry. :/

Anywho, I hear that they recreate the Nativity story every half hour but I didn't stay long enough to see it. :( Maybe next time.

I took some pictures of a few stores while strolling in the area...

Then D and I ended up going to a friends restaurant/bar in the Marcadet area. And after, we ended up crashing some Nigerian wedding reception.

I took some pictures of people dancing,

and a friend of D's brought me a plate of food.

Everybody always gives me the head of the fish because it's supposed to be the best part (and I really appreciate it) but they don't know that I don't like it. I don't even like it touching my food.

Street Art Part 2

2007-11-03T21:07:00.001+01:00

You remember that one wall I always pass by when I go to Carrefour? The one that is constantly changing? Well, I passed by it today and it has completely changed.

Click here for before.

And this is now.

The Perfect Match

2007-11-03T20:55:00.000+01:00

What is it about Jazz and Paris that makes them go together so well?! I was sitting in the metro the other day and these three men entered and started playing some jazz music and it just made me think.

I could spend the whole day walking around the center of Paris with my ipod playing Louis Armstrong and I would be more than satisfied. Actually, I feel like I'm watching those old films that make you all warm and fuzzy inside.

It's funny how there are days when I really appreciate the beauty of Paris and then there are the other days.

Anyways... I was passing by the Grand Palais and thought I would sit a while and look at this...

It was pretty awesome. You can see the shadow of the flag in the sky if you look closely. Yes, I'm easily amused.

Update

2007-10-28T13:26:00.000+01:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. Life has just been busy and boring. And when I do have time, all I've been doing is baking. And since I created a separate blog for all my adventures in the kitchen... sadly, I have been neglecting this one.

I did bake a lemon cake yesterday which turned out so good, D threatened me not to finish it all by myself. :p

Anyways, we changed the clocks early this morning. I got a bit confused because I thought we were supposed to move our clocks forward. Silly me. It amazing that I still don't know. I'm sad the days are getting shorter and shorter. I like the long summer days when the sun sets at 10 at night.

And it's starting to get too cold. I'm still not used to the cold weather. Today isn't too bad though.... Its 12° C outside, which should be 54° F? It feels like December in Santa Barbara....

Antwerpen

2007-10-17T20:21:00.000+02:00

Somewhere in France on the way to Belgium.

I went to Belgium over the weekend. But I didn't get to see anything. I only went for a party... so my stay was all indoor. One day I will get to explore.

Here are the pictures I did take though.

This one was when we were crossing the border from France into Belgium.

That's pretty much it.

We, D and I, went by car with his friend. I like being on the freeway because its the closest I feel to home. All freeways pretty much look the same to me no matter where I am.

It made me miss the long drives from Fullerton to SB with my brother.... at night after a day with dad. Did you know it's been 1 year, 3 months and 15 days since I last drove?! DAMN!!

Anyways... I received chocolates when leaving. I was excited because I forgot about Belgium and chocolate. The last time I was in Belgium, I was more focused on the waffles that I never even thought about the chocolate. It was very yummy. I love truffles.... so you know which one was my fav.

Hopefully Last Post About Food For A While

2007-10-04T14:41:00.000+02:00

I cooked enchiladas last night for dinner. I didn't take a picture though because I felt like this was becoming a food blog with all the food posts I've been doing lately.

All I'm gonna say is that corn tortillas here are nothing like the corn tortillas I'm used to.

Mexican food is the one thing I miss the most and is a craving very difficult to satisfy. :( Makes me miss California that much more.

Bread Pudding

2007-10-03T16:23:00.001+02:00

I made bread pudding. It took so long. D doesn't like it much. But I do. But then again... I think everything tastes good. Well, most things.

My mouth got to it faster than the camera. :P I put inside raspberries, raisins, banana and granny apple. I think that's all.

I topped it off with some chocolate drops. I poked some of them. I had to. They were screaming at me, "Poke me! Poke me!"

Plum

2007-09-30T15:37:00.000+02:00

This thing... D calls Plums.
I don't know if it's really called "Plum" because he calls an avocado a pear. If anyone knows, please let me know. I'd be forever grateful.

It's a dark purple color when you buy it. And to prepare it, we boil it. Although D has fried it for me one time before. When you boil it, it becomes a lighter purple and very soft. Most of them burst... as you can see on one of them.

This is what it looks like inside. It has a big seed.

It tastes pretty good. But it's an acquired taste, in my opinion. I didn't like it at first. Because it has a sour, bitter taste to it. But the more you eat it, the sweetness comes out too. Very soft inside. Kinda like puree. D says that many African women feed this to their babies... that's how soft it is.

I like to eat it with a fork. D likes to eat it with his hands. :)

Tiramisu

2007-09-30T00:18:00.000+02:00

Yeah, I ate a small piece. I ended up eating too much curry forgetting that I wanted to eat more dessert than dinner. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

The tiramisu was yummy. But I ended up having to put it in the freezer because I didn't make it right. The mascarpone cheese mixture ended up being too liquidy and running everywhere.

So basically I made tiramisu ice cream.

Still yummy.

Ace Mart

2007-09-29T18:55:00.000+02:00

I went to the Korean market today.

The fastest way from my apartment is to get on line 1 and switch to line 14. I think it only takes about 20 minutes at most. But the walk at Gare de Lyon from line 1 to line 14 is pretty long and you have to pass your ticket a few times... annoying.

I made the mistake of getting off at Madeleine instead of Pyramides. I don't know why. I was daydreaming or something. And I didn't want to pass another metro ticket for one stop so I decided to walk.

I got lost. Of course.

Then I found a lady who didn't look like a tourist so I asked her which direction the Pyramides metro was. It was so funny. I think she thought that I was a tourist and might've been scared of how my french would come out. So as I asked her, she was mouthing everything I was saying. Kinda weird. I got confused who was speaking... me or her. It kinda freaked me out too because it seemed as if she knew what I was going to say because she was pretty good at it... no lag like those chinese dubbed in english films.

Anyways, I thought I could figure out a short cut and kinda got a little lost. But then I didn't mind because I discovered some cool shops. Finally I saw the street. I wanted to ask someone if they knew where ___ street was, but I didn't know the name of the street until I saw it.

Anywho...

If you are in Paris and would like to do some Korean grocery shopping, this is the place to go... Ace Mart (62, rue Ste. Anne, 2e arr.).

I think they lowered their price on some things... because I do remember the spam being a little bit more costful. Anyways, there's another Korean market nearby but they are soooo much more expensive! I found that out today.

I only go to the Korean market about twice a year. And the last time I tried to go to Ace Mart, it was on a Monday and I didn't know they're closed on Mondays. So I met some lady who knew where the other Korean market was and she took me there. I bought some stuff but only because I was desperate.

You see all the stuff I got today? It only cost me 14,58€ which would have been about 10€ more at the other one. Never going there again. Too bad I can't tell you the name of the store because I don't remember it. It doesn't matter anyways because everyone should go to Ace Mart. It's smaller than the other one, but still has all you need and can't forget the price! AND everything is 10% off during the weekends. Everybody loves discounts!

The 5 lbs. rice cost me 4,80€ here when at the other one I paid 8€ last time!!! That makes me really mad.

Yeah, so I made curry for dinner tonight. I wanted D to try some. I've only made one Korean dish for him before and he liked it. I'll let you guys know how he likes it later.

I also made tiramisu but I think I messed it up. We'll see. After I build up enough courage to try it, I'll let you know about that one too. Yeah, that's how bad it looked.

Nutella Observation

2007-09-28T16:03:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I just opened the nutella jar that Laura sent me today (even though I already have an open one) because I just wanted to taste the skim milk one. Now I know why I never used to be able to eat too much nutella until I moved to France and now I can eat half the jar with a spoon in one sitting... or actually standing. Just kidding... no I don't.

Yes I do.

Anyways...

According to my taste buds... the nutella from the states is creamier, has more chocolate flavor and a lot sweeter. The nutella here has more hazelnut flavor to it. And although the one from the states is made with skim milk and the ones here are made with whole milk, according to my calculations they only have about a 15 calorie difference per 100 grams. That's not much.

I only had a tablespoon of the U.S. nutella and I felt sick. You know that gagging feeling when you overdose on dairy. You know... when you eat too much fettuccine alfredo... when you drink too much milk... you know? I don't know the word for it in English. I do know the word for it in Korean but unfortunately I have no idea how to spell it. And if you're not Korean, you wouldn't understand it anyways.

*Edit*
Ok, so I just read on wiki that the nutella in France is made with skim milk powder vs. in U.S. with skim milk. But I swear on the jar it says whole milk in French! omg my bad!!! It is skim... OMG I've finally found out how to say skim milk in French!!!!! YAY!!

Such a retard!

Expo Time!

2007-09-25T21:32:00.000+02:00

Guess where I went today?!!

Yes, the Apple Expo at Porte de Versailles.

It was pretty cool but I realized there that it would've been even more cool if I owned more apple stuff.... like a computer for example.

I really do want an iMac now though. Hello lover!

They had many tutorial stations set up for some of the apple programs available.

Here's the new ipod with Bose speakers.

Here's some man playing some racing game. He was horrible.

After, D and I decided to pass through Chinatown... I believe it's in triezième.

And I saw a McDonald's all Chinesed out. Crazyness!!

Even the "to go" at the take out window is written with Chinese style font.

These are some weird fruits (?) I saw at the Chinese market nearby. I've never seen these before in my life.

And then I made lasagna for dinner because I've been craving it for a really long time. This is my first attempt. It actually turned out a little too dry... but still yummy. Craving satisfied!

Journée du Cheval

2007-09-24T15:57:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, D and I went to the horse race track in Vincennes... very close to the apt. I was surprised at how close it really is.

Anyways, entrance was supposed to be free yesterday with flyers. And guess who had a flyer?!! I didn't even have to convince D because as soon as I mentioned horses he was up for it.

On the flyer, it said that they would provide free bus service to get to the race track from the Château de Vincennes metro station (line 1), but we waited and waited and we didn't see anything so we decided to walk. We got there around 15:00 and left close to 19:00. We ended up walking back too but made a detour to the Vincennes floral park. I'm gonna have to go back there because it's really pretty. But probably next summer when the weather is nice for all the flowers to bloom. And there's supposed to be a zoo somewhere there which I really want to go to. ;P

Well, here are some pictures but sorry for the crappy quality but all I have is my cell these days.

This lady was really holding her child like that the whole 10 minutes she was on the phone at the metro station.

The inside of the horse race track where people go to play their tickets... I wanted to take a picture showing how many people there are, but I didn't do a great job because this picture looks nothing like what I was actually looking at.

Here's another one. Look at the floor!! Those are all losing tickets aka trash.

Here's the race track. I wanted to take a pic of the horses but too many people were blocking me that I was only getting pics of the back of someones head.

This is when D and I sat on a bench on top of a hill inside the floral park.

This is D telling me to look at the birds.

I went down to look at the ducks. And they were scared and running from me.

This one was following behind.

And then I got really freaked out because it was coming so close to me. Really, I took these with no zoom. But then I learned later that some lady behind me threw a piece of bread at him and that's why it was coming so close to me... to eat. But they were very cute. :)

I Baked A Cake!!

2007-09-23T11:21:00.000+02:00

Carrot cake! I was worried while it was in the oven, but then it turned out so much better than I expected.

I like carrot cake but I never used to be able to eat a lot of it. I don't know why I just couldn't. I could eat a whole chocolate cake but only a third of carrot cake. But this time it's different. I think I can actually eat it all. Not that I will. Because I did make it for D since he's never had carrot cake and he's not as much of a fan of chocolate as I am.

Anyways, I got the recipe from here but didn't follow it exactly. Mainly because I'm retarded.

I have no measuring cups, so I decided to eat a yogurt and wash out the cup and use that. The cup said 125 g.

So the recipe calls for 2 cups (280 g) of flour... and so I put two cup fulls plus a little more. Then to add sugar it says, 1.5 cups equals 300 g. WTF!!

Ok, so I'm retarded and should've known that in grams it would be measured by its weight but it didn't occur to me until I actually made the mistake. So I just ended up using the yogurt cup as one measuring cup.

I don't think I put enough rising power in my cake either. Because the recipe says to put in baking powder and baking soda... but I only had this thing called levure chimique. Which I assumed was french for both.

Other than those little twitches, I used pecans instead of walnuts and added a cup of crushed pineapples.

Ooo and the frosting didn't turn out the way I wanted it to... although it's still good. But that's because we don't have philly cream cheese here and I don't know what the equivalent is. I ended up using fromage blanc which turned out to be too watery for frosting but in the end it got thicker. So..... happy me.

So yummy. Everybody should make one! :)

I feel so spoiled

2007-09-21T14:34:00.000+02:00

Last month Paul brought me a bunch of goodies when coming here: reese's pb cups, slim jims, twinkies, flaming hot cheetos, etc.

And then today I pick up THE BEST care package EVER from the post office sent by Laura. YAY! I love it! Thank you! Thank you! I love you! I'm calling you later tonight. Sorry I opened it before I called you. ;p

Look at what she sent me...

I know, I know, so I have a major sweet tooth!

Yeah, we have oreos here.... but they are hella expensive. And we definitely have nutella here.... but I've never seen one made with skim milk.

Anyways, I know Paris is like pastry heaven but even though, home is still home. You know?

Cold already...

2007-09-20T01:15:00.000+02:00

The exchange rate is shit!!!! Just wanted to let you guys know. ;p Ok, now that that's out of the way....

So I know I haven't posted in a while... but like I said last time... there hasn't been much excitement in my life.

The weather is seriously changing already. I think this is the last week of summer? Anyways, the news says that we are going to have a few sunny days at the end of this week and then it'll probably start getting really cold.

I already felt it a couple of days ago. I went outside in the afternoon and it felt like November to me. Well, November in Santa Barbara I guess... since I know it's way colder here during that month. I'm so not ready for cold weather! :( Even though I prefer cold over hot... I find myself longing for the sun more and more these days. Maybe as I get older?

I have a feeling that I'm going to die this winter. Seriously.

I was scared as hell last winter because it was my first here and the coldest weather I've ever experienced is SB. Soooooooooo, I was pretty scared but then we only had about 5 days of real cold... so it wasn't that bad. I have a feeling about this winter though... I see me inside with my blanky, hot cocoa and heater A LOT.

Untitled Random Rambling #2

2007-09-06T21:20:00.000+02:00

You know what I hate the most here that happens to me all the time? Seriously, only here.

I'll be walking on the street minding my own business and some random guy will always say, "Ni how" or however the hell you spell it. You know.... "Hi" in Chinese. If I'm lucky enough, it will only happen once the whole day.

Seriously? Seriously! WTF?!! Ok, um, all Asians are not Chinese! I know there are a lot of them out there, but NEWSFLASH there are other Asians in this world.

And then when I get fed up and mad enough to respond of course they ask what I am then. I tell them I'm Korean... and then get this!!! They ask.....

North or South?

(...)

Are you freakin serious??!!

That is the stupidest question IN THE WORLD!!! Seriously?!!!

Here's a great story...

This one time I went into some tiny bazaar/tourist store on my way home looking for some staples.

I walk in, greet the man as usual, "Bonjour monsieur." And start looking for my staples.
As I begin to go deeper into the store.. he murmurs, "Ni how."
I get so mad, I turn around and say in the bitchiest tone, "Je suis pas chinoise, d'accord?!!" (I'm not Chinese, ok?!!)
And he was completely shocked because I'm sure it was unexpected.
So he then goes on to ask where I'm from and I say Korea (of course this is all in French) and then he asks me to repeat.
I repeat.
There's a bit of a pause, he looks confused as hell, and finally says, "hmm, never heard of it."

This is what I have to deal with in life. ohmygod!

I don't understand these people!! First of all, are they trying to show off that they know how to say a word in another language? Because it just made them look dumb. Really. And then really does it matter to them where I'm from? Are they going to die if I don't tell them?! I just don't understand because it's not like if I'm in California, I'm going to say, "hola" to random strangers who I think look Mexican.

Come on people!!

Anyways, check this out.

Blah...

2007-09-06T03:18:00.000+02:00

I haven't posted in a while... so I thought I'd stop by.

It has been really boring for me lately. I would've just gone picture happy and posted a bunch but I can't take any pictures at the moment. I let my friend borrow my adapter/converter and so I can't recharge the battery to my camera until I get it back. I would go out and buy a new one... but who knew it would be so hard to find another one just like it?! I mean... they sell them in any store here but... I don't quite know how to describe it... but it ain't it. Eww I hate using the word "ain't".

Just for you I googled until my eyes bled and found some pictures....

This is what I want. Apparently it's called an adapter plug... makes sense.

And this is what they love.

Not exactly what I was looking for in the second pic (which is for the UK) but it's the same thing. So, you see in the second pic... something like (for example) my ipod charger is not going to fit because it's fat and the rim around the adapter blocks in from plugging in. Stooooooopid!

So, my advice for travellers... buy your adapter plug before coming here. It's probably cheaper anyways!

Well, another reason for my recent toooooooooo boring life...

I just started a strict diet... and as usual when I start I don't like to go out too much because of all the temptations (Did I say "too much"? I meant "at all" actually). Especially when I pass a bakery every 5 seconds, you know? Enough about that.

Anywho... it seems like we skipped summer this year. I swear we only got like 5 good sunny days the whole summer. But then we also skipped winter too because I remember we only got like 5 really cold days. 5 is a good number for everything... don't you think? :P But anyways, yeah... I've been starting to get cold lately that I carry my blanky around and D laughs at me. But then again, D laughs at many many things I do. So I'm not normal. You're not either!

New Discovery

2007-08-30T01:12:00.000+02:00

I made two new discoveries today.

Auchan has macarons.

Pim's

So the first time I tried macarons was at Ladurée last week with Paul and Yuri and now I want to try them all. Of course this will take a while because I don't want to become a blimp. But today when I went grocery shopping, I spotted the macarons and had to buy them because they were soooooooooo cheap!! And surprisingly, they were quite tasty. But of course since this is only my second time (and place) tasting them... I don't have much to compare them to. But I liked them.

In the package was (left to right): vanilla, pistachio, coffee, raspberry, lemon and chocolate.

My favorites in order: chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, lemon, coffee, raspberry.

Of course Ladurée is better... for the price of 12 at Auchan, you get almost 4 at Ladurée... expensive = better ? hmmm, maybe.

This is the size of the macaron for those unfamiliar with these. I know its blurry, but it's all I've got because D and I inhaled them pretty fast.

Yum, I don't know about you, but to me it's two bites of goodness.

My second discovery is this delicious thing below...

I know they sell these things in the states.... because I saw them somewhere before. But anyways, people love them here. They never interested me for some reason. And then about a month ago, when I was at the bus stop (after doing groceries) I saw a man come out and wait next to me and eat the whole box of pim's in about 3 minutes. Normally I hate watching people eat but he made it look so good that I wanted to buy some right then. Of course I forgot about them, until today! There are many fruity (filling) flavors, but I had to go with the chocolate mousse. And I love it. This is so bad... so very bad!!

Untitled Random Rambling #1

2007-08-29T06:26:00.000+02:00

So I ride the bus for free once in a while. I'm too chicken to do it on the metro most of the times, unless I'm with D... but the bus is a different story. And today as I get on and look for a seat, the bus driver presses the button to play the prerecorded message saying for all passengers to pass/show/buy tickets when entering the bus. Like that's going to make me pay... HA! I just pretend that I was too lazy to take out my carte orange. And if the bus driver really insists... then I would just pay. They're all nice guys anyway.

So bad! I swear, I never used to be like this. Before I didn't think twice about not paying... actually the thought wouldn't even occur to me. Mainly because I'm a paranoid freak. Look what has happened to me in just a little over a year. :P

Anyways... I was just thinking...

What ever happened to the days when this used to be beautiful? Full figured women with some flub. I like it so much better than the stick figures that walk the runway these days.

Saturday 25 August 2007

2007-08-28T00:42:00.000+02:00

So, Paul and Yuri only decided to stay in Paris for three days. I wish they could have stayed longer because there's so much more Paris has to offer. Even though we had pretty much covered the majority of the tourist sights, one could never experience the true beauty of Paris until you have time to stop, relax and enjoy. Especially when it was raining most of the time.

I remember when Paul told me they were coming a month ago, I was hoping that it would stop raining by the time they come. But of course, life is full of perfect timings like this for example and it only stopped raining the evening of their last day and since then it has been sunny everyday. Everyday the temperature has been rising as if it's only June.... summer weather is finally here. No more rain. And it doesn't seem like it'll be returning any time soon.

It was still fun though. When I was out with them I got to enjoy Paris like I used to... as a tourist. D doesn't like going anywhere near tourist spots.

I hadn't been to the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay in over three years and found it odd that I was following the exact same route inside the museums. It brought back good memories. I had only spent a couple of hours in both before and always thought that was too short... but it's really not. Maybe I'm just not into art as much as I used to be? Or because I had already seen it? But I found that a couple of hours was really enough for the museums. Although I wouldn't mind going back. I think I'm going to do some research to see if there's a discount card for all the museums in Paris for residents or something.

Anyways, Paul and Yuri are in Italy now. They had purchased tickets from Ryanair to fly into Milan from here. And their flight was to leave at 8:30 from the Beauvais Airport.

I found online a shuttle service that leaves from Paris at Porte Maillot directly to the airport. They have frequent buses and you have to get there 3 hours 15 minutes before your departure time. The shuttle ride is 1 hour 15 minutes and will cost you 13€. Purchasing tickets online is recommended (must at least 24 hours in advance) but no worries if you don't... there's a window open but they only accept cash and the line moves along pretty quickly.

So, since their flight was at 8:30 am that meant that we had to be at Porte Maillot at 5:15. Since we came home at 1 in the morning that night, that meant no sleep for me. I insisted on not sleeping and waking them up because I knew that once I sleep there would be no waking up for quite some time. We left my house at 4 am to walk to the bus stop (because metro opens at 5:30). We caught the night bus (no. 11) at 4:15 and it dropped us off at Porte Maillot at a little past 5. Not bad. Yuri was sleeping but Paul got to see much of the tourist sights one last time since the bus takes the same route as metro line 1 just not underground... so everything in between Bérault to Porte Maillot he saw.

I watched them go off then I headed for the metro and took my direct line back home. I got home close to 6:30, talked to D on the phone til 7 and knocked the hell out. I pretty much slept the whole day. I think I was only awake for about 4 hours total... that's how tired I was. And my feet definitely needed some serious resting.

Friday 24 August 2007

2007-08-25T23:33:00.000+02:00

We had originally planned to go to Château de Versailles today, but because of the rain there was a change of plans.

I wanted to take them around my neighborhood to Château de Vincennes but we didn't even make it because it started pouring and we were scheduled to have lunch with D at noon. D hadn't properly met Paul and Yuri yet because he was busy with work. We had lunch at a local brasserie.

After a few hours of eating and drinking, we decided to go to Musée d'Orsay. From my apartment we took a direct metro (line 1) to Tuileries and walked through Jardin des Tuileries to get to the Museum.

Crossing the bridge, we saw some police guy jumping into the Seine.

I actually like Musée d'Orsay better than the Louvre but it seems to be less popular because the Louvre has the Mona Lisa and the pyramids, I guess. But when you see the Mona Lisa, you can only get so close because of security and the crowd around it. Again, the line went pretty fast for tickets and we got to see an exposition: From Cézanne to Picasso.... that was the name of it.

We then decided to go to Monmartre. We exited the station Abbesses. When exiting the metro station, elevator recommended... or else you climb never ending stairs. There is the Funiculaire to go to Sacre Coeur but we decided to climb the steps. I almost died.

After looking at the view from the top and inside the church we headed down towards Bd Rochechouart and walked up. The street changes to Bd de Clichy and leads you to Moulin Rouge. They didn't like the area too much and wanted to get out so we took the metro in front of Moulin Rouge... Pigalle... and went back to the Latin Quarter.

I took them to L'Ile St. Louis to go have the best ice cream in Paris. Taking it to-go and sitting makes a difference in price... I think about 2€. But we sat down. It wasn't raining anymore and the sky had cleared up, so we decided to enjoy.

We then went over to a restaurant/bar called Le Petit Pont (1 rue Petit Pont). They are open til 3 in the morning and have onion soup too. Yuri said their onion soup was good. I had veal and Paul had duck.... both good. Their prices aren't too bad. It's not cheap but not too pricey. However, they did charge me 0,50€ for une carafe d'eau (tap water) which I wasn't too happy about. It's expected since it's in tourist central. But the place was nice... at first there was a pianist but soon changed to a DJ.

Then we had to make one last stop for the best gelato in Paris. This one was Paul's and he took the picture.

Thursday 23 August 2007

2007-08-25T22:38:00.000+02:00

We decided to start off the day with the Eiffel Tower since we didn't get to go yesterday because of the rain. It was still raining little bits here and there. There were very long lines... many many people. We didn't go up and decided to go somewhere else.

We walked towards Passy so that Yuri could look at some stores there. She ended up buying earings... very pretty... and some shorts.

(This photo taken by Paul, coming out of Châtelet metro on Rue de Rivoli.)

We took the metro to Châtelet to look for a restaurant called Le Pied du Cochon. Despite their good reviews... we found the food to be crap. We heard their (french) onion soup is famous but it was too bland in my opinion... and Yuri agreed too. I ordered some pork stew and it wasn't what I expected at all. A typical french dish, pasta with pork in an oil based sauce. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good.... definitely not a stew. Paul ordered the Andouillette. He eats all sorts of things and couldn't eat this (not a good sign), giving very big thumbs down.

We then went to Le Forum des Halles (undergroud shopping center) and stopped by starbucks for coffee. Yuri did some more shopping and then we took the metro to the Latin quarter.

We saw Notre Dame and ate the best crêpes togo in Paris. ;p (The one next to McDonalds)

It was raining so we decided to have some drinks. We ended up going to two bars. I don't remember the name of the first but the second one we went to was called the Latin Corner and it's to the right of the first bar.

The first one I had actually been to several times in the past. But the Latin Corner, I think, is pretty new.... maybe a year or so. It's very stylish and seemed like a gay bar. I liked it. The waiters and bartender were wearing muscle shirts that said "Fuck me?" on the back. Interesting.

This is Yuri daring Paul to tap our waiter from the back and say, "Yes." And that's our waiter behind. :)

Wednesday 22 August 2007

2007-08-25T02:31:00.001+02:00

I went to go pick up my friends (Paul and Yuri) from the airport (Charles de Gaulle) on Wednesday morning. Their flight landed at 9:30 but they didn't come out until a little past 10.

I noticed that they had put in a new tram called CDGVAL and I like it better. The last time I was at the airport, I had to use the bus and I don't remember it too clearly... but the tram was very easy to use. Nice.

So we finally got back to my apartment at noon and decided to go have lunch at the famous falafel place. In the movie The Devil Wears Prada I believe they refer to it as "the falafel that will change your life." It's a bit pricey. I think the they raised the price since the last time I was there, but I can't remember. Anyways, it's worth it.

We then headed towards Concorde. The weather was not nice at all... as you can see...

We went up towards Madeleine and walked towards Havre-Caumartin. We went into Printemps and went all the way to the top and they took some pictures of the view. It's on the 9th floor (10th floor in America), it's free and it's a good view.

We then rode the bus towards Champs Elysées and took some pictures of L'Arc de Triomphe.

This is Toyota...

Different. Interesting.

Our next stop was Ladurée. A lot of people like their macarons and I have never tried any so I thought I would give it a try. I have to say, they are pretty good. I ordered the four mini plate (you get to choose your flavors) and I got chocolat amer, rose, pistache and griotte (bitter chocolate, rose petal, pistachio and cherry). I really liked the bitter chocolate but my favorite was the pistachio. I remember Paul's dessert was called Bollywood Rose and that was fluffy goodness... it looks like a pink donut and Yuri got some raspberry and passion fruit tart.

The weather was pretty bad. It was raining all day and we went into Ladurée to get out of the rain and wait for it to stop but by the time we were ready to leave, it was pouring. And so we cancelled our plans of going to the Eiffel Tower and decided to go to the Louvre Museum instead. The Louvre is open later every Wednesdays (until 21:30) and they sell tickets for 6€ to enter at 18:00. Regular price is 9€. We ended up buying the entrance tickets at some tabac on the ground floor inside where all the stores are. The line was very short. We had our tickets in less than 5 minutes and the museum wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. We hardly did any waiting. I was really happy about that, since we were pressed on time.

I took a bunch of pictures of statues. They are my favorite. Especially Canova's Psyche and Cupid.

After we were finished with the Louvre... we were very hungry, so I took them back to Champs Elysées to one of my favorite restaurants to eat mussels, Leon de Bruxelles. It's a chain and they give pretty big portions (for France) for a reasonable price. Lots of mussels and unlimited fries.

After dinner we decided to head in. Yuri gave me some BOMB sleeping pills and I knocked out. That night was the best sleep I had had in a while.

How Many Firemen Does It Take?

2007-08-21T04:27:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I've never really seen firemen put out a fire in real life until this... but does it really take this many to put out a little fire? Most of them looked bored.

This picture was actually taken about a year ago... but I had nothing else to write about :p and no recent pictures. Friends are coming on Wednesday and I've just been busy cleaning and stuff.

Anyways, this picture was taken in Saint-Ouen and this location happens to be the street in between the metro stops Garibaldi and Mairie de St-Ouen (line 13 towards St. Denis).

I hate line 13... one of the most crowded lines... especially going towards St. Denis. I'm so glad I don't live off of that line anymore.

Vegetable Goodness

2007-08-17T21:51:00.000+02:00

This is one of my favorite African dishes. It's called green vegetable, according to D, and boiled plantains.

I tried to look for an image on Google, but it's hard to find one when all I've got to work with is "green vegetable". I should have taken a picture of the damn thing before cooking... but didn't know that I would be taking a picture of the finished product.

Anyways, I'm gonna have to take a picture of the green vegetable later when I go to the African market or when I eat it again.

In the dish: green vegetable, palm (red) oil, dried fish, onion, tomato, ground shrimp and pepper.

Got A New Phone

2007-08-17T21:35:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I had to go to the France Telecom store because there's always some problem with my phone line. I just wish that I could be problem free with this company for even one month. Just one month... I would be ecstatic!

The problem now is that I can't call free numbers from home. That's stupid, right? I try to call free numbers (like 1800 numbers) and it doesn't pass. So when I call customer service, what do they say? They say that the problem lies with the phone. Ummmm, ok.... that doesn't make sense but I went to the store anyways.

I'm happy I got a new phone... but as I suspected, still can't call free numbers.

I mean, does that even make sense to anyone? If there's something wrong with the phone line... why would it be the actual phone causing it? I just don't understand. Is it just me?

I don't understand how this company lets me call America... but not free numbers. :/

Anyways.... this is a picture I took as I was coming out of the store on the way to take my bus home. It's off the metro (line 9) Croix de Chavaux.

Some modern looking sculpture and you can see a painting on the side of a building in the background.

Not What You Think

2007-08-14T23:46:00.000+02:00

I remember the first time I saw this sign I was coming out of Carrefour. I was so excited to have found a place that sells tacos.

Oh how I miss Mexican food!

I made a mental note to myself that I would return very soon to try it out.

Then one day I saw another one. I can't remember the exact location because it wasn't in an area I go often... but I think it was near the Mairie de Montreuil (City hall of Montreuil).

I was with D at the time and tried to convince him to eat some tacos.

But to my surprise, D told me that these posts were not advertisements for Mexican food at all. They are actually a taxi/shuttle/mini bus type of service that the City of Montreuil offers their residents.

Boooooooooo!

Me Heart Paris

2007-08-13T02:10:00.001+02:00

My feelings about Paris keep changing... love, hate, love, hate, love... back and forth.

I remember my first time in Paris, the summer of 2004, I had come to study at Sorbonne for a month. I convinced one of my best friends to come together and for some crazy reason she agreed. So we came and lived at Cité Universitaire for the month of July.

I remember how the month flew by so fast and it was really one of the best time of my life. I had never gotten homesick because I had a piece of home with me (her) and when it came time to leave, I was so sad because I felt as if we were leaving just as I was starting to get a hang of living in Paris.

Ever since then, I knew that I had to get back to Paris. It became a dream to one day move to Paris. I would think of all the good times I had and longed to be walking on the streets again. I missed the food, the weather, the metro, everything I never thought I would.

To this day, I still think about that summer.

Then on my next trip to Paris, I was still in love but everything was different. I realized that no experience can beat the first. The time when everything was sparkle sparkle. I still loved Paris, but it was a different feeling.

Then I met D.

Until then I had only been doing touristy things but since D doesn't like those places... I started experiencing Paris more as a local. Honestly... not as fun. And with each visit to Paris, reality started to sink in.

When I finally decided to move to Paris, I was happy that my dream was finally coming true. I never thought that would be a dream of mine so easily accomplished. Well actually... it wasn't so easy at the time.

After the move, I remember exactly all the feelings I was going through. It was pretty tough.

I remember for the first couple of weeks, I was very emotional. I missed my brother the most. Especially because for four years we were always together and suddenly he was half way across the world. Every time I would think about friends I would cry. Every time I would think about my brother I would cry. Every time I would think about my parents I would cry. I was an emotional basket case.

Then I was ok for about a month or so until I started to get really homesick.

That's when I started to pretty much hate everything about it here. The people, the culture, the streets, the city, the food... everything. That was the time when I realized how American I am. I never knew. And all I wanted to do was go back to California and eat some Mexican food. I even longed to be stuck in 101 traffic. I hated it that people don't smile here like back home. I hated it that everything is so damn expensive compared to America. I hated it that people can be so rude without expecting a smack in the face. I hated that tone when people talk in French.*

I started to even hate the language because it seemed that everywhere I went, all I heard was complaining. So it became French = Complaining language (NOT language of love). And this was a real surprise for me because I used to absolutely love the French language. Even when I didn't understand it, I would just listen for hours because that's how much I used to love it. I used to be so determined to improve my French. And now I only wanted English.

This lasted for about three months or so. I think it was almost everyday I would think about returning to the states.

Finally it passed and I started to feel like this was becoming home for me. That feeling you get, you know? I started to get into the same rhythm as the locals, I guess.

And now, I feel as if I could live here... maybe forever.

I had another dream.... to live in other countries. And I would ask D if he would move to England... or maybe Italy.... or Switzerland.... or anywhere else I can point to. But now, I don't care too much.

I do want to move back to the states. And I plan to in the near future. But I know that I will eventually return to France. I actually do love it here. And as much as I want to go back to California... I know when the day comes for me to leave, I will most likely be in tears.
_______________________________________________________
*Not that I love these things now.

Men Approach Women On The Streets Not Like America

2007-08-11T01:20:00.000+02:00

I had an appointment with my doctor on Friday and went to the hospital ON TIME. I don't understand why they insist on making appointments when it doesn't even matter. The wait today wasn't too bad... but sometimes they make me wait for over an hour.

So, my hospital is Bichat off the Porte de Saint Ouen metro (line 13: one of the worst lines especially going towards St. Denis).

And as I was walking, I was thinking of this one time when some random guy approached me as I was walking to the hospital... I think in January.
I've gotten a lot better at ignoring people on the street, but once in a while I still slip and always end up regretting it.

So this guy, he was trying to get my attention and I stopped because maybe, just maybe he was wanting directions. Nope. Not the case. Of course he was just trying his best to "pick me up" and I pulled the oldest trick in the book... "Pardon, je ne comprends pas. No Français!" And tried to escape but lucky me, this boy knew English. He tries to ask me questions and so I try trick number 2... which really should have been #1... "I'm married!" He then says, "Too bad. I'm very unlucky I didn't meet you before you were taken."

HA! Because then he definitely would've had a chance!

So this is my advice to the ladies who end up manless on the streets of Paris and a strange horny man approaches you...

Tell him you're married.
IF he insists you're not because he doesn't see a ring, tell him you're pregnant and your fingers are too fat.

Before moving here, this one time when I was here only for vacation, I was strolling with a friend around Notre Dame and a drunk guy came up saying that he has an apartment at Saint-Germain-des-Prés. He didn't mind that we were "married" because he thought that we were alone, but as soon as we said that our husbands were across the street and coming in 5 minutes... he straight up ran away. It was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing! I have never seen a guy run so fast. I was afraid that he would see us later sans husbands and disturb us even further... but we were lucky. ;)

Empty

2007-08-09T18:44:00.000+02:00

Not only is this picture perfect for describing what it feels like to be here in the month of August when everyone is on vacation and more than half the businesses/stores are closed but also perfect to show what the weather has been like lately (minus the rain, of course).

Here's a picture of part of the bridge that the metro line 2 operates on between Gare du Nord and La Chapelle. I think seeing this little actually makes the area look nice, when really it's one of the dirtiest places in my opinion. Everything smells like pee. :/

Funny

2007-08-08T20:50:00.000+02:00

Yummy

2007-08-08T15:26:00.001+02:00

So I wake up in the morning to find that D is already awake and just lying in bed watching TV. I roll over and try to give him some kisses on his chest and he squeals, "It trinkles!" and rolls out of bed.

I lay there for a few minutes before finally getting out myself and find him in front of the table starting to make his breakfast.

He says, "Honey, can you pass me the foie gras?"

I reach for it in the fridge and he starts to spread it against one side of his baguette. Then he reaches for the nutella and spreads it on the other side of the baguette.

I cringe and think to myself... seriously?

I ask, "You're going to really eat that.... umm, together?"

D, "yes."

He takes a bite and gives me a smile.

Me, "Is it good?"

D, "OF COURSE!" and he lifts it towards my mouth.

Me, (confused as hell) "Of course? Of course." turning my head away from the foie gras-nutella sandwich.

Ah! Ma vie en France!

We Be Clubbin'

2007-08-06T19:51:00.001+02:00

So the other night... Saturday to be exact... D and his friend convinced me to go to a club. Well, what had happened is, D's friend was going to the club with some other friends of theirs and asked D and I to come along... I didn't want to go but that didn't work out for me. I ended up getting dragged along.

The club was around the Barbès/Gare du Nord area. And it was quite an interesting experience. I mean, the last time I went to a club in Paris was in 2004 and it wasn't memorable in any way... quite traumatizing really. But it was nice to see many Africans of different countries in one place since anytime I go out with D and his friends it's only Cameroonians and a few Chadians here and there. And I was surprised that I wasn't the only non-African. I mean, not that I was expecting to be the only one, but there were more than I thought.... kinda like, I was thinking 5 and there were 10 (not exact numbers).

I can't remember the name for the life of me, but I didn't think the entry prices were too bad. The most expensive was 150€ for a bottle of whiskey (up to 5 people) and 20€ per additional person with one drink included. And 130€ for champagne... still 5 people.

We got there at around 2-2:30am and I was surprised to see that the club got more and more crowded as time went by. We ended up leaving at around 5 and when I asked D what time they close, he said between 9am and 12pm!! Yeah, they definitely don't stop serving alcohol at 2 here.

I was quite impressed with myself that night too... or I should say morning. There were two other girls with us and they were walking ahead, followed by me and D and two of his friends behind.... when the girls stopped because they didn't know where to go next (to get to the car) I said, "go straight" and they were doubting my directions but were surprised to find out that I know my way around the area.

Luckily, I'm familiar with the area because D's hospital (Lariboisière) is there.

Barbès is definitely not an area for tourists. I like to think of Paris as Los Angeles and Barbès would be like.... Compton... sort of. Seriously, I put my cell phone on silent and never take it out here because someone will just smack you in the head out of nowhere and jack you in a second.

There was even a time when I saw someone getting jacked! That day I was leaving the hospital and I usually take the empty street (the "dark narrow alley" I guess you can say) to get to the Barbès metro but for some reason decided to take the main street to the metro for once. I was thinking to myself that I'm stupid for taking the more "scary" looking street when I'm alone just because it's shorter, you know? And so I walk the main street and see this guy getting mugged IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, yelling for help and no one is doing anything (typical). I think to myself that this is madness and ever since then... I take the empty street.

Summer Is Here

2007-08-05T16:36:00.000+02:00

... and man~ is it starting to get hot!

I think I'm becoming one of them... Parisian.

Yesterday I decided to go to watch a free outdoor performance put together buy the music store Fnac here.... Le Festival Fnac Indétendances. But not before strolling around Paris Plage.

Every summer for one month, Paris sets up their own "beach" along the Seine (river). They offer many fun activities. I'm not quite sure of the list and I'm sure you can find it doing some digging on the Internet... but (after three years of passing by) one thing I have noticed is that they always set up volleyball tents in front of L'Hôtel de Ville (note: squint at the first photo of post).

Well, I got off at the Hôtel de Ville (line 1) metro and passed by going towards L'Ile St. Louis. It's a direct line for me from home and I would rather walk outside than making switches between lines (I hate walking underground!)... plus I was really just trying to go to Le Pont de Sully the long way since the performance was scheduled to start at 5pm and I had a couple of hours to kill. And L'Ile St. Louis is one of my favorite spots and if I start from the Notre Dame area I knew I would end up at the bridge (Le Pont) out through the other end.

So here's the becoming more Parisian part....

So, I notice that I'm walking very fast. Not really fast... normal speed for me really, but compared to the pace there I was going at it like superman. And now I understand why Parisians find tourists annoying... well, reason number 1: They don't know how to walk and are always blocking the streets that it throws you off rhythm.

Anyways, wherever there's a crowd of people I always get nervous walking too slow in fear of getting pickpocketed... even if it has yet to happen. Knock on wood. Or worse... someone might talk to me... not that it really matters because I usually just ignore them and keep walking.

But I tried. Every time I would get blocked by a tourist, I would tell myself, "You know what? Why don't you just walk slow too and enjoy the scenery... I mean it is Paris."

So I walk at the pace of a tourist and I swear it doesn't even take me a full minute before I start getting annoyed and start pushing my way through everyone again. What's wrong with me? So now that I live here, I can't enjoy it like I used to?!

Funny Thing, This Thing Called Love

2007-08-04T01:57:00.001+02:00

It's quite bizarre to me how this thing called love works.

I believe that no matter how many times a person says they have been in love.... a person can only truly love once in their life. And I say this because I cannot imagine having the kind of love I have for D for someone else. One can say that they have loved __ many girls/guys but the one you love is a very different feeling than the previous "loves"... therefore one can only truly love once in their life and the previous ones were never really love. (Are you still with me?)

And I'm not saying this because I'm a hopeless romantic who believes in love at first sight and the whole concept of soul mates.

In fact, I have always been exactly the opposite:

Love at first sight = Love at first lust or more accurately, bullshit.
Soul mate = Impossible. There are over six billion people on this Earth but you happened to find yours at the grocery store the next town over or through a mutual friend.... I mean, come on!

But it's amazing how my love grows for D every single day.... even every hour. And I don't even know how or why.

I mean, this is a guy I can really hate one second and then I stop screaming, look at him and I love him even more than before. I just don't understand. Why is it that the person who gives me the most stress, peaks my blood pressure to new levels and could possibly even literally break my heart one day is also the person who I can't and won't live without?

(And I know for a fact that that saying that goes a little something like, "You can only hate someone you love," is completely false. Because I genuinely & passionately hate my stepmother and there definitely is no love involved. )

I feel so lucky to have found D... although in the beginning I admit this wasn't my thinking. He makes me want to believe in "soul mates" because I couldn't imagine being this comfortable with anyone else. And to think that we met so randomly and if there was even something as simple as me stopping to tie my shoes which would have definitely caused us to never meet makes our relationship that much special to me. It almost makes me want to believe in fate.

When did this happen?!! Have I gone over to the other side without knowing it?

One Phone Line

2007-08-03T19:38:00.000+02:00

Hooray! One phone line without breaking contract!! That lady at the store was... no, IS.... an idiot! Good thing I decided to talk to someone at a different store. :)

And in case you've been trying to call... it's the number that starts 01133148....

McLover & Rabbit Horror

2007-08-03T01:57:00.000+02:00

My ongoing addiction...

McDonald's McFlurry!!! It's summertime and perfect for ice cream.... well, actually what am I saying?!! Everytime is perfect for ice cream.

I was doing some thinking today about the menu at McDonald's and how different it must be from the states. I mean, when they come out with a new special (limited edition) sandwich/burger here... I wonder if it's in the states as well. And if there are any new ones in the states that I don't know about. (You see... because ever since I've moved to France, I've been completely out of the loop.) I do miss the McRibs.

Well, anyways... this one here is a Kit Kat & caramel McFlurry. There are no oreo McFlurries here.... but I wonder if I can one day get them to just give me the McFlurry plain and crush in my own oreos.

Now for something a bit more disturbing... well, at least for me.

Warning: Don't look any further if you're easily grossed out. SERIOUSLY!

I wanted to cook rabbit for dinner (Thursday) and took it out of the freezer. Last time, D cut the rabbit in half and split it in half so one half can go in the freezer for future eating. Well... I didn't know that he included the insides and the head in the package and when I was thawing it today... I nearly died. I swear eating with D, he's going to turn me into a vegetarian very soon.

I can sort of handle insides now.... in the beginning when we would cook something, I would always make D cook his liver, intestines, etc. separately... but now I don't mind, I'll just eat around it. But heads I still don't do. This is why I used to buy all my meat cut and no bones when living in the states. And I stuck to the basics: chicken, turkey, beef, tuna and salmon. I don't like to be reminded that what I'm eating used to be alive... and this is what I was looking at when thawing the rabbit...

Ok, I was freaking out for a bit... but I decided to be tough, got out the wooden spoon and chopsticks and kept on going at it.... of course I was fixed on the eye the whole time, kinda like if you're walking on rope 500 feet above ground you keep looking down because you don't want to die... not that the eye would have killed me. Well, actually I think it could have if I accidentally touched it or something I probably would have gone into cardiac arrest and died from all the grossness.

So I'm going at it with my wooden spoon and chopsticks, standing as far away as possible while running it through water, trying to get the meat to separate. Finally after what seems like eternity, bits start to come off. I get excited because I'm thinking I'll get this done soon and then I can just go and curl up in bed to forget about the stupid rabbit eye watching me thaw him. Ewww. And then after a couple of pieces... I pulled out this nastiness...

IT'S THE FLIPPIN' JAW AND TONGUE!!! Seriously, that was the last straw! I don't care about being tough... I cannot deal with this! I pretty much ran inside my bedroom and hid under the covers for a good hour or so before calling D at work to tell him to hurry up and come to cook the stupid gross rabbit cus I'm not touching it... and definitely not eating it anymore. After another hour I finally got the courage to snap pics for all of you guys to see and now I think I am going to have nightmares.

I Just Don't Understand

2007-08-02T01:32:00.000+02:00

Things I don't understand about the French...

So, I've been having problems with the phone/internet/tv company. I have two phone lines actually... but, not by choice. Internet, tv and phone is one package.... by Orange. And then there's the normal fixed line... by France Telecom. Orange and France Telecom are basically the same company... actually, they are. I guess you can think of it as like Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and whatever else they own out there.

Well, the other day I ended up at the France Telecom/Orange store explaining that I only want one phone line and don't see why I'm paying for two when I don't need the second line. Then the lady starts talking her bs blah blah blah and in conclusion says that it's not possible because I'm under contract for a year and since the contract doesn't end til April 30, 2008... if I were to end contract then I have to pay for every month until the end of contract.

Ummm... ok, I'm not 100% sure... but in the states, isn't there usually just one flat fee for breaking contract (say $200 or $300) instead of paying for the remaining months?

I just don't understand. :/

This company gives me many headaches.

Another problem with this company is that they keep interfering with the other account! Let me explain. I wanted to sign up for an online account with France Telecom so that I can see my phone bill in detail... I somehow accidentally made the bills only be sent online and no more through regular normal mail. By the way, I've called several times asking for the option to be reversed and has yet to be. So what happens? The bill is always forgotten. So then, since I haven't payed for the fixed phone... they go and cut the tv. The internet and the other phone line always work... but for some reason they always go straight for the tv.

WTF?! That pisses me off because I paid for the tv on time and anyways... it's a separate account!!!

Imagine if Gap was your phone company and Banana was your tv company... yeah, they're the same company but also TWO SEPARATE ACCOUNTS!!

I mean... am I the only person who thinks what they do is crazy?

Then to top it off.... they keep going into the wrong bank account! They have information of one bank account to take out money from each month.... but the financial director at the bank has been rejecting it for some reason. So then one time I paid with the card of a different bank account over the phone and now they keep charging fees every time I forget to pay the bill. Ummm..... I always thought this is considered illegal... especially because the transaction was not authorised by the owner of the account and I have talked to them about it, but they keep doing it! Call me American... or Californian... but can't I sue? But then... do the French even sue? I don't hear much about the French taking things to court. I really don't know what to do except close the bank account?

Ridiculous! I seriously don't understand the French system.

I'm Addicted to Grapefruits!

2007-08-01T22:42:00.000+02:00

I found these grapefruits the other day and when I ate one... it was sooooooooooooo good! Most of the time, I like to eat them with some sugar... but these are naturally so sweet. So I went back to buy 6 more... and now they're all finished. :( I think I'm going back tomorrow to check if they still have more of the same batch.

Veal Goodness

2007-08-01T11:16:00.000+02:00

Yummy... my favorite. Simple and delicious. I love veal!!

Blah

2007-07-31T22:16:00.000+02:00

Today was a nice relaxing, lazy day for me. I didn't do anything! I really haven't felt like doing much at all lately... just waste the day away. And for some reason I've been in a really bad mood and I feel so bad that D gets all my bitching, just because I can. :P

I've had to do laundry ever since the day I went to go buy detergent.... but D ended up doing it for me because I just don't want to!

I did go out for a little while today though... and snapped a couple of photos of these beautiful flowers I noticed not too far from the apartment.

D wanted me to meet him at one of the cafés he was at playing (gambling) his horses and he wanted us to stroll around. I thought it was just going to be one circle around the neighborhood... until D dragged me all over town and I got all pissed off and now he's avoiding me. hehe

I hate this time of the year.... when it's vacation for everyone and most stores are closed for a month. I tried looking for bread today... well, I didn't try that hard I guess.... but every bakery I usually go to are all closed until the end of next month! This sucks! And my street is starting to look like a ghost town. I want to go on vacation too....

Street Art

2007-07-31T00:19:00.000+02:00

I took a few pictures while I went to do some groceries this evening...

This one is when I was coming out of the market (Carrefour in Montreuil)... funny how I never even noticed it til today

This is a wall I pass by every single time I go to Carrefour... and it's always changing. It's become the art wall for the city or something. Every time I pass by I always see a group of people spray painting. Maybe I'll take another picture in a month and post it so we can see how much it has changed.

A closer look....

This was on a door across from the "art wall"

Sorry for the bad quality... didn't have my camera on me, so it was taken with my phone.

Santa Barbara

2007-07-30T16:18:00.000+02:00

This post is mostly for my brother....
I miss our SB apartment! :(
So sad how my apartment now is only the size of my downstairs apartment then.... if even!
Too bad I don't have pictures of my brothers room... cus that's where all the memories were. ;P

Many people have called this their home...

The kitchen and dining.....

The living room.....

My old spacious bedroom....

Strolling around

2007-07-30T14:23:00.000+02:00

So, the plan for yesterday was to go to Champs Elysées to watch the ending of Tour de France... but I guess I just wasn't meant to see it this year. When I left the house, I had to come back for something and when I was ready to go out again... it started raining...

and because my feet are in pain from the evil shoes... I can only wear a certain pair that doesn't hurt my feet and those aren't too good for rain... my shoes and socks would get wet the second I step out and I wasn't about to squeak around town just for the bicycle race.

Instead... when the rain finally stopped... D and I decided to go for a stroll around the neighborhood........ and be tourists for an hour....

As we're approaching the castle (Château de Vincennes) D wants to take a picture of me and he goes, "Ooooo... so beautiful!"
Me, "Thanks honey... (looks at the picture) Are you kidding me?!! Can I look any more swollen and fat?!! AND I look like I just rolled out of bed!"
I swear.... the way he sees me and I see myself.......... doesn't make sense!

Here's the front of the castle...
There's a motorcycle passing by... but he's all blurry because he was going that fast

More straw figures.... they're gardening....

I saw pretty flowers....

....and D goes, "Ooooooooooooooo TAKE A PICTURE OF ME WITH THE FLOWERS!!! So pretty!!!"
Me (confused as hell), "umm... ok."

.....and then he poses like that!! With all the excitement... I thought he would have at least smiled!

There's this restaurant... called, Le Petit Bofinger... and I was wondering if it's part of the popular restaurant Bofinger. When I was passing by, it looked all nice and kinda pricey... I'm gonna have to drag D there one day. :P

I thought I would share a song that is currently out right now.....

WTF? Seriously?!

Before.......

2007-07-28T16:04:00.000+02:00

So........... let me show you how the living room looked like when I first moved in.

Let me just tell you that my landlord is a greedy lazy bastard and wanted a caution (security deposit) when he gave the apt in this condition.

So, basically........................... when I move out, I can trash the place and it would still look better than before!!!

It doesn't look familiar at all compared to the after photos, huh?!! The black stuff on the wall was caused by humidity.

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood... Won't You Be My Neighbor...

2007-07-28T13:31:00.000+02:00

Today is a nice day so far... no rain, nice breeze.... almost reminds me of Santa Barbara weather... weird cus there's no beach nearby.

I went for a little walk this morning because I needed to go buy some detergent... but now I don't really feel like doing laundry anymore.

I took a few pictures of the neighborhood.... And D starts getting all embarrassed each time I take out the camera. But I told him to be nice, I'm trying to bribe friends to come visit me. ;)

Here are a few pictures....

This... I swear I've passed it a thousand times but only noticed it today.... cus they couldn't have built it overnight! It's a fountain dedicated to General Le Clerc

And a closer look.....

Another one of those things I pass by all the time and never notice... not sure how long it's been there....

It's supposed to be Saint-Somebody on his horse... didn't read the description that was there cus D was running away from me

I'm in between two metro stations... so here's one of them... Saint Mandé.

I just thought it was cute how they put up flowers on the street lights....

(You can see that todays weather is a nice 24°C)

Wow... there's a lot of things I don't notice when I'm walking around... I guess I should actually pay attention to my surroundings when I'm walking. :P

African Goodness

2007-07-27T20:34:00.001+02:00

So................... I know this looks very interesting and might not look so great....

But it is!

It's one of my favorite African dishes. I'm not quite sure how to describe it.... it's mostly composed of a vegetable called makabo, dried fish and red (palm) oil.

Cheap Find #2

2007-07-27T16:32:00.000+02:00

I was at Champs Elysées again today... yeah, I know... it's been my hangout spot for the past few months....

So, I was at Champs today and found these shoes on sale for 15€!! Aren't they cute??!!

Too bad they're EVIL!!! I walked to the market and back (when I got home) in these... which is about a mile roundtrip.... and I felt like I was in the turtle and rabbit story. Of course I was the turtle and the rabbit was a 90 year old grandma with a cane.... and in this story, she won! I wanted to walk home barefoot... that's how much it hurt!!! Too bad I would die before that would ever happen... so I just cried the whole way home. I have counted 9 blisters so far... most had already popped by the time I got to see them. :(

Shrimp Goodness

2007-07-26T17:27:00.000+02:00

This is what I cooked for dinner tonight. Not sure it looks so good on photo... It's simple but yummy. I only used shrimp, onions, garlic, maggi cube, salt & pepper, basil, parsley, tomato and oil.

Pizza Pizza

2007-07-26T13:34:00.000+02:00

Ooooo doesn't it look good?!!

............Well, it tastes like shit!

Cheap Find

2007-07-26T12:53:00.000+02:00

This is the purse I found about a week ago for 10€.... gotta love the summer sales!!! :) I put my wallet in front of it so you have something to compare the size to.

Picture of Summer PART DEUX

2007-07-25T23:06:00.000+02:00

Now that's what I'm talking about!! These are some pictures you can look at and say it's summer. I took these both around Champs Elysées today....

This first one is in front of the Grand Palais.... in between Place Clemenceau and Place Concorde. Too bad the flowers looked prettier in person... so I guess you're just gonna have to come over here to look at it. :P

This second picture was taken closer to the famous Avenue. I was just sitting waiting for D to finish work and thought the trees looked so beautiful. I love the color. :)

And it almost looks like I was in the forest. hehe

Before I ended up on Champs Elysées... I decided to go do a little shopping. I'm searching for the perfect now purse. Yeah, I recently bought a purse... but I still want another one. :P And because everything is on sale right now, I decided to go look.

I only went to one store because I was limited on time... and didn't find anything worth buying... well, worth buying for the price. So I ended up buying some silverware instead. They are pretty and green. :D

I did end up having a frap today. The grand (middle size) cost me 4,65€ and according to my handy dandy converter... thats $6.38..... DAMN! Good thing I don't buy them often. ;) Last time was in early April.... and I think it'll be a few months before I buy one again.

And the girl at Starbucks confused the hell out of me! When I order... she says, "Do you want it with or without coffee?" and I ask her to repeat because maybe I didn't hear her correctly. She repeats and then I just look at her for a good 5 seconds. Here I am thinking.... doesn't it usually come with coffee? Or not? I don't know.... what do I say? Quick just answer her... anything!!! So I finally say, "Errrrr.... with coffee please." Now I know it wasn't the hardest question in the world... but it wasn't something I was expecting.

Man~ was it gooooooood. ;) I think even more so because it reminds me of home. I took it 'to go' and walked a bit before I decided to take the bus. Shhhhh don't tell D I drank it on the street.... that'll drive him mad because in France nobody eats on the street blah blah blah madness. But you know what?!! I'm American and Americans eat on the street and on the go!!

So I took the bus to Champs Elysées and now it's picture time! :)

This is the Petit Palais... look at the sky!!! Doesn't it look like a painting?!! That's one of the things I absolutely love about it here.... the clouds.

A closer look.....

Now this is the Grand Palais... where D works. I remember the first time we saw together tourists taking pictures of this we passed by and they happened to be American (of course) and D says, "Why do they want a picture of a building?!! What, they don't have buildings in America? Ridiculous! Even street lights!!!" Me, "Yeah, but we don't have buildings like here. Hey~ when I first came to Paris, I was taking pictures of the street lights!"

This is still the Grand Palais... just to the right of the picture above...

Tourists on bus...

Something you see tourists doing quite often... they will even risk their life doing this on Avenue Champs Elysées trying to get "the perfect" picture of the L'Arc de Triomphe.

I thought it was funny that there were four of them taking pictures at the same time... unfortunately I was too slow and the lady caught me taking pictures of them. hehe I didn't even know she waved at me until I saw the pictures when I got home. :P

What they were taking pictures of.... the poles with the gold statue on top.... that's Place de la Concorde.

Picture of Summer....

2007-07-24T22:21:00.000+02:00

Finally got the picture off the phone... oh yea!!!!

It's just a little something I took on the way to do groceries... aka the day I walked in the rain. The rain had stopped momentarily and I saw the leaves on the floor and thought to myself....

This picture looks like something I would have taken in the fall... not the summer!!

I'm a dork! :P

A Peek Into My Apartment

2007-07-24T16:57:00.000+02:00

I took a picture yesterday that I wanted to post but my phone is being stubborn and wants to keep the picture to itself.

It rained all day yesterday. It ruined my plans for the day but when I needed to go do some groceries... I decided that I would just enjoy and walk in the rain. Bad idea when you're sick. :/

Seriously, where is the summer weather?!! Not that I'm complaining... because I'd rather take rain than the sun any day... but a little less rain would be nice. This has to be the wettest summer! I remember this time last year, it was hot as hell. You think it has something to do with.... um, global warming??

Well, I went to the post office today to pick up a package. And I've never missed having a car so much until today. The box was bigger and heavier than I thought but I wanted to bring it home so bad because I had been waiting for it... I decided to just suck it up and walk home with the damn box. When I got home, it took my arms a while to stop shaking... yeah, that's how heavy it was.

What was inside? My mini kitchen island.... not sure what it's called. But it's the thing next to the couch, under the oven.

That thing took me 2 hours to put together. The directions were horrible! And I need to buy screwdrivers because my mini swiss knife thing sucks ass!!! My fingers are all raw and in pain. :(

But I love it! I had to do a lot of research to find the perfect one and this one is pretty close... even if it cost me 61€.

My kitchen is seriously only a hole in the wall. And below is another picture of the living room. Seriously... that's it... you're looking at the whole room. The only thing not in the picture is the refrigerator but that's because that's where I'm standing.

To the right is the bedroom. You'll have to wait to see pictures of that because it's a bit messy at the moment. :P Those are the curtains I just bought at Ikea. I like it because it gives the room a bit color. :)

My apartment is finally coming together... Gina knows how much it has changed. ;)

I watched Zodiac today. I love watching movies that are based on true events and documentaries too of course. I don't really know the true story of the Zodiac but the film was interesting. It wasn't great but it was entertaining. I think I'll do some research on it to see how much of the film is "hollywood"

Live and Learn

2007-07-22T23:32:00.000+02:00

Note to self:

If I ever decide to drink alcohol... make sure there is no sober person to annoy and look stupid in front of.

Smiling and nodding isn't always the best way to go when asked a question.

Never mention I'm an American to a French man in the bar... especially after he has had a few beers.

When someone tries to ask you a question on the street.... seriously, ignore every single person because they are just going to ask you for money no matter how "not poor" they look.

This weekend was a wild one. I think I'm getting too old because I get tired way too fast. On Saturday I hosted... I guess you can say a party... because even though there were only 5 people including myself... when your living room only fits (as in packed in, can't move) about 6 people... I would call it a pretty damn big party. Seriously... all I can say is, it really surprises me how people can become someone completely different when alcohol is involved.

Then there's the drunk babbling about all the depressing shit in their life I don't want to hear. Usually I just smile and nod until they ask me a question and then I excuse myself to go to the toilet immediately.... or I can say, "yeah I'm addicted to McFlurrys" and pretend that they asked me a question to which that would've been the correct answer.... they're drunk anyways, right?! :P

But before all that madness... D's friend came by with his son, Laurent and we went for a walk around the neighborhood. My apt is near a castle (10 minute walk) so we went there and I thought I would take some pictures of them... but I happened to have bad timing. :/

I guess Laurent just did something that his dad didn't approve of and hit him as punishment and so here Laurent is crying and D yelling at his friend.

D trying to comfort Laurent and make him stop crying without success. So I called Laurent over to my bench....

And so this is the picture I took to show him so he would stop crying. It worked! :)

Better picture of Laurent... where he's not crying and trying to look cute with D next to him. Don't mind the white thing coming out of the corner of his mouth... it's candy.

I did get in one picture of the castle before I left... but I'm going to have to take some more later for future posts....

It was just the view from the bench I was sitting at.... not sure if you can even tell it's a castle...

Sunday I had a never ending conversation with a french man about Bush, the war, and how Americans "react" (politically) to certain things. Man~ did I want to just go home.

Back, Back, Forth and Forth

2007-07-21T00:30:00.000+02:00

Today (Friday) was a pretty tiring day for me. I went pretty much everywhere... back and forth, trying to buy some things for the apartment. Because I'm that lazy that even though I've been at this apartment for about 6 months now... I still don't have all the things I need.

So my day outside started at 10. My first stop was....
Are you ready to play a little guessing game? It's not too hard, I promise. ;p

After taking the train and bus, down this path I go

Oooo pretty, don't you think? Well, down some more....

Do you see something a bit familiar in the distance? WARNING: squinting may be required

Oh Oh Oh, there it is peeking out... and unless you have really bad eyes and are as blind as a ummmm blind person...

It's Ikea!! Ahh~ reminds me of home :) well, except that everything is in French and the hot dogs taste like shit.... just. like. home.

I ended up buying two pillows, bed sheets, summer blanket, duvet cover, curtains, and plates & bowls. I would have bought more... but unfortunately my shoulder would have fallen off on the way home and that's something I would like to keep thank you very much.

After arriving home, I was planning on making my own lunch but couldn't resist my favorite sandwich place (especially since they're going to be closed for the month of Aug for vacation)... so I went to get a panini and headed towards the bus stop so I can go to my next destination. Darty. Darty is similar to Best Buy... that's the best I can come up with.

I ended up buying a mini oven and hotplates. :) My current hotplates contemplating suicide and has decided to only put in half the effort... which has made cooking hell. Well, carried those home too via bus with passangers looking at me like I'm crazy for doing this without a car.

Made it home in one piece. :) But this time off to the metro to go to Castorama... think if home depot and bed, bath & beyond had a love child. I forgot to buy the pole for the curtains at Ikea... forgot as in avoided :P wasn't in the mood to add another item to my pile so early in the morning.

So after all of this... dinner... rest (un petit peu)... I headed out to look for pots & pans this time. I only found pots... but I think I'm finished for now.

Yum Yummy Yum Yum

2007-07-19T20:21:00.000+02:00

So, I went grocery shopping today.

I'm quite impressed with myself that now when I go to the market, fresh produce is the majority of what I purchase. Whereas in the past, most of my shopping was done at costco and consisted mostly of microwave food.

My weakness............... this aisle I usually avoid. :P But sometimes I can handle a peek and not cave in.

But if Bonnie was here......................................

HA! well, that's another (quite embarrassing) story.

Introduction

2007-07-19T13:26:00.000+02:00

There is a person I would like to introduce.

Everybody, this is D.

And D, this is everybody.

So in future posts when I'm talking about D... this is who I'm talking about, my love.

Bom Chicka Wah Wah

2007-07-18T10:30:00.000+02:00

Wow.
My first post.
How exciting............................ Just. Like. My. Life.

I guess this gives me a reason to carry my camera everywhere. :P

Here are some of what I did July 14 weekend for Bastille day.
Went to Longchamp...

for

some

gambling

and

fireworks

Fun.