Quoi de neuf?

Tonight is the night!

2007-09-27T11:01:00.000+02:00

Yes tonight is the night I have been waiting for months! We were supposed to see them, Incubus, in March but they postponed the touring dates. At that time it was like IN SEPTEMBER! But really time did fly...and here we are. I must say that I'm pretty much a concert goer. It just feels great, no...it is GREAT to be part of an amazing experience where people with the same interest come join and really enjoy the moment.

"Bat your eyes girl, be otherworldly,
count your blessings, seduce a stranger
Whats so wrong with being happy?
Kudos to those who see through sickness..."

See you guys tonight!
(Then I'm off to London, Windsor, Bath, Oxford and hopefully Brighton...!)

André-Citroën Park, 15th Arrondissement

2007-09-24T09:45:00.001+02:00

Since there is the "Fête des Jardins " going on this weekend, we decided it's another good opportunity to visit a park. A park that we had never been before... I regularly visit a park myself at least once a week...there are a few ones I usually go to since it is convenient for me to get there. This weekend, like said, we picked somewhere further than our usual areas. We picked Parc André-Citroën in 15th arrondissement. The park is on the site of a former Citroen car factory. It is divided into several parts, for example, a stone square where two modern glasshouses contain the Mediterranean garden and the center area is a big green field as a playground for the family members. Compared this park to the main ones in the center of Paris like Jardin des Tuileries or Jardin du Luxembourg, it could be a disappointment as Parc André-Citroën reflects more of the modern concept instead of the image Paris is trying to maintain and portray.

However, if you can get past your expectation and just enjoy the park for the reason it is actually built for...this park, in my opinion, is a real park where the family members come to play, have a picnic and lie down on the grass. We lied down next to this one family where the dad came with his 3 kids to play football...everyone was really having a great time. Kenji, my favorite kid of the day, ran and imitated the pose of professional footballers everytime he beat his dad, the goalkeeper. Lots of smiles and laughters going on among them and to see such a pleasant time they had, you just could not stop smiling either.

I would say it was such a heart-warming late afternoon to see everyone was happy...which made you happy too.

Métro: Balard or Javel
15th Arrondissement

Fête des Jardins 2007

2007-09-22T09:07:00.000+02:00

The Fête des Jardins has been continuing to pay homage and raise an awareness for nature and gardens for the 11th year now. All the parks and gardens both public and private are openned for a visit. Provided by educational activities like guided tours and gardening workshops as well as the entertaining acitivies like concerts, hiking, biking trails etc. for all the family member.

From September 22-23 for all parks and gardens in Paris including Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes.

Last Night@La Fleche d'Or (Part III)

2007-09-21T19:43:00.002+02:00

I seem to have become a semi-regular at La Fleche d'Or. I'm sure anyone who has been there once will just continue to check for the updates and go there. If only it's not so far (20th arrondissement), I would just pop in there every other night.

There were a few interesting gigs to see last night. We initially planned to see two bands, Lisa Li-Lund and Fugu...

Lisa Li-Lund was the opening act of the night...I would say that it sucks for whoever gets to be an opening act because at 8ish pm, there would hardly be anyone. Proven true by this night as we arrived around 8.40 pm, the gig has just started. There were like 20 persons in the audience! I totally felt bad for her... I would have to say though that Lisa seemed most amateur compared to all the "new" bands I have seen at Flech d'Or. Probably she was nervous that no one came to see her so she made some mistakes on the stage...? However, it was good to hear my favorite song, "12000 waves". Checking her page, there seems to be quite a few more shows for her. Wish her a good luck.

Next one, Fugu, was my friend's favorite. That's pretty much why I could drag her there. They have their fans alright. Even the song "Here Today" seems quite popular in the radio stations in Bangkok!! I was surprised to find out that. Anyway, lots more people showed up and loosely filled up the room...lots more cheering going on in the hall. I wouldn't say that I have become their fan but definitely to see them live got me to continue to see what's going on with them. At least I could understand all the things they sing (unlike other French bands) so pour quoi pas?

Asian Label, the Ranting Version

2007-09-19T19:50:00.001+02:00

I met this middle-aged Eastern European lady who was very friendly and easy to talk to. She seemed quite world-rounded. She came to Bangkok and she said she quite liked the city regardless of how the hustle and bustle the city is. I think that was the first trip she went out of the White continents. And just like other "tourists" who cruise around the cities and towns in Thailand or Asia, make friends with other White/Black tourist fellows and probably say hello to a few friendly Thai people along the way.

She then asked me about what got me here in Paris and I told her a bit of my story. Then she asked me with a concern in her face "What's it like to be in a place where you see all White people? It must be weird, right?"

Me: "No I'm fine actually." (with the facial expression of "No, I'm fine. What kind of question is that?")
Her: "Oh OK."

I could have tried to explain myself further and told her like "Oh well, you know actually I've only dated so-called White men so far.", THAT could make her understand better but somehow I was afraid I would freak her out. (as well as whoever is reading this, probably)

It's just SO strange here in France to see some of these French/European people who, I'm sure that they have seen quite a lot of Asians in their own cities or places they have been to...but still seem to wonder how these Yellow people cope with their lives in a foreign land...or Oh wow how could you speak English so well?! (Well, education? hello?)...or some impression like wow you know this hip place?! you know these bands too?! It's like we Asians do not know anything about what's going on in this world. Or labeled as a person who comes from a Third World country who is supposed to be riding a buffalo to an office. (I could be exaggerating...it might just be an elephant.)

Well, I could be included in their category too maybe because I was like oh wow how could this Eastern European speaks English SO well!...Sorrrrrry, A few other Eastern European people I met did not really give me a good impression...

So maybe that's it!! I should blame on these Asian people that don't really give a good impression! Well, it's not like Thai women can hold any good impression anyway. I know, I know. But people in the Chinatown here need some makeover or something to better the image of the Asians here (and probably elsewhere too). After all, people generally judge you by the cover (and where you come from).

I know some of you are thinking I'm so vain...haha

Chez Justine

2007-09-18T08:22:00.000+02:00

Thanks to my friend who introduced me to this restaurant. Chez Justine is in the Oberkamf area, 11th arrondissement. This place has been one of the recommended places for the area. The restaurant may seem old and not supposed to be a happening place for the young crowd since it gives an impression of an old wooden inn...but the crowd is quite mixed. You will see both young trendy locals dining here as well as the elderly couples who come here for the quality French cuisine. If you would like to go there for dinner, I recommend you to make a reservation in advance since it could get quite full. But if only for a drink, the bar is also open for the purpose, the happening hours would be around 10ish pm - 2 am.

96, rue Oberkampf
Métro: Parmentier or Saint Maur
+33143574403

Techno Parade 2007

2007-09-16T15:39:00.001+02:00

September brings another happening event for the techno and electro music lovers, the 9th edition of Techno Parade. It was on September 15th and it was my second time to join this huge parade. It started at Place de la Bastille at 2pm moving its crazy noisy crowd towards Rue St Antoine, Rue de Rivoli, Bd Sébastopol, Place de la République, Bd Voltaire, Bd Richard Lenoir then back to Bastille at 6pm.

We decided to pop out of the apartment to join the parade around 4ish pm at Bd Sébastopol and to crawl along towards Bastille. It was this huge wave of mostly young people pumping themselves along the music. Two sides of streets were also packed of people who would prefer to observe than to actually join in and being squeezed like a squeeze ball. We, however, alternately switched between being an observer and a squeeze ball.

It was interesting to see people being so into the high of the moment dancing and showing off their "Tektonik" moves as if they were in a dance competition. People who go out in a club in Paris might know what dance moves I'm talking about. It seems all the French teens have been practicing and perfecting this certain move so well, as I said, like they were entering in a competition. Along the way, there would be a few people or more on the roof of the bus stops and kiosks jumping and posing for a random photographer.

Finally around 6ish pm, all were gathered at Place de la Bastille. The party went on until around 8ism pm when people started to either go lead their normal evening life or go get ready to party later in the night. We were supposed to come home and get ready for a big techno party at La Villette. I decided to take a quick nap and before I know it, it was in the morning I woke up. Oh well.

PS There was this super cool old lady who was waving at the crowd and moving along with the music at her own balcony. To add how amazing it was, the crowd who walked pass the spot waved back with the cheering and all.

A Great Escape

2007-09-12T13:15:00.002+02:00

Paris is an amazingly beautiful city but it is always good every once in awhile to be able to get away from its close to perfection and probably its greyness.

Our plan of escape started over a month ago when we agreed in going for a place where there lies a great sunshine, a lively air to breathe in, friendly smiles and amazing food. At that moment, it could only be Barcelona. Even though this would be my second trip there but I was quite excited to go and see everything once again.

Before I'd ever got a chance to come to Europe, somehow, Spain was my no.1 country I would want to visit. There's a charm of all things Spanish that got me. I had my first trip to Barcelona in November last year with a few friends. I remember the feeling when I was on the train there...It was indescribable; the butterflies in the stomach, the overwhelmed feeling. It was almost like the feeling of falling in love. There have only been a few times that I had such a feeling. I usually idealize the word/the feeling of "happiness" and I don't usually say "Oh, that is great. This is perfect." until I REALLY feel so. But I could say that both trips to Barcelona made me...happy. Maybe because it reminds me in some way of Thailand...

This time around, we did not do anything much which I can say that we were actually on holiday. We had one full afternoon just lying on the beach soaking up the sun. The guys bought a keg of Heineken and we were just drinking, talking and enjoying the *beautiful sight* (of beautiful people in bikinis and without ones.) We did visit a few of Barcelona icons like Park Guell, La Pedrera and walked around Place Catalunya and the harbor in the evening looking for some good tapas, paella and sangria. I just couldn't have enough of the paella as I'd been wanting to have a good paella for months! (Still couldn't find a good paella in Paris...)

The night life here was also really happening especially by the harbor. Lots of different crowds; locals, visitors, families, youngs, or adults were enjoying themselves.

I don't know what it is with Barcelona but it's one city besides Amsterdam that I just keep wanting to come back.

Barcelona - Such a beautiful horizon
Barcelona - Like a jewel in the sun
Por ti seré gaviota de tu bella mar
Barcelona - Suenan las campanas
Barcelona - Abre tus puertas al mundo
-Queen

http://www.aboutbarcelona.com/

Random Street Art in Paris (Part IV)

2007-09-04T15:38:00.001+02:00

Again I was strolling the area of Pompidou towards Hotel de Ville and rue Temple after paying a visit to Centre Pompidou. It's been a countless of times I've been walking in this area, still there are always something new each time. Of course, if you really pay attention. It's like reading a book, a poem or listening to music (and pay attention to the lyrics), you might find a new interpretation each time you re-read or re-listen to them.

Here are a few new ones I discovered:

4th arrondissement
Métro: Rambuteau or Hotel de Ville

Parc Astérix

2007-09-04T08:26:00.000+02:00

Parc Astérix is a theme park in competition with the Disneyland. While the Disneyland explores the Walt Disney cartoon charecters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and all the Disney princesses, Parc Astérix, as its name, based on the adventures of the popular cartoon character, Astérix (by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny). Once you walk in, it would be like you are brought back by a time machine to the Middle Ages and also the Roman Empire, Gaul (the empire where Astérix and the fellows reside.)

There are around 30 attractions at the park, as well as regular shows to entertain visitors. Our favorite rides would be "the Trace du Hourra", a 900-metre track slider, and "Goudurix", a frenetic 950-metre Roller Coaster which claimed to be one of the most impressive loop-the-loops in Europe.

While the Disneyland may explore more themes with their fancy stories and characters and provide more attractions, Parc Astérix is most likely more for the older kids who come for some excitement. Also, when comparing the crowd of the two, there is an obvious difference. Parc Astérix seems to be welcoming much more of the locals and the adolescences, whereas the tourists would basically prefer to go to the Disneyland as well as the families with small kids.

Parc Astérix
BP8, 60128, Plailly
RER: Roissy-Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV Station, then bus to Parc Astérix

"Krau Thai" Has Saved My Life.

2007-09-03T13:11:00.000+02:00

In my early months in Paris, I had a chance to try two Thai restaurants. I have to confess that because of them, I have been quite skeptical about any Thai restaurants here. Why? Because seriously even though your foreign friends tell you they try the dishes there and really like them, the taste could be far from original. For awhile I had given up hope in finding any authentic Thai restaurant that would remind me of home and have just been trying to improve my cooking skill instead (which is pretty much better I dare say.)

A few months ago my Thai friends introduced me to "Krau Thai", a ten-table sized restaurant with Thai staff in Montparnasse. Listening to your Thai friends and those foreign friends who "know" what the genuine Thai dishes taste like is a different story... And finally I can say that this is one Thai restaurant that I can rely on. If you have already seen the movie "Ratatouille" where the scene that the restaurant critique, Anton Ego, is hit by the memories of his childhood by tasting the ratatouille... That was much my feeling when I had my first Som Tam (papaya salad) here.

Must say that this place has saved my craving for some spicy dishes and basically my life (a bit over exaggerating but you know what I mean, right?). But of course, you should add to the staff that you can handle the spicy taste and "Kor ped ped".

Remark: Don't put a high expectation or any expectation of having a genuine Thai dish from an all-in-one-Chinese-Thai-Vietnamese restaurant.

Krau Thai
41 Rue Montparnasse, 75014
Métro: Montparnasse

Rock en Seine 2007 (Update)

2007-08-30T04:12:00.000+02:00

After holding the tickets of one of the biggest concerts in France, Rock en Seine, finally the day had come. We bought the tickets for Day 3 where Bjork was the highlight, not only of the day but perhaps of the whole three-day concert. However, the ones I was equally, if not more, eager to see were Bat for Lashes, Mark Ronson and Faithless.

Bat For Lashes opened the day 3 on the 2nd stage at 2pm. Perhaps it was too early for the French as the audience seemed yet to be awaken and actually only 1/4 space was filled up. Standing too still with the eyes and ears focused like seeing and hearing the unfamiliar and for some, most likely, the unknown songs for the first time. Mesmerized by the voice and the sound? Maybe. The crowd had been quite a disappointment. Until the well-praised debut single; "What's a girl to do" began, which was almost towards the end of their show, the audience started to scream and clap loudly like they had come solely for this song. Natasha, the front vocalist, made a remark which to me sounds like a relief for the band that someone actually knew this song (and knew them!). Another song that got the audience moved and made noise was "Horse and I", although it's a shame that it was one of the last songs.

About 40 mins later, Mark Ronson appeared on the main stage. Again, the impression I had from the crowd was that 75% of them had no clue who these people were. Fortunately, some could sing along as the songs are the remix-and-remade of the classic like "Just" by Radiohead, "Oh My God" by Kaiser Chiefs (also made a hit with the help of Lily Allen) and "Toxic" by Britney Spears - not sure if this song counts as a classic, probably not.

Kings of Leon came up later with a loud applause from the crowd. Caleb, the front man, was too irresistible with his performance (and of course the hot haircut makes him no longer look like a redneck). They rolled out all their songs from the two hit albums. The front rows, of course, were the fans and acted so but from where I was standing and observing...only a few were shaking their head and moving along. For me, though "The Bucket" was my favorite, I wasn't a fan until I saw them live here. What an awesome show! At the end, before KoL played a few last songs, Caleb said that they didn't expect to have a good time here but they did. I was a bit surprised they pre-expected such a response from the French... what surprised me even more was that they had a good time. Did they really? I hope they did.

Faithless performed after KoL...as the mood had been built up quite well, I was more than excited to finally see Faithless as one of my English friends gave such a good rave to their live act. This time I was within the so-called front zone. It was just as amazing as I had expected. When "Insomnia" came on, the crowd went crazy. Nothing could stop the madness of the fans as people started to raise up their hands and jump along the beats. However, there were some people who seriously did NOT belong to the front zone. Why? Because they were just standing like they were watching a golf tournament! Worse than that when "We Come One" was on, they did NOT let out the word "One"...!

Of course, I know the French adore Björk. I do like Björk. But it was just too annoying to see these certain lot of people who paid faint participation in any form of support besides standing as still as possible and waited for their time to see Björk.

Björk's show was very impressive with all the lighting and laser effects, make-up, costumes...and all things Björk. The crowd was just PACKED. There was no room to move or breathe. All eyes were either on the stage or on the two big screens, as if they were being possessed by some magic power or others might say by the evil power...(listening to Björk's you wouldn't imagine it was a sound of heaven, would you?) The show was quite a fair share of a few songs from her latest album and her mega hits like "Hyper Ballad", "Emotional Landscape" and "The Army of Me".

All in all, though some part of the audience disappointed me, it was such a great experience to be part of the history of Rock en Seine.

*addicted*

Weegee at Museum Maillol

2007-08-24T13:35:00.000+02:00

Since I'm into photography especially in black and white, it wasn't difficult for me to be drawn to visiting a photo exhibition of the well-known photojournalist Weegee (the phonetic sound of "Ouija"). The name is given due to the fact that he usually arrived at the crime scenes a few minutes right after the crimes were reported. He is known for the stark black/white documentary style photos and his adventurous dedication in capturing his news photographs.

"I have no inhibitions, and neither has my camera. I have lived a full life and tried everything. What may be abnormal to you is normal to me. If I had to live my life over again, I would do it all the same way...only more so. Everything I write about is true...and I have the pictures, the checks, the memories and the scars to prove it." -Weegee, from the Catalog of the exposition, text by Hendrik Berinson

The exhibited photos vividly and some shockingly lay open the crime scenes and street life in New York City as well as overcrowded beaches back in 1940's. Some of the photos reminded me of one Thai newspaper "Thairat" whose front page is usually featured a photo of a crime scene with blood all over...only that Weegee's are much more classic in both technique and in content. His photographs documented lives and history while those shown in "Thairat" only meant to push you to become anorexia 'cause you wouldn't be able to eat anything after seeing those beyond grotesque shots.

Pictures, my favorites, are two among over a hundred photos that are exhibited at Museum Maillol until October 15.

Fondation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol
61, rue de Grenelle.
Metro: Rue du bac

More info: Weegee's World

My Bible

2007-08-21T12:53:00.000+02:00

"in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine."

"Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. "

"Do one thing everyday that scares you."

"Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself."

"Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t."

"Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room."

"Live in New York City (Paris) once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California (Amsterdam) once, but leave before it makes you soft."

"Travel."

-Everybody's free to wear sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann

Le Souk, the Taste of Tajine

2007-08-20T16:15:00.001+02:00

Another interesting restaurant we visited this weekend was a well-known Moroccan restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. Le Souk is only within 10 mins walk from the center of Bastille. The place is well decorated, along with the music, to bring up the authentic Moroccan atmosphere. The staff are also wearing the typical Moroccan clothes. The menu is composed of the typical Moroccan dishes, the Tajine and their restaurant's specials... Since I've already tried a few times of Moroccan food, I chose to go for Tajine d'Agneau aux Aubergines (Lamb with eggplant in the Tajine style) while others tried Tajine d'Agneau à la Confiture d'Oignons et Amandes and Tajine de Poulet aux Amandes. The big warm pots arrived only 5 mins later making all of us drool so badly while letting them to cool down a bit.

We ended the dinner with a stomach full with no room for any dessert. It was a pleasant evening in a pleasant restaurant. I would recommend Le Souk to anyone who is looking for a good Moroccan place.

(Pictured is the front decoration of the restaurant.)

1 rue Keller 75011
Métro: Bastille

Random Street Art in Paris (Part III)

2007-08-18T18:23:00.000+02:00

Doesn't it make you feel good when you get to discover something by yourself? It makes me feel great. As a foreigner in Paris, you may enjoy the sense of discovery more often than the locals. But sometimes only to discover a new cafe or restaurant doesn't make me feel specially pleased anymore, unless that place has some unique details or serve incredibly yummy dishes. However, I've finally found something that makes me feel excited about doing it. I've started this little project to hunt for street art in the streets of Paris. At first I didn't plan to continue this as a project but the more I see, the more I recognize the styles... and the fact that I accidentally came across a source of these artists, it totally finds me a meaning to do it.

Here are the outcome of my recent hunt in the 6th arrondissement:
An image of Edith Piaf

An image of Alfred Hitchcock by MBW

Wonder where exactly this is? Anyone have a clue? ;p

A mixed breed KFC?

6th arrondissment
Métro: Odéon or Mabillon

Getting Lost in 6th Arrondissement

2007-08-18T12:29:00.001+02:00

It is impossible to deny that Paris is such a charming city for someone to just wander around and get lost without any fury involved. Following the success of "Getting Lost in 3rd Arrondissement", Monsieur J. et moi let ourselves enjoy the wonder of Paris once again. This afternoon we chose the 6th arrondissment, one of the most popular hangout areas in Paris; full of cafes, restaurants, art galleries and hmm...visitors disguised as locals.

We were not so lost actually this time 'cause we come here every once in a short while, and I had a bit of a plan in mind - to grab an ice-cream chez Amorino and to drop by at Jardins du Luxembourg.

So, we dropped off at Métro Odéon and walked straight to grab ourselves a cone of ice-cream. Today was one of those chilly days of this crappy summer. But having craved for a cone of yogurt and banana for quite a few days, I just had to have it. Once arrived I ordered it right away, while Monsieur J. took a few minutes to pick his flavors. Satisfied as expected we continued wandering in the center of the happening area before taking off for our (more like my) little journey hunting for new street arts to add to my collection. Following rue de Seine, I was taken over by an excitement of discovering all these street arts on this one long street.

After being lost around rue de Seine, rue Bonaparte and other rues...we finally found our way to Jardin du Luxembourg.

There is an ongoing exhibition "Femme y es-tu?" (Woman, are you there?) presented by Artsénat. The exhibition features the contemporary sculptures dedicated to the queens of France.

For example, several wrinkled cast iron half body figures, the work of Polish Artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, are frozen in motion.

And these blue tall teardrop-shaped ceramics, made by artist Xavier Boggio, placed in the middle of the park.

But how are these artworks related to the queens of France? I'm not an expert to explain you that. Perhaps you will have to drop by to the park yourself. The exhibition is on until September 23.

Manoush

2007-08-17T11:29:00.000+02:00

If you style is a bit of a mix, let's say colorful girly like, plus some kitschy features and the fact that your wardrobe is rather full of dresses, day or evening...you would definitely fall in love with this French brand, Manoush.

Frédérique Trou-Roy, the founder and the creative eye behind the brand, inspired by her travel in Morocco, has found the core design ingredients of Manoush. She released the first collection for the Winter'04/05. Manoush's unique clashes between a girly design for an adult, between the kitsch details and flashy details in the contemporary concept... The brand has scored quite a success both locally and internationally. You can find Manoush in their 5 boutiques in Paris, in Harrods and Harvey Nichols (London), Colette (Tokyo), Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus (New York)...for example.

3 Jours 3 Euros

2007-08-16T17:36:00.000+02:00

Le Mairie of Paris with a collaboration of la Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français is being generous for all the Parisians and visitors of the French capital by relaunching the 3 Jours 3 Euros event on August 19th, 20th and 21st. What is this supposed to mean? Well, it means that you will pay only 3 euros (which is about a half price or 1/3 of a normal price if you don't have any discount cards) for a movie during these 3 days!

So I suppose there are only a few days left for a single to find a date to go to see a movie with ;p *checking the movie schedules*

PS. Personally I prefer the Gaumont and Pathe cinemas 'cause the layouts are well put allowing more space between each row compared to others. Also, a short person like me doesn't have to worry if some tall guy is sitting in front of you. Just a note.

"Dek Hor", Thai Movie in the French Cinemas

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

While browsing for what's out in the Parisian cinemas yesterday, I could not help but be surprised to see one of our Thai movies of last year scheduled to be released on August 22. The movie "Dek Hor" or in French "Le Pensionnat", is a story about a 12 year old boy called Chatree being transferred to a new boarding school upcountry by his parents. Chatree has difficulty settling into his new dorm life and the habit of the dorm students staying up at night and telling ghost stories by torchlight. He learns of a story about a closed pool and a student fellow that drowned in it a few years back...

"Dek Hor" is claimed not to be just another ghost movie as it delves into different stages of emotions and relationship among friends. The movie was released in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and has received several international awards. One of the most recent was from Berlin Film Festival 2007. More info...

Source: Allocine

Last Night@La Fleche d'Or (Part II)

2007-08-15T10:45:00.001+02:00

Went to La Fleche d'Or again last night with a plan to see Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws. It was slightly raining so we were not fully sure that there would be any people at the place. When we got there we realised how wrong we were, the place was packed! Phoebe and the band came out a little while after we got our drinks, guess what, it was blanche again. The fact that I was only 5'2 and that there were all these tall men blocking my scene, I had to tiptoe every once in awhile switching left and right. Imagine one of those Bollywood movies. However, Phoebe and the band rocked the place. Phoebe was awesome on the stage.

After about half an hour break for the next show, there were three guys moving a keyboard and a few props down the stage to be more in the crowd... It appeared that one of the guys was the DJ Dan Deacon. He was madly fun and so into the crowd. However, I haven't decided whether or not I liked his tunes since it sounded so very experimental. A few samples on his Myspace can't quite explain how strangely experimental of his gig last night though.

All in all, last night was quite satisfying, except the part that this crazy French frog who was standing and jumping right behind me, repeatedly yelling "MY NAME IS F*CKING JAMES, MY NAME IS F*CKING JAMES" and "MOTHER FUCKER"... I don't know what his problem was but I wish he could just shut the f*ck up 'cause my hair was filled of his spits already!

Check out what's on at la Fleche d'Or, maybe I'll see you around.

Note: Photos taken from their Myspace pages.

All Rubbish!

2007-08-14T15:44:00.000+02:00

Dorothy Perkins is following the steps of the unexpectedly famous "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" by Anya Hindmarch by bringing an environmental bag purely made from rubbish collected in the streets of the Philippines. Rooted by a group of people who voluntarily clean up their local neighborhood, but this good deed with a creative edge has resulted beyond what it was expected. (Proven the rule of Karma.)

Since "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" has such a long waiting list of demand, this Rubbish Bag seems like a great choice and a good idea to help the environment while keeping yourself in the Green trend during this Summer. Another plus point is that the price is much much MUCH easier to embrace.

French Humor

2007-08-14T12:28:00.000+02:00

The ad campaign is created to promote the Rugby World Cup that will be taken place in the French capital in this coming September. The ad doesn't only affirm Paris as the Capital of Love but shows their sense of humor too! (Not sure all the rugby players would be so gay, as in happy, to see this ad though...)

Style from the Streets of St Tropez

2007-08-14T10:49:00.000+02:00

Style.com brings us a glimpse of what's going on on the luxurious streets of St Tropez... Tanned women full of sexy confidence stroll the town sporting fancy brand name or vintage shades. White day dresses and tunics rule over any others. A straw bag or basket seems like a must-have.

The style there is not so much different from the capital of fashion here but somehow, somehow, they seem way hotter than the heat in St Tropez. Poor Parisians, can only wear summer short shorts for only few days a week.

Oh, please the rain, please goes back to the UK...Oops!

Check more looks on Style.com

Random Street Art in Paris (Part II)

2007-08-13T13:47:00.000+02:00

These street graffiti's found in the 3rd arrondissement (mainly in the Pompidou area and Le Marais.)

- by FKDL

- by C215

3rd arrondissment
Métro: Rambuteau or Saint Paul

Getting Lost in 3rd Arrondissement

2007-08-13T12:44:00.000+02:00

On the Sunday evening, Monsieur J. and I decided to take a walk and get lost in the 3rd arrondissement. We took the metro to Arts et Métiers. Unfortunately, the rain poured down when we got there. So we decided to find a roof to cover ourselves at the cafe "Les Arts et Métiers", just right in front of the metro. One cafe that I promise myself I will come back more often 'cause there is a jazz band playing as well. It was very nice especially listening to it under the rain...agree? Sipping une blanche after awhile, our luck had turned as the rainbow had risen in front of us.My first rainbow in Paris. Like it's said, the good things (usually?) come after a storm. About 10 mins later, the second rainbow appeared. Yes, double rainbows. Speaking of being in the right place at the right time.

After trying to capture this beauty of nature for awhile, we finished our drinks and moved on to complete our mission.

Walking from Metro Arts et Métiers upward to Le Marais to Pompidou and walked back to where we started...I couldn't help but notice how quiet Paris could become. Sundays are usually quiet. The rain made it more so. Then again lots of people have already taken off on their annual holidays.

Lots of shops and restaurants are closed, even the Chinese restaurants...(I suppose they are the French-Chinese, not Chinese-Chinese, if you know what I mean.)

Wet streets, rain drops, and fallen leaves. Strange how sometimes the rain can make a city more charming in a different aspect. It was, to me, an ideal Sunday evening in Paris.

Cafe Les Arts et Métiers
51 rue Turbigo 75003

Camden Street

2007-08-11T11:17:00.000+02:00

When compared fashion in the streets of Paris and London, you can see that the Londoners tend to be more let go than the Parisians. I definitely see lots more colors in a few days in London than a year in Paris...that is for sure. Actually, I have no rights to complain the taste of the Parisians whatsoever since what I was wearing when walking in the Camden Town was a black day dress and what I got from one of the shops there was this brown woven leather belt. Out of the crazy colorful stuff they offered, I bought a brown belt. How Parisian out of me...!

Anyway, here are some street style shots on the Sunday afternoon. Totally a mix of everything!

G'damn London (Part I)

2007-08-10T10:54:00.001+02:00

I'm not sure how to describe the feeling once I landed at the airport and on the train to the city...a bit of a culture shock maybe. It was weird to be able to understand every single word people were saying. I mean after a year of living in the land of the Frog, my ears have become rather ignorant or having some sort of an ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It was strange in a cool way, however, at some points I felt like I was Mel Gibson in "What Women Want". It was good at first but then was bombarded by too much info. Lucky that it was a British accent, and not some gibberish American accent. (No offense)

As this was my first time in London, walking in the streets passing all these stocky bricked buildings, one of the scenes in those British movies kind of flashed into my head...Snatch, Love Actually, hmmm... Again after being used to the tall skinny Parisian buildings, it was a bit strange, in a cozy feeling though. Well, if any of this makes sense to you, tell me.

Later on we went to TopShop, something that Paris doesn't have, and I couldn't help but constantly saying "Oh my God" as this place is HUGE! All things Paris are rather in a petite size and I wasn't used to a 4-storey shop completely full of the items you (*I*) want to take home! Well, whatever shock I had that day, I was insanely happy and at the same time, under pressure - how could I not spend too much time but still cover all the corners of this place!?!. Apparently I had to sacrify the accessory section and accompanied Mister R. to the menswear. (It was only fair as he did lend his shoulders for me to hold on to for the constant "Oh my God" effects I had.)

We left TopShop after spending over 3 hours there and just rested ourselves before the dinner/drinking time with the friends of Mister R.

The plan was to go to EGG club after we were done "preparing" ourselves with a bottle of Vodka and all these red bull cans. It seemed like a great choice when we were checking out the website and all but after waiting for quite a (long) while, the place didn't seem to pick up. So at around 3am, we called it quits and carried our disappointment home. Oh well, better luck next time then hey.

(Pictured here was the ONLY hight light at EGG, just 'cause she was drunk.)

Like Mister "Exclusive" was saying, the Top Ten doesn't mean anything. It's not no.1 Yeah, we should have gone to FABRIC (like recommended by Karl Cox in one of the columns in the esyJet magazine...*eyes rolling*)

That Suspicious Luggage

2007-08-09T10:26:00.000+02:00

Before I would talk about the days IN London, let me start with the morning, the early morning at the airport. My flight was at 8.45am and the check-in would be closed *promptly* at 8.05am mentioned on the easyJet website. When I arrived at the CDG terminal 3, it was this chaotic scene where the staff found a *suspicious* luggage. One high ranking airport staff was *walking* to each spot to tell other staffs about the news. We were all confused 'cause only certain parts of the queuing passengers were supposed to get out of the terminal (which looks like a warehouse). We were walking slowly 'cause 1) we did not want to miss our flights (how stupid was that) 2) it did not seem so urgent as there were still some people quequing and working there. 3) there was no official announcement (I don't even know if they actually have whatever tool to announce publicly.) Then more policemen came as well as a few soldiers to *control* the situation...the whole thing was handled VERY badly and slowly. It was incredible how the French system would be undergone under a supposed-to-be an urgency.

Understaffed and way too unprepared whatsoever.

People had to wait outside without any notice or announcement. There was not a single announcement to tell exactly what was going on or to confirm the situation. Good that it was not a long period of waiting and it was only 30 mins delay of my flight.

However, if this was real, I seriously don't think that I would have a chance of writing this blog right now.

St Maxime - St Tropez, Just a Glimpse

2007-08-03T16:18:00.001+02:00

ST MAXIME

ST TROPEZ

So here are a few shots from my trip...St Maxime, in my opinion, seems more like a family choice while St Tropez - the choice of the new rich, the investors and hmm courtesans...I must have been reading my new fiction too much but you would enjoy hot tanned chicks in white almost see-thru outfits there. I know I did...Oops!

I'm now packing my bag and getting ready for another trip to London over this weekend. Will come back with, hopefully, some interesting tales to tell.

La Côte d’Azur

2007-08-03T10:45:00.000+02:00

I had a chance to visit the popular holiday getaway of the French and the Europeans; La Côte d’Azur AKA French Riviera over the past days(that's why I was absent.)It's the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, at the border with Italy.

It had been a year I didn't get to step foot in the sea and I was rather excited about the trip. Our destination was Saint Maxime where Monsieur J.'s summer house located. You might not know about this Saint Maxime but if I say it's between Saint Raphael and the luxurious Saint Tropez, the so-called French Beverly Hills, some of you might have some clue. (Well, I had no clue before I went there...) It was rather a long TGV ride and that we had to change a train at Marsaille. But as soon as I saw what all these "Saints" were like, was my tiresome gone! Very picturesque indeed. However, I have to say, with no bias, the beaches in the south of Thailand are much better - sandy beach with greenish blue sea...I haven't been to the Maldives or Bora Bora so I can't yet compare. Anyway, better or worse, actually no, there is no better or worse, just different... it did kill the beach thirst that I had been having for months!

The four days of lying on the beach, soaking up the sun, dipping in the sea and playing with the waves (and eating the homemade French cuisine)...it was rather rejuvenating! (though now I'm sort of having this love-hate relationship with my tanned skin and bikini lines.)

Will be posting some photos in the next entry...you know it's pain to resize and edit some details to make them all close to perfection as much as *I* can.

Random Street Art in Paris (Part I)

2007-08-02T17:53:00.000+02:00

Upon arriving in the city of Paris from CDG through the subrubs, you will see all the walls full of scribbles of someone's name after another. Pretty pointless and too amateur to be considered as graffiti or an art form. And maybe part of it because of all these craps, graffiti, as a whole, has been considered as a crime... But maybe that's part of this whole thing; to create an art within a very limited of time without getting caught...it's an adrenaline drive. it's an excitement.

I'm totally no expert on this topic, admit it, you can pretty much distinguish an art from a scribble of I-don't-know what.

Here are some random street art I've found around the streets of Paris...

This guy was having a sandwich,in front was this a beautiful view of a man mooning...

J'aime trop ton boule...lol - by zbs

A mock on "Andre the Giant Has a Posse."

- by zbs

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." - by jefaerosol

Marilyn and "the Banana LP" hmmm...

Je Suis Contente.

2007-07-27T10:25:00.000+02:00

Can't deny that happiness is actually a state of mind, pretty much everything is. Obviously, we can't always control our so-called state of mind. We often hear that little things matter especially from women, but believe or not, such a cliché does happen and is true.

Today I had an appointment at the prefecture for my carte de sejour. It's an ID card stating that you are legal to stay in France. Set an alarm clock at 6.30 am to be able to be at the prefecture a little bit before 8.35 am. When I got there, there was already a queue of these non-French standing in front of the door. As I knew that it would require some waiting period I had prepared my escape tools. I hate to wait. I don't like that word, at all. I'm usually on time, unless I'm late on purpose - that happens when I know that whoever that is will be late. Anyway, back to my escape. They're actually simple tools; a new book I bought "French Trysts" Secrets of a Courtesan by Kirsten Lobe...It's not my typical kind of book I buy but the setting is in Paris so I thought I'd learn a lot more of this city from reading this one...and it turns out to be quite entertaining actually. (Did someone scream "excuse!"?) The other tool is, of course, music. Seriously music is my major mood soother. No fave series, no snacks, no shopping, that I can handle but no good music, I would become a red blooded woman 24/7 (or in another word , a woman who's always on her period.) These days as I've become an addict of Radio Nova, very non-mainstream playlists, I feel a bit quilty that I've left my pink iPod alone in a corner of one of my handbags...maybe I'll walk you around town one of these days baby.

Everything went smooth at the prefecture. Surprisingly quick...and friendly. That doesn't happen much within this kind of place. Probably it's because I was holding a queue ticket no.4 and not no.40, if you know what I mean.

On the way home from métro Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, as I was walking, I felt strangely happy. I started humming a song and even smiled to a homeless (this one I saw quite a few people actually talked to him) when he said "Konichiwa" to me...Perhaps it's the smell of morning air, the cool breezy weather, and the fallen leaves on the street... It's been quite awhile since I get to breathe the morning air. It gets much better especially when you're in the least hurry.

Though almost one year delay...I've officially begun to appreciate my life in Paris.

Paris Jazz Fesitival 2007 (Update)

2007-07-25T09:14:00.000+02:00

After a night at Rex and the fact that I got home around 6ish am. I surprisingly woke up in one piece so I managed to drag myself and Monsieur J. to Paris Jazz Festival at Parc Floral. It was a long metro ride to Château de Vincennes and I couldn't help but looking a little like a zombie. When we arrived around 3 pm, there were LOADS of people queuing to get in. It was worse than seeing the homeless queuing for food or the shoppers queuing to pay during the 70% sales at a mall... To cheer myself up, I went to get a piece of a homemade brownie one lady was selling nearby. Monsieur J. was amazed of how much I had been eating all this weekend. "It's not me, it's my female body and its greedy stomach," I thought. Like what chocolate is praised for, it had increased my patience in waiting for at least 20 mins, or else...or else...

Once we paid €5 each and got in...only to find a beautiful grand park...overcrowded. Seriously, even though it's a huge HUGE park, there is not much of the space left. I mean there is room for people to sit or even lay down...but you couldn't possibly find yourself any privacy since everyone is next to everyone. However, that didn't seem to bother anyone and actually not us.

The place is pretty with all these flowers, a jazz band was playing on the stage. It was almost perfect. Besides a yummy ice cream, what else could you ask for?

We found our cozy space to relax. I spotted one young couple nearby, very cute, especially the guy (French wavy hair with beard, how sexy) and playful to each other...I couldn't help but to try to have a snapshot of them.

The place doesn't seem to be for only relaxation, it's also for a serious thing like a marriage - an Asian couple; the groom and the bride (and the whole families of both all dressed up) came to take some photos here. At one moment, I thought to myself whether the French would wonder whether or not this was some of an Asian invasion.

After awhile, we walked around the park, collecting shots of flowers and went to see the band at the stage. It was Joe Sample Trio & Randy Crawford playing. Amazing voice, amazing music. Listening to Jazz in a park under the blue sky , it was very refreshing. I wish the weather in Bangkok wasn't so hot, so people would not just go from a building to hide in another building for the cool of an air-con.

Parc Floral de Paris
Métro: Château de Vincennes

Summer Beach Feel in Paris

2007-07-23T16:18:00.001+02:00

During the summer, some areas by the river or canal will be put together with a summer beach theme; adding some sand, beach chairs and umbrellas with some activities... and voila, the beach in Paris! We went to the canal de L'Ourqc to find it completely different from the last week. A lot of people; families, singles or couples were gathering to enjoy the weekend and the sun while it lasted. I felt like I entered another world...Smiles, laughters, tank tops, shorts, flip flops..."Wait, am I dreaming? This is not like the Paris I know.." A few bars were set up as well as a paddling boat service. There was also an outdoor dance floor with swinging and Elvis type of music. Sunshine with a cool breeze ahhh...

Chilling by the Canal St Martin

2007-07-23T14:31:00.000+02:00

Just opposite the Canal de L'Ourqc is the famous canal St Martin, however it was rather quiet on a Saturday afternoon. Probably because there was a beach theme going on at de L'Ourqc. Very calm it was, we found a bench to park ourselves. I finally had a chance to eat my KFC chicken wings. Yep, I'll admit it here I luv KFC...but of course not so often. I was eating and listening to my new found favorite Nova Planet Radio while Monsieur J. was trying to take a nap but couldn't. Maybe I was eating too loud? Nah... After a peaceful while, we walked back to where we came from passing this hip cafe. Monsieur J. said it reminded him of one place in Switzerland... But I felt like I was brought back to Amsterdam once again. It was the relaxing ambiance with less uptight people and the graffiti around the area. We've found a new favorite hangout spot of ours...

Métro: Jaurès

Ice Cream Chez Amorino...Delicious!

2007-07-23T13:35:00.000+02:00

What more do you need on a hot afternoon besides a good, really good ice cream made in the shape of a flower? I have tried quite a few brands in Paris and elsewhere, I must say Amorino is one of the best! No wonder there is always a long queue whenever I walk pass their shops. I haven't tried all the flavors but yogurt and banana are already registered as my all time favorites! (Passion fruit there is really refreshing too but I'm more into the creamy flavors.) And like mentioned above, their ice cream is not simply a round scoop on a cone, but the staff there will make it in a shape of a flower. I don't know about others but I see it as a rose. Very cool and yummy.

The branch we went to this time is opposite the Pompidou.

Métro: Rambuteau

Ryan McGinley at Galerie du Jour

2007-07-23T12:47:00.000+02:00

McGinley's photos turn me on...

I don't remember how I first came across his work or his name but after I've fallen in love with his talent, I seem to have constantly come across his name in every magazine I bought. I wouldn't say that I love every single photo he took but many of them, many, I find quite dream-like yet very real and moving... Probably because all the people in his photos are real, no model or as such (except the Kate Moss project) and he has captured well the happiness in the real spontaneous moments (though within a set scene).

I was SO excited to find out that Galerie du Jour would exhibit some of his work again. It was made as the first thing to do on the weekend. Though only few photos are featured, I was too happy that finally I got a chance to see the photos in the frame in a real exhibition...not just on his website.

My favorites are mostly in the ones from his early projects...

When I see some of his photos like #3 and #4, it's like a motivation for me to just pack a bag and go on a quest of...the unknown...

Source: Galerie du Jour and Ryan McGinley

Tres Bon Week-end!

2007-07-23T11:21:00.002+02:00

SATURDAY-SAMEDI-WAAN SAO
Walking towards the metro Anvers, always busy busy on the weekend. Popular Sacre Coeur and Montmarte are here.

On the way to Galerie du Jour...A weekend in a sunny Paris, what else to do but to enjoy the cafe lifestyle and people watch.

An exhibition of my Ryan lover, finally got to be part of it! (continued)

On a hot sunny day, I deserved a creamy ice cream. (continued)

Then we dropped by the Canal St Martin...(continued)

One hip cafe...that graffiti looks like an Obey logo, doesn't it?

Canal de l'Ourqe with the summer beach theme (continued)

Sun, sand, canal and a paddling boat...

Swinging anyone? *innocent grin*

Completing a good Saturday by clubbing at Rex with my favorite DJ D'Julz.

SUNDAY-DIMANCHE-WAAN A-THIT

Paris Jazz Festival at Parc Floral (continued)

The blue, the green and the happiness

Her cute red dress and his wavy hair and trimmed beard...

Not only us that were busy this weekend...

C'est sympa, non?

Last Night@La Fleche d'Or (Part I)

2007-07-21T11:10:00.000+02:00

Introduced to La Fleche d'Or by my French friend and I just want to bisou him till his death do us apart. This place rocks! (and FREE!, very very important)

Last night's schedule:
Live Indie Rock
1/ OSCAR-U (Fr)
2/ PAN PAN MASTER (Fr)
3/ NOUS NON PLUS (Us)
4/ CASIOKIDS (Norv)

C.L.U.B Crash Bandi #8 Summer Specials
DJ : 2C (Microrama/Fr)
Dj : STEVE AUSTIN (Bandi/Fr)
Dj : MAGIC FINGERZ (Bandi/Fr)

We got there around midnight so only got to see the band CASIOKIDS. Although it was all in French, the show was pretty good, proving the fact that music has no language indeed...(excuse to enjoy it without learning French, ha.) Then around 1 am, the first DJ began to pump the dance floor with "Take me out" by Franz Ferdinand...it was good until he started to bring back the 80's...so we decided to leave the place thinking to catch the metro before 2 am, only we forgot that it was Friday night, NOT Saturday...so it was closed at 12.30 am. We decided to walk half way home from 20th arrondissement to almost 9th then we finally found a (fast and furious) taxi...I was thinking if I was drunk, his head would have been covered by my vomit (!)

Anyway, if you've been complaining you cannot find any FREE stuff in Paris (like me), stop moaning and check out La Fleche d'Or, there is something EVERYDAY.

102 bis rue de Bagnolet 75020
Métro: Alexandre Dumas or Gambetta

Note: Pictures are pulled from the LFD website.

Salute to Tang Frères

2007-07-20T19:28:00.000+02:00

Any Asians or anyone who lives here and loves Asian food, if you don't know or have never been to Tang Frères in the Chinatown (13th arrondissement), it's like a tourist who leaves Paris without going to La Tour Eiffel or a Japanese who hasn't been to the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs-Elysees...

I personally am grateful to this grand Asian supermarket 'cause it helps increasing a special immune to prevent me from getting homesick. Whatever sauces or pastes you might need for your cooking, they have it. Whatever nationality or taste of an instant noodles you need to survive with when broke, they have it. I can spend a day there without getting bored...OK way too exaggerating but if you're not sure what you want to get, you can end up spending an hour or two there. The Tang Brothers also introduced me to the Thai brand "AROY-D", which I would recommend to anyone. It's the brand that I can say, very reliable. I'd tried a few Thai restaurants here in Paris and they got me extremely disappointed as the tastes were far from original. I recommend anyone who want to taste the original tastes of Red Curry, Green Curry, Tom Yum Soup and Mussaman Curry, simply look for them in the AROY-D cans. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Talking about this makes me drool. Now I have to excuse my lazy self to get some AROY-D green curry for dinner.

13th arrondissement
Métro: Porte d'Ivry

A Picnic by the Canal de L'Ourcq

2007-07-19T16:33:00.000+02:00

The weather was nice yesterday and the sun was so bright that we decided to go soaking up the sun, before the rainy days will come next week (according to accuweather.com), by the canal de l'Ourcq. It was the first time I was introduced to this area as normally I would just drop by St Michel to sit by the Seine.

We got off at Métro Jaurès where we went straight to the side of Bar Ourqc to find some beach chairs provided by the bar. This canal mostly goes through a poor area..and the Jaurès area in general is, to make it easy, the opposite of Etienne Marcel. However, this hangout spot with the Bar Ourqc is too popular among the down-to-earth locals, plus there are the MK2 cinemas at the both sides of the canal. (MK2 is known for showing independent movies both French and foreign.)

So after we picked our own spot,grabbed a beer...it was time to CHILL under the blue sky weather. This somehow reminded me of the feeling I had when visitng Amsterdam. The crowd was eclectic. Some just came straight from work while some prepared themselves with a bottle of wine and snacks to share among friends. In this area, you will barely see any tourists but more of the regulars to the place and to the bar.

You can go ask for a beach chair from the bar, if they're not all taken. Also, when you finish drinking, if you collect all the cigarette butts and all the garbages full in the plastic glasses, take them to the bar and you might get a free beer in return. We didn't try that 'cause there were only 3 cigarette butts...not enough smokers. Damn.

You can get a 25ml beer for €2.5 and a 50 ml beer for €5.

Métro: Jaurès

Thai Chic, can we compete with the whole world?

2007-07-19T14:46:00.000+02:00

I've been out of the Land of Smile barely one year and oh my, when my friend showed me an issue of Cheeze Magazine where they gather the shots of some street style in Bangkok like Siam Square, Siam Paragon or the JJ market...I was so surprised to see how stylishly "in" my Bangkokian fellows are! Thanks to my friend or else next time I go home, I might have a culture shock myself...!

Here are the shots of my fave styles:

Street Chic

2007-07-18T11:19:00.000+02:00

Browsing through The Face Hunter, the world renown street fashion shot snapper...I realized, fashion is very contagious indeed. Pretty much every woman is wearing a day dress with a belt on, grab a pair of cool sunglasses and roam into the city street. I like that look too but I suppose one's personality and confidence would count a lot when everyone, more or less, is following the same style. Like the latest shots of some cool parties in London, I mean, I don't see much of the difference compared to the shots from some cool parties in Paris or the streets of Berlin...However, I quite like the Copenhagen style; the concept of having a scarf as part of an outfit is really chic to me. It's said that most of the time, the Danish people would not leave the house without putting a scarf on. Then again, I'm sure they will consider having a bare neck when the heat is high during the summer...But suppose we're not talking about "this" summer 'cause the sun doesn't seem to last very long during the day. (Stop global warming, s'il vous plait!)

Paris

Berlin

Copenhagen

Source: The Face Hunter

You know you're from Paris when...

2007-07-17T14:38:00.000+02:00

1. You consider Boulogne, Neuilly, Saint-Denis etc to be the countryside. I mean, Porte de Versailles or Porte de la Villette mean there IS a door, and therefore an outside and an inside, right?

2. You know that, when you take the subway and you have to go through Châtelet, you NEED a ticket because you know exactly where the police is hiding (behind those glass window things)...very much so.

3. You're SO over the sound the Carte Imagine R makes when you swipe it on the machine

4. Your very first clubbing experience was at Les Planches. Now you think it looks more like a nursery than a club.

5. You know that a martini means a martini, and not that gross vermouth and gin mixture.

6. You find it normal that someone is randomly peeing in the street.

7. You peed in the street at least once in your life. *making an innocent face*

8. You think that having a car in Paris is useless, but to go from Concorde to Les Champs Elysées, you take a taxi.

9. You can tell only by looking at their clothes from which arrondissement people are.
...yep for certain arrondissements I can tell.

10. Shopping is a competitive sport, fashion, a way of life. can I just double "bold" this?!

11. You actually consider walking in dog shit with your left foot lucky (it happens so often, it might as well be useful)...not yet

12. You know the subway map by heart, but you have trouble learning the different regions of France...I suck at maps doesn't matter how long I live here.

13. You know that coffee isn't suppose to be served in a cup that looks like a bathtub. And you drink it at the bar, standing.

14. You hate Paris and Parisians....so true.

15. You love Paris and Parisians....so true.

16. When foreign people ask where you're from, you say "Paris", and not "France".

17. You could write a poem on Ladurée/ Pierre Hermé macarons.

18. You have never been on the Eiffel Tower, or on a boat on the Seine, and you only
go tothe Champs Elysées when it's Sunday night and you need to buy a book at Virgin for class on Monday...*winks*

19. When people say "Paname", you want to bleach their mouth.

20. You're so dramatic, you say you want to kill yourself at least five times a day.

21. You're surprised when someone holds the door for you at the subway exit.

22. You're even more surprised when a sales person asks if you're looking for something in particular. Actually that would never happen....so frigging reality.

23.You know the guy whose sister's friend who's the cousin of a girl who knows the manager.

24. You got shit faced when you were 13, and now you drink real drinks, and look down on people who do vodka/beer shots at frat parties.

25. "Putain", "bordel", "merde" or the ever famous "putain de bordel de merde" are not considered "bad words"; I mean, you use them every day, and sometimes it's affectionate.

26. You don't really get excited when you go clubbing; you just take your bag and go.

27. You know that Paris is not a city, it's an attitude.... a snob I've become.

28. When you see "schales" in the street, you think that they should be banned from the city and burned at the stake.

29. You thinks it's normal when you know the life story of the butcher/baker/cashier of G20/homeless guy rue de Rennes/sales woman of H&M.

30. You KNOW that it's the most fabulous,angry, stylish, bitchy, comic, even romantic (even though you HATE clichés) city in the world and that, although you left, you will come back and stay for good...on verra.

- "You know you're from Paris" Facebook Group

Safe and Sexy

2007-07-16T14:56:00.000+02:00

How much I love the stuff from Agent Provocateur... sexiness with class. What the "Porn and Dance Party" reminded me is the sexy pasties that are available at AP. I would say it's just a perfect gift for a girlfriend/wife, and a very nice surprise for a boyfriend/husband...It's rather expensive but hmmm...it could be worth it ;p

Pictured here is a good idea for the next Valentine's, methinks.

The Bastille Day - 14.07.07

2007-07-15T16:06:00.001+02:00

A glimpse of the French national celebration in some parts of Paris; Opera, Pyramides and the fireworks...

Metro Bastille

Army troops around Opera

A Parade(?)with political statements from Pyramides towards Opera

Fireworks around Le Tour Eiffel (shots from our Balcony)

Porn & Dance Party Update

2007-07-14T11:39:00.000+02:00

When something is (overly) advertised, you set a high bar of expectation... and then get disappointed. We arrived at La Java almost 1 am to find a more than half space empty. So we grabbed a seat and waited for party to get started. No one was dressed any revealing or any outstanding though matching the color themes; red, blue and white (the French flag)... I was in a reddish dress. Music, like it's mentioned, is a mix of almost everything from house to reggae... it could be nice but at the time could interrupt the continuity of the dance mood. I didn't get myself to dance 'cause basically I simply can't really dance to anything else but techno, electro and house. It is a curse; once you go electro, the beats are too high for you (me) to climb down for slower tunes. So I just sat and watched. Fortunately, there were some interesting things to watch i.e. this guy was dancing with a small crystal ball. He moved so smooth adapting to all kinds of music...with that ball of his. A few others were having fun in the drunk mode which I found rather amusing to watch (positive comment this is by the way). Then around 3 am, the lady with pink hair who was dancing on the dance floor earlier got herself half naked on the bed/stage...piece by piece was coming off, left only the panties on... I would say that I've seen better shows here in Paris but oh well, an almost naked woman is better than none at all...right? ;p

We left a bit after the show finished...walking home from Métro Goncourt to Métro Anvers...If you know the map of Paris you would agree with me that it was quite a walk indeed!

Porn & Dance Party

2007-07-13T13:04:00.000+02:00

"For their third party the Crazy Babies team finally have a space as big as their ambition. At the Java, Bikini and Prince of Plastic curate their surprising cocktail of electro, accordion, jazz, funk, raggae, mambo, minimal techno, mexican music, brass bands, drum and bass, hip-hop, big band, jungle and 90s dance music, all inside a trash and sexy décor (there's even a canopy bed). On the eve of Bastille Day, Vive la France and people who dance, sweat and do what they want. Dress code: blue, white, red, think sexy, get naked, and sequins on your ass!"

So very tempting indeed. Let's see if I have anything revealing enough to make it in the party.

La Java, 105 rue du Faubourg du Temple,
10th. M°Goncourt.
www.la-java.fr

Source: Gogoparis

2 Days in Paris

2007-07-13T10:07:00.000+02:00

I've been accompanying my best friend here for the past few days. She's got a bit of a homesick and been kind of sad. She's a happy type of person and when she gets upset or sad, you will definitely see it showing on her face. So this finally has given me a chance to play a role of a good friend for a few days.

Wed: We met at Opera, did some shopping in the area, then walked to rue du Temple near Hôtel de Ville. There're always some street art or graffiti on the Parisian streets...

some I find them cool and funny, some are just...names. Afterwards, we checked out the American Apparel store and the American retro one. These two are ones of my favorite brands. American Apparel does reflect the American lifestyle. What they offer are the 3C's; Cotton, Casual, Colors. Everything is simply casual like t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, leggings, socks etc. but you can find most of the basic items in all the colors you would hope to find. Amazing. For American Retro, actually, this is a French brand with a kitsch design...at least for the few past seasons. However, we didn't get anything...as usual for the sales season, if you don't come early enough, the chance of finding an item you like or the size that matches yours is close to none.

After, we walked towards le Jardin des Tuileries. This time it's different as there is a theme park with a ferris wheel, a carousel, etc. Not many people as the weather has been rather unpredictable these days; sunshine, heavy rain, and strong cool wind all in the same day...speaking of the global warming.

Anyway, we got there around 7ish pm. The sky was still blue with some clouds and sunshine. A few kids were running around and some were trying to get the little boats sailed with a stick...It's always pleasant and serene getting away from the daily routine or whatsoever to enjoy some bits of nature in the city like this...

Thurs: We met at Le Bon Marche, a Rive Gauche department store, very Parisian with a high positioning and image (unlike the tourist attraction like Galeries Lafayette). My friend wanted to find some gifts for her family and ended up getting a Long Champ bag for her mom... and I got a reddish pink dress from Comptoir des Cotonniers, a very French brand, subtle colors with an understated design.

Then as planned, we took a metro to catch a movie "2 Days in Paris" with Julie Delpy. The movie talks about a couple; a French girlfriend and a New Yorker boyfriend who can't speak French. Watching this, I couldn't help but being reminded of the Richard Linkslater's "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset"...savvy dialogue with a quirky charm of Julie Delpy... and some parts of this movie actually did remind me of...my life here as being rather lost in translation. Anyway, I'd say that if you usually enjoy a *dialogueful* comedy, you should give this movie a try.

I'm a junkie!

2007-07-10T17:43:00.000+02:00

It's my bad habit that sometimes I totally lack the self-control. Luckily, I still have some conscience on what I can let myself slip into...(or not hmm...) It's been known to a few of my close friends that Paris could mean nothing when I get myself into certain things. I can completely disappear for a few days, phone off, MSN off...and just frigging watch my favorite series for a few seasons straight. I'm that much of an addict, ha. The first time happened a few months ago when my friend handed me the first two seasons of "The L Word", a series about the lesbian life and community in California...I was out of touch with the human kind for the whole two days...watching an episode after episode. Then other few days when I got the following seasons...my friends were threatening that they would cut me off. See how much I'm loved?

The latest junkie phase was last week, when I'd started watching "Grey's Anatomy". My apartment became rather a mess and my sleeping hours were corrupted while I was trying to finish the two seasons I had in hand and we're talking about 36 episodes here. While I'm waiting for my friend to mail me the 3rd season, I happened to bring myself into an addiction of all these stand-up comedy clips on YouTube...like yesterday I was laughing so hard that my head actually hurt watching Chris Rock's and Russell Peters' clips. Amazing. I hadn't laughed SO hard for awhile now and I'm very grateful for it. I hope that none of my neighbors were home yesterday or else they might have thought that there was a retard person next door...err

Here's one of the clips - "the world is mixing"

Hub of Home Decors

2007-07-08T20:44:00.000+02:00

Paris is full of home decoration stores, mostly with the fancy price tags. With a student's monthly salary, I can just dream to have it when you get a decent job...but even those people with a decent job would still probably choose to go for cheaper offers. Luckily, there are places like IKEA and Conforama that provide some reasonable prices with good designs - here I suppose I'm probably talking more about IKEA ('cause hmm...seriously I'm not much of a Conforama fan).

I've been a regular customer of IKEA since I've moved in to the current place I am now. Maybe not so regular but today was my 5th visit to the Northern branch at Parc des Expositions. I love shopping for furnitures especially the ones that add an ambiance and a coziness to the place and make it "home".

The first section, there are all these spaces decorated into different rooms giving ideas to those who lack and add more to those who already have some. Quite a good job they do to seduce the customers I'd say. The other section is a huge storage where you can actually grab the stuff you decide to buy, not as fancy as the first section of course. Whenever I go there, it gives me this good feeling, to see a couple or a family choosing things together for their own place. However, it can be a little bit chaotic and long queues during the weekends because of the crowd. To avoid this, you can go during the weekdays or after work - it's open until 10 pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Oh, and do avoid the first weekend of each month, you know you like to go shopping yourself after your pay check arrives.

Rock en Seine: Mark Ronson

2007-07-07T16:55:00.000+02:00

As the increasing amount of junks on the available music channels on the French TV, I finally had a chance to convert my MySpace page to something meaningful. It has become my source to discover new bands and be enlightened about what's going on outside the mainstreams. Like Mark Ronson, I was searching for the new faces in music and found him through another artist profile. Mark Ronson has actually been known as a DJ and producer in both the US and UK. He's now out with the new album "Version" of cover songs like Morrissey’s "Stop Me", Radiohead’s "Just", the Zutons’ "Valerie" etc. Some critics say the album is a disappointment...which is always the case when someone is making a cover version of a legendary song. It might not be as great but they sound interesting and quite decent as its own. I actually like what I hear so far and am looking forward to seeing his gig this August.

"Oh my God" featuring Lily Allen

A Night by the Seine

2007-07-05T01:55:00.000+02:00

After having a few drinks at an Irish bar around St Michel, we left and walked around the area. I, all of a sudden, had a crave for fries so we picked up one for each of us then went to sit down by the river.There were hardly any people at this time of the night which was around 11 pm. It wasn't a warm night, rather windy but we'd got a jacket and a pack of fries to hold on to. After living here for quite some months, this was the first time I got to capture the night scene by the river like this. It was definitely more romantic, though also more chilly. For the first time in awhile, I felt this City of Lights was actually romantic...

Palais de Tokyo: La Marque Noire

2007-07-04T19:21:00.000+02:00

If you enjoy contemporary art, by visiting Palais de Tokyo you wouldn't be disappointed though at times, like many forms/types of art may put you in a "lost in translation" state. Like the new exhibition "La Marque Noire / Steven Parrino: Retrospective, Prospective" with the three subjects:
1) STEVEN PARRINO RETROSPECTIVE 1981 - 2004
A retrospective that gathers nearly one hundred major works by the artist
2) BEFORE (PLUS OU MOINS)
An exhibition of artists who influenced Steven Parrino
3) BASTARD CREATURE
Based on two exhibitions curated by Steven Parrino (in 1999 and 2003)
Without having any background knowledge of the artists, I was struck by everything exhibited there and wanted to understand the stories behind them. What I could grasp though was their relation to violence, destruction and sex. The whole show was dominated by the colors of black, white, and silver, learned later that these colors are the colors of Harley Davidson. As Parrino was claimed as a biker artist as well as the punk artist, there is no doubt why these three colors play such the main role here. There is an artwork "Electric chair" by Andy Warhol, one of the main references to pop culture that, in part, had influenced Parrino's work.

One powerful piece I personally liked is "Come to my house and cry". There is a set of four televisions showing the videos in mute of different men and women breaking into tears. A very melancholy music was playing in the background. Near the set was this empty untidied bed. I thought to myself if I kept watching it for too long, I could possibly break into tears myself.

The exhibition runs from May 24 - August 26, 2007
Opens: noon - midnight (except Monday)
13, avenue du Président Wilson, Paris
Metro: Iéna

Rock en Seine: CSS

2007-07-03T04:56:00.000+02:00

CSS or Cansei de Ser Sexy (Tired of Being Sexy in Portuguese) is the art rock band from São Paulo. Who would have thought that the group that formed themselves for laugh (since they didn't know to play any instruments properly) would become such a crowd pleaser like now. Magazines like I-D, Vice and others mentioned CSS and the half Brazillian-Japanese frontwoman "Lovefoxxx"...and of course praised their songs of how they were obsessed with sex *coughs* and bitches (like that "Meeting Paris Hilton" song). When I was first introduced to their songs, I was giggling at quite a few parts of their lyrics(esp. in "Art Bitch") and with the loud and blunt sound of the guitar, bass whatever...It had become a morning ritual that I had to listen to the album every morning - it kinda energized me up to be alive for the following hours. I particularly dig "Art Bitch", "Alala" and of course "Music is my Hot Hot SEX"

Too bad I won't get to see them live. Must be fun....*sobs*

Here's an interview clip...very genuine.
"If you came from a place like this [São Paulo] you can go anywhere, you're used to so much...you can make it anywhere."

Rex, My New Love

2007-07-01T18:40:00.000+02:00

Day 4: The first time I met Rex was around two months ago. But we had a rendezvous to meet up again last night and I took my friend along... I didn't expect much from him but he was full of surprises and really had me satisfied. We met up around 12.30 am. Nothing much was going on at the time, but soon the place started to be filled up. The DJ sets were nothing near dull. He got me a few shots; vodka then tequila...The night got on better and better. Rex introduced me a few guys. He was really open. A young American who has lived here for 12 years, apparently one of his fantasies was to "have" two Asian girls. When I teased him I would prefer a good proportion of 2:2, he listened (quality any guys should have) and introduced us his friend...hmmmm

The night went on, Rex introduced me another group of underage kids. One claimed to be a DJ who played at Le Paris Paris (famous club with trendy people) and knew Uffie and a few French local DJ's...The American already warned us about these kids but we were just having a laugh with/at them. The funniest part happened when they followed us to the bar and asked if they could "share" or "get" them the drinks. Of course as we were not their mothers we were not obliged to pay. They were still trying to keep us company for another while before baiting other people.

Another group came and got to know us for a bit then were really excited that we are Thai...as they would be making a trip there in two weeks.

Another UK guy came in a friendly gesture claiming his love for Thailand and Thai people. He got a black belt in Taekwon-do but practices Muay Thai every so often. "He REALLY loves Thailand," I thought to myself.

With all these distractions, the American kept pursuing "his American dream" and kept coming around us. But by the end of the night, he knew that nothing would be going his way...

Him: "I'm leaving. Nice to know you guys. I'm sorry I don't actually want to make love to you."
Me: *laughing* "It's fine. It's really OK." *laughing*
Him: "I'm very much in love with my girlfriend."
Me: "That's good for you!!"
Him: "You sure you're OK?"
Me: "Yesss it's really fine."
Him: "You're cute and a good company. Take care"
Me: *laughing* "You too take care."

Rex really brought in "interesting" people and it was a great fun/funny time we had there.

http://www.rexclub.com/rex.html

Four in a Row

2007-06-30T11:13:00.000+02:00

It's been the full three nights in a row of bar/pub hopping, of my favorite drink, blanche, that seems to have become a dead-end choice and of a few chances to activate my *flirtability*...It was a request (force) from my friend and it was my duty to bring out a radar to scan the places and people (men in particular) to meet her needs and standards.

The first two nights we checked out the scene at Bastille (known to have crazy people come out after midnight and proved true).

Day 1: We ended up at a bar that had a good looking bartender (both had an agreement on) and a happy hour at the time of arrival (to prolong our night...and life in general) We came straight from shopping with a few bags, not an ideal situation but were too tired to climb up the French spiral stairs to my apartment on the 4th floor. The night went on pleasantly and it ended even more pleasant when the next drinks were offered (without asking of course) by a French bloke with a degree of PhD.("bloke" because he lived in Ireland for 4 years)

Day 2: It was rather similar as we were trying to live up to the standards of the first night - cute looking bartenders with a nice atmosphere. Only thing that went wrong was the first frog who came to chat us up was rather out of our league (speaking of a self confidence). After trying to be polite and struggle with the language barrier (my broken French, my friend's next-to-zero French and his almost-none English) for awhile, my friend finally got to the point of madness and squeezed out the little French she knew "Vous allez, s'il vous plait" (while I fled to the toilet). He, as she told, was understanding and left the bar by asking me to give him a call. Poor guy...*picked up the paper that he had written on his number and put it in a finished glass of cocktails*

And when we thought that we were safe, the two guys at the bar (learned later that one was the cousin of the bar manager) sent a waitress to offer us drinks and later followed. We politely chatted with them and politely laughed at their jokes. As we learned that they would be going to Thailand next month and how much they liked Thai food, we politely gave them a few tips. The night went on...slowly and politely ended...

Day 3 - From the lesson of the night before, I decided to change the area and went to a more sophisticated scene. We started by walking around St Michel...It was Friday night so there were quite a few things going on, one of them was a street magic show. Only a few people were watching at the time so we were at the front row. I was annoyed by the show as the magician was rather slow. "Stop lingering and just show us something(!)," I thought to myself with a non-smiling face and crossed arms. I suppose the gesture was too obvious, the magician then dragged me and made me his assistant. The task was to smile, to pull a rope, to hold a scissor, and to cut a rope in two. It was kind of awkward for me in front of the strangers (apparently, there were all this whole crowd gathering around...must have been my short skirt err...) Anyway, it was a good fun and a good laugh.

After finishing the new part-time job at the show, we went on to Odeon and finally found ourselves a cafe. Actually, because of our indecisiveness, we were (politely) attacked by a waiter at the cafe we were standing at the front, so we felt obliged to say yes to his invitation. It was raining lightly but after a drink, my friend wanted to go to another place so we checked...But as indecisive as we were, plus the rain, we were lingering, again, in front of the cafe, a few minutes later, another waiter brought us an umbrella.

Me: "But we're going somewhere else.."
Waiter: "It's okay."
Me: "We don't need to give it back to you?"
Waiter: "It's fine or you can return it later."
Me: "OK, we will give you back later. Thank you!!"

He is also an Asian so maybe he would like to spread the kindness to other Asian fellows...Because according to his action, it was purely a good intention. He just walked to us, handed me the umbrella and left...nothing flirty going on. It was a surprise that I couldn't stop praising him for the whole 15 minutes.

We left Odeon and went to a local/non tourist bar I went a few times before up in Abbesses. When we walked in, I felt like all eyes were on us screaming "Aliens... Asians... Tourists...Asian girls... Short skirt..." It was really strange. I came here before but with a group of French, was checked out but not as obvious. We ended up having a seat at the bar and got a business contact from a drunk and flirty but ambitious business young man. Let's see if what he said was true. Maybe not, considering that he was still holding his glass while we were walking out of the bar together.

My friend: "So what's his name?"
Me: "err...I don't remember...but his friend's is Stephane."

Oops!

Day 4 - to be continued.

Desires....

2007-06-29T14:46:00.000+02:00

As the quest continued, I brought my friend to the infamous Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on the right bank. Amazing how many people were there during the mid afternoon. Besides tourists as the majority, there were a lot of French speakers which popped up some questions in my head..."They don't have to work?? or these women are the housewives? They called in sick? These young people don't have school?..." The scene was so chaotic, like people were lining up for some freebies, the queues at the fitting room were almost impossible to wait. OK it was a bit exaggerating but though not that long, it did require a high patience to be able to try anything on.

I'm not a brand addict though I couldn't help drooling over a few things...like bags from Chloé and Balenciaga or shoes from Tod's, Dries Van Noten and Marni. Weird though that once I have my mind fixed on these things, I've lost my appetite for anything else, when the most favorite things I like to consumer are clothes.

This reminds me of one quote I came across...

"Looking good and dressing well is a necessity. Having a purpose in life is not." - Oscar Wilde

Salute to Oscar Wilde ;p

A Quest of Good Bargains

2007-06-28T11:47:00.000+02:00

That's right. The quest of good bargains AKA Summer Sale has already started yesterday! It is a sin just to be a woman sometimes as our knees usually get weak and that we can't control ourselves when seeing the signs "Sale" or "Soldes" on the windows.

I've started a search for happiness (in a concrete form) by paying a visit to an outlet in the centre commercial at Val d'Europe. Within the shopping mall itself, there are normal brands like Zara, H&M, etc. that we can actually find anywhere in town. Outside though is a little village of brand boutiques like Paul Smith, Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy, Celine, Camper, Diesel, VANS, Agnès b.,etc. It was amazing to see almost everyone carrying the bags of all these top brands and such a LONG queue at Polo Ralph Lauren with Asians covering up half of the space. I myself was first excited and expected to be broke home...but God saved me as *I* find the items available were rather a disappointment, be it that these items were of a few seasons ago or the good ones were already gone. One thing is true though that this place provides a better bargain than the boutiques in town...

With such a disappointment, my pursuit of happiness shall be continued.

Rock en Seine 2007 (Intro)

2007-06-26T04:52:00.000+02:00

As I will be around in August, I gleefully got myself a ticket to one of the biggest and most international concerts in France, Rock en Seine. This year is its 5th year, still considered a baby but do not underestimate its power as this three-days concert feature quite a few big names like Bjork, the Shins, 2 Many DJ's, Faithless, Mark Ronson, Arcade Fire, CSS, Amy Winehouse and so on. The dates are Fri 24 - Sun 26. Though I wish to attend the whole three days but we're destined to go for only the Sunday one...To have a chance to finally see Bjork live is already like a dream comes true, but also with Mark Ronson and Faithless makes it even more superb! (Although a little part of me would bleed not being able to see CSS and a few others.)

Here's a clip of the Foo Fighters, Rock en Seine 2005

To be continued...

Le Queen (and the white-shirt-and-jeans gang)

2007-06-26T00:49:00.000+02:00

Finally I made it to one of the most popular (gay) scenes in Paris...Le Queen! It sure is one of the biggest clubs in town located right in the middle of Avenue des Champs-Elysees. We were ones of the first groups who arrived...how amateurs you may say but the good thing is we had one of the best spots to see all the "pretty" stuff that was going on, ha! Not so long, people started to fill up the place and soon later the dance floor and the two podiums. Right, besides tourists, all of the attention seekers and single gay guys seemed to gather here after having themselves prepared at le Marais (or simply at home). It was, most of the time, fun to watch...A big shaved head lady (Britney lookalike, according to my gay friend) was dancing like crazy among her girlfriends. One middle-age+++ woman who seemed to be drunk way before entering the club dancing non stop on the sofa...while another pregnant-lookalike girl moved like she just got dumped (according to my gay friend...again). A white shirt and jeans seemed like a chic thing to wear among men who come here...I wonder if it's a gay identification. But whatever it's meant to say I just think it makes everyone look the same.

A: "Hey, that one in a white shirt and jeans looks so cute!"
B: "Hmm? Where? Which one?"
A: "10 o'clock!!!"
B: "er...there are like 5 of them. Which one?!?"

I did have a crush on this under-age-looking boy who couldn't manage to dance somewhere else but on the podiums (he did switch sides between the two podiums every once in awhile). As most guys who come here are (supposed to be) gay, I was thinking positive and hoping he was not, considering the way he danced and the friend he came with (Yes, we were really checking and collecting details.) But by the end of the night, I gave up and left him be whatever he is...(not like I can do anything anyway)and went home.

In a nutshell, it's a decent club (if you like techno, house, electro or of sort) with many gays and girls... Drinks? I wouldn't rely on it.

Métro: George V

KONG, Where the East Meets West

2007-06-25T23:13:00.000+02:00

My friend called me this afternoon whether I wanted to join her and her friends at KONG. I quickly answered without a second thought..."YES, we're at Sephora but we're leaving now. See you guys in a bit." I went there once before and enjoyed the place very much. KONG is a very chic bar and restaurant. Why is it so chic and popular? Well, having Philippe Starck designed the place might have something to do with it. The interior design is a mix between east and west...more specifically, the Japanese Geisha and the Kawaii concept with the French touch of classic chic. KONG is located at the two top floors of KENZO. The place has one of the best view in Paris (if you're lucky enough to get those few tables to see it, that is.) Having a drink while soaking up the atmosphere and the view there is very pleasant. What disappointed me though is the food. They look good but the taste is comme si, comme ça for its price, if you ask me...

1, rue du Pont Neuf, 75001
Metro: Pont Neuf

Following Amélie Poulain's Footsteps

2007-06-24T22:52:00.000+02:00

As my friend is visiting, I decided to give her a little "Amélie Poulain" tour...one of my very favorite movies. I don't know how many times I've been to the Montmarte but this time the theme of our little walk brought me a new excitement. We started at Metro Anvers and walked uphill towards Sacré Coeur, the majestic church located on the top of Montmartre. The area is lined up with souvenir shops and packed with tourists (at all time). We began to walk up the stairs thinking "Ah, right the scam masters are awaiting to bait the innocent victims again." There are several Black guys (not being a racist here, only stating the truth) blocking the way trying to wrap your wrist with some sort of a bracelet and will ask you for money later. If you don't want this to happen to you, put the hands in your pockets or have them busy doing something i.e. dialling a cellphone. Regardless of the scam, you can get a picturesque view of Paris from the top of the hill here. Though the scene outside is always busy and packed with people, once you step inside the church, it's another experience. I can always feel the peacefulness filled up the atmosphere.

We took a little walk inside then came out to the village behind. As mentioned earlier in one of the entries, Montmartre was and still is an artist village, though, more commercial...many individual drawers and painters at your service as well as the shops along the street.

Later we followed rue Lepic to find the cafe Amélie Poulain was working at "Les Deux Moulins" and had a cup of coffee and chocolat chaude there. Looking around..."Hmmm...it doesn't look like it in the film." It's not as classic as the film portrays. (Of course, you may say.) Thom Yorke's songs were being played as the background music which is pretty cool though doesn't seem fit the place.

After appreciating the fact that this place was once the sets of the infamous film, we decided to move on...

18th arrondissement
Métro: Abbesses or Anvers

Salon de Thé at La Mosquée

2007-06-23T20:32:00.000+02:00

Paris is rich with hip cafés and restaurants. And when you think you've been to quite a few of them, there are still some that you might have missed. One place that you should not miss though is La Mosquée de Paris. The place serves as a restaurant during the midday and evening and turns to a Salon de Thé in the morning and late afternoon. There are many regulars for example my two friends who live a few metros away come here to soak up the atmosphere sometimes. Same for me, it wasn't the tea or the North African pastries that I would love to recommend (because some are rather too sweet for my taste)...but because of the whole ambiance of this place that will make you forget you're in Paris (regardless of how much you love the city.) The Moorish style of decoration richly reflects its name which makes it all different from a typical café in Paris. The mosiacs, the gold plate-shaped tables combined with all the North African details...whether you pick a table inside or in the outdoor patio, the place gives you a nice and relaxing feel that you will want to re-visit every once in awhile.

Besides this, La Mosquée also offers an authentic hammam, with steam rooms, wading pool and a massage area...It's rather expensive considering I used to pay only less than 20€ for a one-hour massage back home. But...one day, one day...

39, rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 75005
Metro: Censier Daubenton or Place Monge

La Fête de la Musique - June 21

2007-06-22T19:17:00.000+02:00

So many events going on in Paris during the summer and this is another music festival in Paris, la Fête de la Musique which is held every year on June 21 since 1982! This is an event in which local amateur bands of all types of music come out on the streets of Paris and just play their hearts out from evening onwards.

We started out from Le Marais around 8 pm. There were bands in almost every corner of the streets with the theme of rock music, something that we agreed we were in the mood for... (while in the Tour Eiffel area had the world music as the theme and other areas with different themes.) We walked around for awhile and then ended up at one bar for a happy hour, drinking a few of blanche and wines. We moved on after over an hour when the streets got more lively...we walked towards Bastille where the fun and the craziness should be. There was such a crowd where this band who was playing songs from the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, the White Stripes etc. I couldn't help but singing and jumping along...till I was forced to move on. Bastille was wild with two big stages of techno set with crazy spotlights which almost blinded my eyes. The crowd of both stages was HUGE dancing and squeezing themselves in to find their spots. Empty beer bottles and broken ones all around. Smells of marijuana and all that...It was fun, it was crazy...but too bad there were too many drunk and high people who decided to reveal ungodly manners near us/to us which put us all off the mood and decided to say bonne nuit to the night.

Jardin du Luxembourg

2007-06-21T12:25:00.000+02:00

It always gives a pleasant feel whenever I visit a park in Paris. Jardin du Luxembourg is another of my favorite places that I enjoy parking myself there. To quote the fact, it is the biggest park in Paris with Luco as its nickname. It's very popular among all generations of both locals and foreigners since it provides such space for different recreational activities. The tennis courts are always occupied. Young school boys come to play football after school. Several people have a good sweat jogging with an ipod on. A couple sitting on a bench talking and smiling near the fountain. The scene is pretty and calm...

My friends and me went there the other day and found ourselves a bench near the tennis court...After over 30 mins of pretending we were watching a Wimbledon, we finally decided to get our too-relaxed selves off the bench and moved on to another place.

Charles de Gaulle Airport

2007-06-19T12:12:00.001+02:00

Charles de Gaulle Airport, also known as Paris Roissy is the second busiest airport in Europe next to London Heathrow. Regardless of the following fact, I, among many people, find the plan of the airport quite confusing. I remember the first time I landed, the scene was rather chaotic... so I decided to pick one couple that looked like they knew what they were doing and followed them to the luggage carrousel...After that I took a little while to find a gate to the taxi spot. I'd been there other two times to pick up my friends. I think it was such a hassle taking such a long ride of RER, then had to hop on a shuttle bus and walked around to find my friends. I was praying not to do such a duty again but my prayers seemed to be stuck somewhere as another friend will be arriving at the airport this evening at Aerogare 2. With this in mind, I know I just get myself into some sort of "adventure" once again as it's going to be first time to pay a visit to Aerogare 2. Fingers crossed for my friend, hope I won't have to use a local "fashionably late" excuse.

Continued...

So...it went well. I arrived on time. No problem of finding. It was much less confusing in Aerogare 2 but it took quite a long walk from RER to Terminal 2A because it is such a big building. The RER goes straight to CDG2 that means no hassle hopping in and out of the shuttle bus. However, I've now realized what I will have to face in the real summer this year - it was incredibly hot in the RER even it was already 7ish pm. A few people had to stand up to get some air and a little breeze from the windows. It was good that on the way to CDG, there were not many people...however, the luck faded on the trip back to Paris. Lots of people...what I'm actually trying to say here is that...lots of people = lots of sweats = high risk being exposed to some (strongly) unpleasant odors...

Paris Jazz Festival 2007

2007-06-18T23:53:00.000+02:00

Summer in Paris is full of events. If you are one of many that enjoy listening to the jazz music, Paris Jazz Festival would be an event that you can't miss. This year it is held at Parc Floral de Paris, every weekend from June 9 to July 29. The themes include "Big Band Mania", "Esprit Django", "Sons d'ailleurs", "Jeunes Pousses", "Pianissimo", "All that jazz", "Jazz Vocal", and "Etoiles du Jazz". I hope to check it out one of these weekends...this coming Saturday, Faya Dub and their jazz soul music sound very down tempo. The themes of "All that jazz" and "Pianissimo" sound interesting as well. Will see which ones I get to go to and put up some pictures here.

Disneyland Paris

2007-06-17T21:57:00.000+02:00

If the schedule says you're only free to go to the Disneyland on the weekends, do expect the place to be very crowded, a mix of both locals and tourists and a long queues in all attractions.

We arrived there around 10ish am. and I thought we were already quite early...but the place was already packed. We walked from one to another attraction, spending at least 15 to over 30 minutes alone waiting in line at each one. In the late afternoon, the rain kept falling down for hours until we left for Paris around 8ish pm. Yes, we did spend about 10 hours at Disneyland! Though it was quite tiring and annoying with the rain but we kept the spirit up and had a great time. A few of my favorite attractions would be the Space Mountain, the Pirates of the Caribbeans and the Small World.

The place seemed to bring out the kid part in everyone. Lots of adults/parents were spotted wearing all these Disney-characters hats and hair bands, for example, of the Donald Duck, Pirates of the Caribbeans, but the most popular one would be of the Minnie Mouse...walking around licking some big apple-shaped candies. Quite a few girls were dressed in a Snow White dress, a Cinderella one etc. Some even got their face painted. I was thinking when/if I had a kid of my own I would bring her/him here so I can have an excuse to be a kid once again...

La Coupole, a Traditional French Brasserie

2007-06-16T20:44:00.000+02:00

To satisfy our crave for the real seafood, we went to La Coupole, a traditional French brasserie with a long history since 1930's(!) La Coupole is located in the heart of Montparnasse; a busy area on the left bank. (You can easily spot where it is from wherever you are in Paris...see the tallest (ugly) building in the middle of nowhere? c'est la Tour Montparnasse.)
Anyway, the place is very grand (one of the biggest restaurants in Paris I would say) with a very French brasserie style of decoration. Lucky that we booked a table in advance, or else, walking in for lunch at 1pm here on the weekends might be a problem. The seafood was amazing - shrimps, sea snails, oysters, clams...We actually had too much which made us not want to have seafood for quite some time...I was planning to end the course with a crème brulée, but my stomach disappointed me... as there was no room for anything anymore...

One cute thing about this place is that the staffs would gather around your table to sing Happy Birthday for you (tell them in advance to surprise your friend or family.) The happy service/staffs like this, we sure don't see too often in Paris.

102, Boulevard Montparnasse, 75014
Metro Vavin

Rendezvous at Mariage Frères

2007-06-14T10:01:00.000+02:00

A famous teahouse with a colonial style decoration, Mariage Frères serves a few hundreds flavors of tea from different continents and countries. We usually go to the Rive Gauche branch. Downstairs, neatly organized, reflecting the Vietnamese colonial house is the showcase of different choices of tea and teapots. Upstairs are the tables, always calm with a luxurious feel to it. Always find someone sitting alone reading or drawing some inspiration to write in a quiet afternoon...

Whenever we get a chance to visit Mariage Frères, we would take quite some time to look through the menu. "Should I pick the perfumed Mandalay, or Maharaja...hmm or one of those African?"It's a true said that sometimes too many choices kill the choices. Anyway, for this afternoon I felt like having Mandalay, the place that I've always wanted to go. A big teapot arrived some time later. The Mandalay was poured into my cup, the taste was a little intense but smooth. We were sipping, catching up with the stories we hadn't shared, laughing...and enjoying the atmosphere for over 2 hours, until 7pm (The place is closed for dinner.)

It was a good late afternoon.

Very French: Crème Brulée and Mille Feuille

2007-06-13T22:14:00.001+02:00

You know if I had to die for some food or desserts, crème brulée and mille feuille would be it. I first fell in love with mille feuille when I first visited Paris. I loved it so much that before I left for the airport, I asked my boyfriend to get one or two for my family to have a taste. (Why my boyfriend, 'cause he has his favorite place down rue des Myrtyrs). Went home and tried it at Le Nôtre, it wasn't as good (and it was the last time I went there.) Then this time around when I came here to study, I have fallen madly in love with le crème brulée. There is no doubt what I would order as my dessert to end my course. No doubt. There were only a few times that I cheated on her (the crème brulée) for mille feuille and a few other stuffs...but that was it.

One of the best crème brulée I've tried was the Catalan one in Perpignan...not only the taste, but also the smell of it...hmmm *miam miam*

Very French: Oh Ho!

2007-06-12T23:13:00.000+02:00

Ho Ho Ho...Santa Claus seems to be visiting France more than any other places...

À Nous Paris...and another little story

2007-06-10T13:10:00.000+02:00

There are ways for a local or be it a newcomer in town to search for what is going on in Paris...One is to go by a metro and grab a free weekly issue of "À Nous Paris" magazine. Be an early bird and pick it up on Monday morning's or else, don't blame me if I didn't warn you. "À Nous" is a good source to find different kinds of events - art & culture, music gigs or what dj's are playing at which clubs. Also, it will spare you some ideas about restaurants and what movies are out in the theaters. Of course all the text is en français but for those who don't speak the language, you will still be able to get by.

Flipped through the pages, I couldn't help but got excited to find one of my very favorite bands advertised to be performing..."Nouvelle Vague at Bus Palladium" June 9,2007, before midnight 10€ and 12€ after. To add on my excitement, getting to see Nouvelle Vague by paying only 10€ or 12€ was beyond my expectation.

The night had arrived and my friends and me were ready to take off to Bus Palladium. Having arrived a little bit after midnight, there was one French guy came straight to us trying to sell the tickets that were supposed to be for his friends, but the friends didn't show up. We were a little skeptical but helped him out anyway. At least we did make one bloke relieved and happy. Went in, ordered a drink, waited for a little bit...one band came out with a singer who looked like she could be one of the female Nouvelle Vague's singers...somehow the other two members were not. And what are these songs...that I had never heard of. OK there were a mix of thoughts - maybe they were an opening band? Or Nouvelle Vague had new songs?

They performed over 5 songs, lost my counts...they were all good but...BUT this is not Nouvelle Vague!?! None of the crowd sang along though some including me moved along...Later found out that it was one of the Nouvelle Vague's singers with her own band "Phoebe Killdeer and the short straws straws". Oh well.

Salute to a little scam...confused people up. Then again it's sort of understandable if they were to advertise anything with the truth, the crowd wouldn't be as many.

By the River Seine

2007-06-08T19:01:00.000+02:00

Summer has arrived early this year but it's not a bad thing since we all can have a longer period to fully enjoy the city. If you don't know what to do on weekends or a lunch break during the weekdays but want to find something to do while maintaining some savings in the bank account...come by the Seine and try to find a spot under the bridge. Bring a sandwich or a panini along and enjoy the great view there. I've done it a few times with my friends and it was just nice and relaxing every time.

A warning though, that you must be picky with where you choose to park yourself (I repeat you must!), check those cobblestones thoroughly and smell before...because if you don't, you might just get lucky and sit on someone's dried piss. Keep in mind, Paris is beautiful BUT she smells...(and we all know it's not a perfume.

Metro: St Michel or Cité

Montmartre

2007-06-04T22:12:00.000+02:00

It's always good to walk around Montmarte. Such a vibrant district in which gives me a different vibe from many other areas in Paris. Though it's quite packed with tourists, the buildings are cute and cozy, with the zigs and zags down the hill (to add on those cobblestones that are killing my heels)... There are street artists, souvenir shops and restaurants centered in the area down the street behind the Sacré Coeur. When I first visited the area early last year, I saw only French artists but today there seemed to be quite a few Chinese ones to serve the Asian tourists. How thoughtful... Anyway, along the way there are a few small restaurants hidden in different corners, very interesting with cozy decors, making me promise to myself I have to try them one of these days.

18th arrondissement
Métro: Anvers or Abbesses

Free Sunday at Musée d'Orsay

2007-06-03T14:28:00.000+02:00

Every first Sunday of each month, it is a free-pass day to visit museums in Paris. For this month, we chose to visit Musée d'Orsay, one of the most famous and most beautiful museums in Paris. The building is a train station turned museum, open Tues - Suns: 9.30am - 6pm except on Thurs: 9.30am - 9.45pm. (Paris has a thing with Thursdays, musems, shopping malls and supermarkets seem to open until late and many clubs seem to have a special event/dj's.)

Musée d'Orsay combines almost all types of art into one place, from paintings to sculptures, from photography to decorative arts and the architecture presented by the building of the museum itself. There are a few works that have become my very favourites:

[The Four Parts of the World Holding the Celestial Sphere]

Baron Haussmann, the prefect of Paris who gave the city the face we know today, commissioned Carpeaux to design a fountain for the Luxembourg Gardens in 1867. The sculptor chose the theme of the four parts of the world turning around the celestial sphere. Not only are the four allegories dancing in a ring, but they are also revolving on the spot. Europe scarcely touches the ground, Asia, with her long pigtail, is seen almost from the back, Africa is in a three-quarter view and America, wearing a feather headdress, is facing the spectator but her body is turned to the side. This taste for movement is one of the features of Carpeaux's art. His passionate nature was quite the contrary of Neoclassic serenity. It was not until 1874, a year before Carpeaux died, that the bronze fountain was set up on the designated site. The tangle of legs displeased the public of the time. Two of the busts exist as separate works. Carpeaux turned the Chinese woman into a man and reproduced the statue in several different materials. The figure of Africa gave rise to a bust that Carpeaux exhibited with the inscription Why be born a slave? This reference to the abolition of slavery is also visible in the statue: America is standing on the broken chain of slavery wrapped around Africa's ankle.

Les Iles d'Or [The Golden Isles]

An exhibition of the work of Henry-Edmond Cross opened at the Druet Gallery in Paris on 21 March 1905. Emile Verhaeren, in a letter prefacing the catalogue, described the surroundings in which his friend had been living since he had joined him in the South of France: "I see the sea close by, the mountain chain of the Maures and in the distance the islands of Hyères, so beautiful that they are called the Golden Isles. […] the mountains unroll their ornamental line along the horizon and in the curve of the beaches, between the points of a succession of large capes, the fine yellow sand sparkles in the light". The poet could be describing the landscape of The Golden Isles which Cross painted in 1891-1892.

Although the subject of the canvas is indeed the islands, Cross has eliminated all picturesque elements and concentrated on the effects of light on colour. The various elements in the landscape become three large coloured bands: the sand, sea and sky.

In keeping with the Neo-impressionist technique that he had recently begun to apply, he used rounded brushstrokes of various sizes from the dabs in the foreground to the tiny dots on the horizon, adjusting the spacing to create a slight effect of perspective. The very high horizon line running across the composition is a direct reference to the Japanese art of Ukiyo-e prints.

Such a resolutely modern work could not fail to please Felix Fénéon, an ardent defender of Neo-impressionism, who bought it. The canvas was no doubt Cross' most daring work; it joined the national collections in 1947 after the first auction of the critic's collection.

Currently some parts of the museum are under the restoration until July,2007. So it will give anyone a reason to re-visit the place once all the areas are fully opened.

Source: Musée d'Orsay

Very French: Roller Skating

2007-06-02T17:00:00.000+02:00

Once in a blue moon, one of the streets in Paris will be temporarily closed or blocked for different occasions/events. I was around Pere LaChaise, a popular cemetery in Paris on one of the weekends in March and all the sudden, there was this big crowd of roller skaters passing by. The traffic had to be blocked for about 15 minutes.

When I traveled here the very first time, I was surprised to see quite a few people roller skating on the cobblestone streets. How smooth and professional! I mean I just couldn't imagine myself doing it. Only a normal walking, I trip a countless number of times so forget roller skating... Anyway, it's become one of the French things that I've come to like. Especially during the summer, you will see more people skating which is nice. It does add some movement, liveliness and energy to the city, indeed.

Kiliwatch, the Vintage hub

2007-06-01T11:34:00.000+02:00

Since vintage has become such a trend and I think will stick around for quite awhile, I cannot help but talking about one of the most praised secondhand store in Paris, Kiliwatch. I first came across the name in one of the Paris books I bought when I first arrived here. Later when one of my friends got her apartment not far from the shop in the Etienne Marcel, I tend to drag her there at least once a month. It's become one of my favorite shops in Paris I would say.
Kiliwatch mainly sells secondhand clothes, shoes and bags but they also feature with the local brands in the front area of the shop. Fashion magazines are also available there. I regularly dig myself in the piles of skirts and shirts at one of the corners. My favorite founds would be a few polka-dot pleats (to my friends, I'm rather obsessed with anything polka dots) and the proud horizontal navy blue/ white stripe skirt. One of the best founds would be this leather jacket costing only 155€! (Now that I say "only" because anyone would know that it's almost impossible to find a nice leather jacket with the price lower than...let's say 300€?

Not only me as fan of this store, many locals and Japanese seem to love it here as well. A few cute staffs are also at your service. *wink*

64,rue Tiquetonne 75002 Paris
Metro: Etienne Marcel

Paris Gay Parade

2007-05-30T13:12:00.000+02:00

If you're around Paris this June, set your schedule free on June 30 for one of the most popular events, the Paris Gay Pride Parade! The event will start out at Montparnasse around 1 pm towards Bastille (through boulevard St Michel, boulevard St Germain and boulevard Henri IV...)

I don't expect anything but the crazy flamboyant parade...which I can't wait to see!

Recommended Spots by the Famous (Part II)

2007-05-27T02:28:00.000+02:00

SARAH (COLETTE)

AKI
'For great Japanese food.'
11bis rue Ste-Anne, 1st. M° Pyramides. 01.42.97.54.27.

ROSE BAKERY
'Carrot cake.'
48 rue des Martyrs, 9th. M° St-Georges. 01.42.82.12.80.

ANAHI
'Guacamole.'
49 rue Volta, 3rd. M° Arts et Métiers. 01.48.87.88.24.

'and, of course,'
WATER BAR, COLETTE
213 rue St-Honoré, 1st. M° Tuileries. 01.55.35.33.90.

GASPARD YURKIEVICH

LES CARTES POSTALES
‘French cuisine but by a Japanese chef – a really culinary and sensory journey. Get the chef’s Menu Découverte.’
7 rue Gomboust, 1st. M° Pyramides. 01.42.61.23.40.

BRASSERIE FLO
‘A good brasserie and a great place to take your foreign friends.’
7 cour des Petites Ecuries, 10th. M° Château d’Eau. 01.47.70.13.59.

AL AJAMI
‘A Lebanese restaurant not far from the Crazy Horse, and perfect before the show… get the ‘Thousand and one Nights’ set-menu.’
1 rue Lincoln, 8th. M° George V. 01.42.25.38.44.

PEDRO WINTER

They don’t call him Busy P for nothing, apart from being a producer and DJ in his own right, he’s Daft Punk’s manager, and label boss of Ed Banger Records. The hip and happening electro label celebrate their 4th birthday this weekend with a massive party, and Busy P the DJ is getting ready to launch his first album, Rainbow Man, later this month. He’s also putting Daft Punk through their paces for an album release pencilled in for the end of the year. One to watch.

record shop: La FNAC, Champs-Élysées! This place is all I need since the death years ago of all my favourite independent shops.
FNAC, Galerie du Claridge, 74 av des Champs-Elysées, 8th. M° Franklin D Roosevelt. 0.825.020.020. www.fnac.com/

club: Quite simply, the Paris, Paris. There’s a real mixture of people in there, it’s the perfect size, and Marco Dos Santos is great.
Paris, Paris, 5 av de l’Opéra, 1st. M° Pyramides. +33 (0)1.42.60.64.45/ www.leparisparis.com.

bar: I don’t go to them very often, but my local is Francis Labutte. They know me, so I don’t even have to order because they know what I want.
Francis Labutte, 122 rue Caulaincourt, 18th. +33 (0)1.42.23.58.26

restaurant: It’s a tiny Italian place without a menu; the waiter just bowls up and tells you what they’ve got that day.
Sale et Pepe, 30 rue Ramey, 18th. M° Château-Rouge. +33 (0)1.46.06.08.01.

quartier: The 18th (Montmartre) – there’s a real mix of people round there, and as I live and work there, it makes life a whole lot nicer.

Source: Gogoparis

France VS UK

2007-05-26T01:42:00.000+02:00

Renault Clio - Twice The Va Va Voom aka Ben and Sophie

La Tour Eiffel

2007-05-25T21:12:00.000+02:00

La Tour Eiffel or the Eiffel Tower is sure to be the no.1 spot in Paris for visitors and even the French, I'm sure, do have at least one picture of/with it. It is most beautiful by night when it shares all the glitters with the city. However, the scene is not any less fascinating by day. I visit the area every once in awhile...the park is very nice to have a picnic or just lay around on the weekends or in the evenings, since the sun in the summer doesn't come down till late. If you like jogging, it's one of the ideal places for it too. I've been "planning" to do that but it seems the data is still under the process hmm... Anyway, Place du Trocadero (the Trocadero square) is where to best get the whole view of Tour Eiffel. Sometimes there will be a group of teens skateboarding or roller skating in the square, many times it's surrounded with tourists...by all means, it's nice to wander around.

Metro: Bir-Kakeim, Trocadero and Ecole Militaire

Paris and the 80's

2007-05-19T11:49:00.000+02:00

Thursdays seem to be popular as a night out for working people here. I've been out to a few clubs on Thursday's nights and I couldn't help but wonder if it's a trend for Thursdays in Paris for the 80's music. I mean on Fridays and Saturdays, it's mainly something else. Not that I have anything against 80's music but too much of it just makes my legs stiff. So these days, though how much I would like to dance I prefer to save it for the weekends and just hang out in a cafe, bar or restaurant instead.

But if you like the type of music, you can find it in clubs around metro Bourse (ie. Bizen, a nice ambient club and restaurant with a speed dating service on weekends, ha!), Sentier and Grands Boulevards (ie. Seven 2 One, a popular spot with a big dancefloor). Expect the after work vibe and crowd - men in suits etc. since the area is where the stock market of France located, among other companies/organizations...

Panoramic Camera

2007-05-08T14:59:00.000+02:00

For all the photography and camera lovers, be it a novice or professional, there is this new toy coming out to seduce your wallet this 2nd quarter of 2007...a "Panoramic camera"! Like its name, it gives a panoramic view...and it actually gave me a panoramic WOW when I first browsed through it. Such a sin to see the gadgets like this one, or those lomo's...You just can't decide which one to go for, then sometimes end up wanting them all! Such a greedy.

More info, check here.

Amsterdam (Part III)

2007-05-01T21:25:00.000+02:00

I'm currently reading the book "My 'Dam Life" by Sean Condon and I couldn't help but quote a few things...which I find really hilarious and true.

"Canals: Every year more than fifty cars are pulled out of Amsterdam's canals.
Pedestrians: Every year more than one hundred pedestrians are pulled from the city's canals."

Rose Bakery, a Little English Teashop in Paris

2007-04-27T15:55:00.000+02:00

After all the fuss about Rose Bakery, whether at Colette, the hippiest cat in Paris, where they have a Rose Bakery's cookbook on the book shelf, or other Parisian lifestyle websites, I finally decided to give it a try a few months ago. After all, the place is only less than 5 minutes walk from my place, including waiting for the elevator. The place is not big but enough for the regulars. Everything is bio and healthy - the bakery, the salads, soy milk etc. The famous dish is actually not a dish but a cake: a carrot cake. I tried it and have to say I have been trying it since. Another favorite dish of mine is a chicken caesar salad; one of the best I've had.

Besides the healthy English bakery concept, the place seems to welcome not only the French locals but tourists(?) as well since everytime I pay a visit, I've heard some English conversation...on the top of that, all of the staffs appear to be fluent in English and I'm sure a few of them are English. Another thing I must add is that not only the food that are tasty, some of the staffs are quite like the food itself. Oops! They appear stylish, be it the hair or the slim jeans... Is it so wrong that you (and me) have something extra to see while enjoying the Sunday brunch (or queuing to get a piece of cake...)

46, Rue Martyrs, 75009 Paris

Amsterdam (Part II)

2007-04-13T15:18:00.000+02:00

As I mentioned about the proper piss corners, today I'd move on to something rather more pleasant to hear...the Dutch food! Er...some might argue that this cannot be so pleasant still, HOWEVER, to me it is at least one of the typical Dutch food I'd tried has become my appetite pleaser...

"The Dutch balls (Kroque)" It's actually a sort of the fried mashed-potatoes mixed with minced pork, either dip in mustard or eat it alone. I tried it on the first day. Then the next day we checked out one of the flee markets there and found another type of Kroque, this time they came in a long and round shape. I couldn't help myself so I ordered four big Kroque's for two persons, the guy was making a "are you sure you want FOUR!?" face. Adding to that, he's a typical good looking Dutch guy, but too cute to sell Kroque really.

La Géode Proves "Size Matters"

2007-04-10T18:45:00.000+02:00

If a traditional movie theatre is too small for your big taste, or a home theatre cannot satisfy you anymore...do check out La Géode, a cinema on a GIANT screen! The enormous dome of La Géode conceals a 400-seater cinema complete with a giant hemispheric screen measuring 1000 m2 across and 26 m in diametre. This means surrounded screen and surrounded sound! Once you're in there, it will make you feel like a part of the action. A satisfying experience indeed. Don't get too used to it though, it doesn't last more than an hour...(then you have to go home facing a small space in the apartment)

Note: For the non-French speaking, as you know that the French like to DUB ANYTHING en Français, so please contact the information desk for a headset in English. In case you forget to ask for it, do the fake-understanding face like me and just appreciate the action on this giant screen...and get more info on the website. ha!

La Géode
26, avenue Corentin-Cariou
F-75019 PARIS

Amsterdam (Part I)

2007-04-07T13:19:00.001+02:00

Visited Amsterdam for the first time in April. Had to say that I even wish to move there one day. It was so relaxing, felt like being in a stress-free zone. But what do I know I'm not actually living there. Could be just the effect of those shroomies and pots. Anyway, it's just different from Paris, not as beautiful regarding the architect-wise but still very nice. One great thing that Paris doesn't have is the magical green, not the green "grass" but the proper cubical for men to take a piss. Paris does have some public toilets, but 1) they are dirty most of the time 2) there are not enough. Walking at night in Paris, one can't help but smelling all these "nice" odors and both fresh and dried traces of them on the street.
Put up something simple like what the Dutch do might help stop spreading diseases around town.

Recommended Spots by the Famous (Part I)

2007-03-25T14:23:00.000+02:00

Some people need to rely on other people's advise to live their life. It'd automatically become a must if it's recommended by the famous faces. No offense. I don't know everything and I do that sometimes.

So here goes the recommends from my fave's:

JEREMY SCOTT

COLETTE
'It’s the hub of everything going on. The energy’s always circulating here. You run into everybody. And Sarah is like a sister to me.'
213 rue St-Honoré, 1st. M° Tuileries. 01.55.35.33.90; www.colette.fr/

COMPTOIR DE L’IMAGE
'For the books, and for owner Michel’s conversation and knowledge. He’s a great, sweet, lovely character.'
44 rue de Sévigné, 3rd. M° Chemin-Vert. 01.42.72.03.92.

LE PARIS, PARIS
'Anything goes, honey.'
5 av de l’Opéra, 1st. M° Palais Royal. www.leparisparis.com/

KRUNG THEP
'Best Thai food I’ve ever had. You sit at high little tables with your legs in a hole.'
93 rue Julien Lacroix, 20th. M° Belleville. 01.43.66.83.74.

GOLDFRAPP

IRCAM
'They rarely let you in there anymore, but they often used to have concerts in Pierre Boulez’s fantasy studio underneath the Pompidou Centre.'
1 pl Igor-Stravinsky, 4th. M° Hôtel de Ville. 01.44.78.48.16/ www.ircam.fr.

GEORGES
'For the view.'
Centre Pompidou, 6th floor, rue Rambuteau, 4th. M° Rambuteau. 01.44.78.47.99.

PICASSO MUSEUM
'It’s got the best Picasso collection in the world.'
Hôtel Salé, 5 rue de Thorigny, 3rd. M° St-Sébastien Froissart. 01.42.71.25.21/ www.musee-picasso.fr.

JARDINS DE LUXEMBOURG
'We love that little park.'
pl Auguste-Comte, pl Edmond-Rostand or rue de Vaugirard, 6th. M° Odéon/ RER Luxembourg.

NOUVELLE VAGUE

RESTAURANT VAGENENDE
'A bit like ‘le Flore’, this timeless brasserie is pretty cool, with a very Parisian style.'
142 bd St-Germain, 6th. M° Mabillon or Odéon. 01.43.26.68.18.

CHERCHE-MIDI 22
'An excellent Italian restaurant in a very swish area.'
22 rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th. M° Sèvres-Babylone. 01.45.48.27.44.

Source: Gogoparis

David Lynch's The Air is on Fire

2007-03-12T16:48:00.000+02:00

First time in Paris and the world to see the artworks of the famous film director David Lynch - the master of the nightmarish and dreamlike films like The Elephant man and Mullholland Drive.

The Air is on Fire provides the opportunity to explore the many sides to his personality in the fields of painting, photography, cinema, sculpture and sound. It presents both old sketches collected since he was young and creations produced especially for the exhibition in a scenography designed in close collaboration with the artist.

To me, the exhibition presents dark and twisted side of human psyche. Some aggressive images through the the space. You will already get struck by the first painting of a couple - the man with a knife in his hand asking the woman half naked on the sofa "do you want to know what I really think?"...or many photographs with a horrid sexual feel to the distorted images...Definitely not recommend to bring your kid along, or else better provide a good answer to any questions that may arise.

The exhibition runs at the Cartier Foundation in Paris until 27 May, 2007.

261, Boulevard Raspail,75014 Paris, France

Interesting review: David Lynch's dark arts laid bare.

Human Skin Handbag

2007-03-12T16:27:00.000+02:00

Originality, creativity and exclusivity seem to be the keywords specially in the high competitive design and fashion industries. But how innovative can you be? The French seem to have it alright...nope I'm not talking about eating frogs. Imagine having a human skin as a material of your bags or clothes. Nah, I'm not talking about the real human flesh and skin, we can't be THAT eco-oriented just yet - helping the world by killing useless scums? I'm talking about synthetic human skin lookalike. It may sound a bit gross to some but if you enjoy this concept and like to convey your *unique* self to the eyes of the public...it's worth it. It can even be personalised like tattoo of a name...!

Check out Skinbag.net

Off the record, I think the bags look pretty cool...might just get one myself.

The "Church" of Knowledge

2007-03-07T08:23:00.000+02:00

For a foreigner who relocates yourself here for whatever reason or a local who enjoys the English speaking world, WH Smith can be a very good source of knowledge, entertainment, escapism (from the daily chansons Français) and so on. I visit the "church" regularly and spend quite a lot on books and magazines especially during the long period I had to wait patiently on the internet installation. Right, there is no surprise about the waiting process for something to be done in this beautiful beloved country.

Anyway, provided a variety of choices in English, you can grab a book and go have a read at Jardin des Tuileries right on the opposite side of it. Very nice.

PS Sometimes I wish the angel side of me (or it should be the devil side?) would show up on my shoulder and stop me from buying too many magazines/books that I haven't yet to finish...so I could save some €€€ to get a Muse bag...Oops

Free Hugs in Paris...and other places

2007-03-06T15:27:00.000+02:00

The Free Hugs campaign has started last year by Juan Mann, an Australian guy who now has inspired people from all the corners of the world to spread the spirit of free love and free hugs to the human fellows.

The original, the inspriation.

Pompidou, Paris 2006 (one of the first in Paris)

Paris, June 2007 (the latest one to date)

China, October 2006

Korea, October 2006

Amsterdam, October 2006

Off the Topic: Dangerous Muse

2007-02-26T02:16:00.000+02:00

Way too hot to handle! The sexy New York based duo, vocalist Mike Furey and programmer/keyboardist Tom Napack rock the electro scene in New York and pretty much other hottest spots in the U.S.

These 80s retro darlings started in 2005 when Mike Furey, a regular at the hottest downtown dance parties and Tom Napack got together. Dangerous Muse's sound is a combination of sexy, dark and lusty then again it's very comfortable on the dance floor.

"Dance music has almost always been totally about the music and the record. Superstars like Madonna and Donna Summer have been few and far between. Mike Furey and Tom Napack of Dangerous Muse could easily be another exception to the rule. Dangerous Muse have the songs, but they also have the style, looks and unswerving dedication and most of all, the smarts to break through in a big, big way and stay there for a long, long time. I'm betting they can and will do it." -Seymour Stein, Sire Records

Keep yourself update and listen to their sexy tunes here.

grrrr...

A Few Useful Paris Guide Books

2007-02-22T08:04:00.000+02:00

Well, well, well, for someone with a memory of a goldfish, plus a small sense of direction like me, I need some tools to save my own self and time. To get around the city, find an address or wherever you'd like to go, this Plan de Paris is an ideal - very detailed (already compared to a few others) and it also comes in a pocket size, convenient to carry around. Seriously though, I might not have survived without it. Another one is Guide Paris by Ofr. It provides you the names and addresses of hotels, shops, cafes, restaurants,etc. with short comments to give you some ideas. All are divided by arrondissement. One downside of this book, though, is that they provide no images. But so far, I'm quite satisfied with it as all the recommended places I had tried out were good.... Last but not least, Paris Chic & Trendy, this is definitely for women. The book lists all the designers and hip boutiques; both French and whatnot. But if you've already been here for quite some months, you can live without it 'cause I'm pretty sure you've already walked pass all of the listed boutiques. Anyway, it's worth a look or two.

Centre Pompidou

2007-02-19T19:47:00.000+02:00

Centre Pompidou is one of the coolest modern museums around with the strangely beautiful inside-out architecture and the unconventional attitude. It sure is one of the most favorite places in Paris of mine.

If you relocate here for a long period I suggest you do a member card which costs less than 30€/year. Not quite sure if this rate is applied to everyone since it could be for people under 25 years old or the rate for a student...Ask the information desk for further details. Anyway, there are new exhibitions going on all year round and being updated every few months. So it sort of forces you (me) to visit every now and then. The souvenir area on the second floor (French 1st floor) is one of the hippest places to find modern designed objects that could be one of a kind.

Besides that, it also is a good place to hangout, bringing your laptop in and connect to the free wifi there, sipping a coffee or having some snacks on the second floor.

Museum of Eroticism

2007-02-15T23:21:00.001+02:00

Well, how could I not talk about this topic when my apartment is right around the corner of the infamous Parisian red light district, Pigalle. When visiting the museum of Eroticism (Musee de l'Erotisme), I expected something nauseous, but I found it to be rather amusing. Walking along the hallway from room to room, there are a whole lot of artifacts, toys, pictures, sculptures...some probably drove some away while I bet some found new interesting ideas from the visit... It's amazing to see how every culture has this type of thing in common hmmm... I think to put up some certain pictures here could offend some people as they are quite obscene, so I chose a few that are acceptable.

The space on the top floor had this exhibition going on with the activities in a toilet, not the usual ones you've come across in the movies or as such. These were quite interesting and at the same time controversial...like the picture here where a "nun" seating herself on a toilet bowl with one hand reaching her beaver pulling out the....(see picture)

In the same room, the walls were being written by visitors...with some very funny comments like right here, caught him red handed!