Was very keen to stay at home yesterday evening as it was Mid Autumn Festival and I guessed that there would be fireworks released from Chinese Garden. After knowing that MJ can see the National day fireworks from his window, I got very jealous...so want to experience viewing fireworks from my window too....
Years ago, when we first moved into this place, we also caught some fireworks unexpectedly during Chinese New Year....sometimes during National day, we can also hear fireworks released from the science centre....thereafter, we don't have such luck....
So I was pleasantly surprised to suddenly hear some "explosions" and when I turned around, i saw the fireworks in the sky! Quite a nice ending to this unexciting day...
This year's Mid Autumn Festival was spent sending off MC...this special day was his last day in the office. Although I've joined this company for almost 6 months...the people that I actually speak to in this company are very limited...and MC is one of the guys that I spent quite alot of time with...this is because we take the same transport to and from work...so we do have time to talk on the van / mini-bus and we also have lunch together....
Although in the first few weeks when I started taking the transport, I somtimes felt that my time to sleep on the journey was deprived by our conversations...yet...when there is no one to talk to....the silence needs some getting used to....guess we are all like that....u never notice it til its gone....
Well, of couse we wish him all the best in his new job. Dinner with MC, CS, RoT, RC @ Crystal Jade Taka was interesting...cos it seems that it is the first time I am out in town with my new colleagues....the other times...we seem to be only going to places which seem less populous....
As it was also MJ's birthday, I met up with him and K for drinks @ Indochine. Have walked past this place many times, but yesterday was the first time I was sitting there and enjoying the atmosphere...it is quite an interesting place with live music...it's amazing that live music really livens up the place...the place wasn't too crowded since it was a weekday night.
Well, although I wrote a long blog about my getting lost in Paris, it was really a good trip cos I was exposed more towards the life of a French family rather than life of a tourist in Paris...
Well, in my earlier blog, I didn't mention the part about Eric bringing me to their neighbourhood market. Well, actually the French culture is very similar to the Chinese culture, both being very particular about food & both eating anything under the sun that moves...
Anyway, in the market...it was like a wet market...not a supermarket! But it was abit cleaner as it was not wet.... (haha...abit contradictory)..
At the store where they sell pork / beef...I found a strange looking animal on display...after checking with Eric, it was confirmed that the poor animal is a rabbit. (Pls do not kill me, M, we did not buy it so I did not eat it)...
Opposite the store selling pork/beef/rabbits is a store selling horse meat! And there were also stores selling cheese only....it was definitely an eye opener...
For lunch, my hosts served some kind of meat....to my horror, I found that it was chicken and pigs' hearts....to complete my French experience, I tried some of it...but declined a second helping...to the delight of my hosts' children who love it.
I also have to own up that in the posh French restaurant that Eric brought me to in my first evening in Paris, I tried some fois gras...and actually I didn't really like it cos it was abit slimy....
Anyway here is the link to my Paris photos:
by iridescent4
Fish story 1:
Today, R drove us to have curry fish head for lunch. It is quite a new experience since we normally just walked to somewhere near during lunchtime...however, since our lunch kaki size is reducing...we have to start mingling with other people.
Having curry fish head together...is quite a new thing...when we all share a common dish...whether one cares for others is very obvious....Me, not being an expert in eating fish...just ate quietly by myself...however R kept on putting more fish on my plate....it's really quite fun to have lunch with her...and have her "fuss" over us. :P
Fish story 2:
Don't know why i suddenly had craving for swordfish sashimi...after we had dinner & drinks...anyway, it was fun to b able to juz pop to sushi tei and order my fav sashimi as dessert before the they close....
After my adverture on Saturday, I was abit reluctant to venture out alone on Sunday....so after the nice BBQ lunch prepared by my hosts...I told them that I was ready to shelve my plans of going to the Monet Museum. Actually another reason is that I haven't really done my homework, and am not exactly sure which museum I should go to.
Anyway, so Eric decided to bring me on a cycling trip...and I tell u, it is like the most I have cycled in my life! It was almost 4 hours of cycling....we went with "Come", Eric's eldest son...and it was quite difficult cos we had to lug our bikes up flights of steps for some of the distance...and also becos I was riding Coralie's bike which has a baby seat behind...I had difficulties mounting the bike and it was also an additional weight. Seriously, being a mother is not easy!
I was really very exhausted...at the end of the day ....ended up having candle-light dinner with Eric and Coralie in their backyard...and while Eric was watching The Rugby World Cup with his friend, Coralie and I chatted in the garden, sipping our wine...it was a good evening..and I had to go pack my bags for my trip back home the following day.
Part I of my adverture in Paris on Saturday:
Saturday!!! Day of shopping...and jostling with the Paris crowd....
As I have a shopping list of things to get on behalf of colleagues and friends, I was on a mission. Luckily, some items on the list were easily found at Galeries Lafayette...but alas, they were quite heavy and I had to lug them around with me, while I walked around Paris. As usual, this blur girl got lost...walking in the opposite direction...and having to walk double the distance in the end....
It seems silly cos I know that Printemps is beside Galeries...but which direction is it beside? I spent some time searching for it b4 I remembered that I had to go to the Terrace on the top floor to see the scenery...I think it is the 7th level... so I went back to Galeries again...
See my picture of Eiffel taken from the Terrace....then I attempted to travel to Madeline station as instructed by my hosts...the problem was that there are many train stations...so somehow, I went to a train station that do not link directly to Madeline station and I had to switch a couple of trains before reaching Madeline station....and walk towards Champs Elysees...as mentioned above, my sense of direction was not very good or should I say that I got complacent when I saw the correct street name that I didn't check the direction that I was walking and went in the opposite direction instead...with so much walking, I had to call it a day b4 i reached the Arch de Triomphe as it was quite late already.
This is Part II of my adverture in Paris on Saturday
The trains system in Paris is such that there is a main Metro for downtown Paris and another train system called SNEF to travel to the outskirts...while I managed after asking around, to find the station to get to the SNEF station. I couldn't find the platform where the train goes to Gany (where I was staying). When I found the platform completely empty, I started to panic alittle...yet no one could tell me where to go due to the language barrier.
After going back to almost ground level in the station, I attempted to ask some passerby...an immigrant....and he very kindly put down the bags of groceries in his hands and went to the display screen to read the display. Well, the display screens are abit funny...they do not show the current trains...but the next train (I guess), and also the stations are identified by numbers / alphabets eg. A1, B3 etc. But these listings were not listed on the maps that I have...so I couldn't really find out the platform I should go to board the train.
Well, I mentioned the immigrant becos, truth be told, I'm abit afraid of them..cos somehow, they have not left a good impression on me. But thru my process of getting lost, I realised that they can be the nicest and more sincere people...more so than the Parisens on the street.
After much searching around, I finally found my platform and got on the train....it was about 11:30pm when I arrived at my station...and had to walk about 10min back to my hosts' place...it was abit scary cos it was quite quiet and I looked alittle conspicious with the branded shopping bags (Shopping List from colleagues)...
I was really very relieved when I finally reached their street...think my host was also abit worried about me being out alone til so late.....luckily it was a good ending afterall.
Although I remembered watching this show, I can't remember the exact storyline, except that part of the movie was filmed in Montmarte. This Friday evening, Eric brought me to Montmarte to visit the Sacre Coeur.
After walking around to find a suitable place for dinner, we finally settled at La Grolle de Montmartre. This place specialises in the cuisine of Savoy, an Alpine region that produces lots of fromage, which is Eric's hometown.
We ordered tartiflette which consists of sliced potatoes, sauteed onions, cubed ham and gooey cheese...it was quite nice!
On Thursday, I explored Versailles, where the office and hotel are, by myself...
Walking around by myself was really quite fun...I could just walk to wherever I felt like going. First abit of shopping, and then I discovered that I do not have my camera nor my wallet with me!!! Hence, wasn't really in a mood to shop, just in case the wallet was lost, instead of lying somewhere in the hotel room. Then, I walked over to Chateau Versailles, the famous Palace in Versailles...
and walked around the garden til almost closing at 8:30pm....and I got truly and completely lost. Luckily with no special plans made...I could just wander around, looking at the beautiful buildings... Luckily I managed to find my location on the map after some time and got back to the hotel safely...
too bad this absent minded girl forgot to bring the camera..so only took some pictures from my mobile...
See the neat trees in the palace!
Finally I am back in the most romantic city in the world...everything happened so fast that it really seems like a dream. When I was asked if I want to visit the office in Versailles...I was screaming inside...OF COURSE!
But I didn't dare put much hope into it since the company is cutting cost...Hence I really couldn't believe it when Eric called me to tell that I can go to Paris...I was like REALLY?!? Anyway, with only a week to prepare, I haven't really had time to think or plan on the places that I want to visit...
Although I was feeling apprehensive in the beginning, cos it is the 1st time I fly 12-13 hours alone...I was still looking forward to my trip.....I am so lucky to have a wonderful boss....for my first evening (Wed)in Paris, Eric brought me to dinner @ a nice restaurant in Paris behind Notre Dame...we walked abit along River Seine before dinner...
Coralie, his wife, is the most wonderful woman. I wonder how many Chinese woman can let her husband go out with another woman....and this was not the first time ...we also went out for drinks together when we were in HK...this is really a hard act to follow....
Walking thru Raffles Place after work, brings back memories of my 3 years @ KP...seeing the people in corporate gear hurrying home or to the gym...this was my life then...
Walking towards Big Bird and sitting by Singapore River, I am reminded of the lunch-times where P and I sometimes walk all the way from our office just so that we can enjoy some peace and quiet from our stressful lives...
It feels so good to be able to chat with P last weekend...I really miss her, probably it's time for me to visit her and her baby...
Is insomnia contagious? Why have I caught it? Sharks...have to survive on less than 4 hours of sleep today....