A sunny London weekend

When was the last time I got so much sun, perfect temperature, and wandering about in a loved city?

We actually met up as early as 9 o'Clock at Holborn, and walked to Camden markets, with a stop for a toilet break at University Hospital. Crowd mingling and wide eyed by the displays of fun merchandise, we almost forgot our stomach.

But we found our way through the dresses, t-shirts and coats, to sit in a Mexican cafe next to the international food stalls.

Then it was more eye shopping through the stable market, and also along the Regent's canal, which made me feel very poetic that day.

The day with J ended in Regents park, watching daisies and species of ducks, recharging the mood batteries and wishing each others well.

It was my best Saturday in a long long time...but it kept me going, waiting for the next goor day.

Rediscovering Paris

Living in Paris for 4 years seems a long time ago. Walking in the small streets around Opera seemed like discovering a foreign unknown city within your own town...I suppose I never ventured in this area before. Similarly, wandering around Gare de Lyon is about rediscovering the sights from days past, and fixing those fuzzy feelings again.

Today is shopping day. No big surprise there.

The sky is blue so far so maybe I will walk around the Marais as well, to test my credit card discipline..muahahahha

Relativity, choice, anchoring, the power of "free" and more

I finally started reading a book I bought a few weeks ago by curiosity. I cannot remember which article mentioned it, but it was probably one of those social science article.

The book is titled "predictably irrational", by Dan Ariely. It's very informative, and good fun to read. Most importantly, it makes me reflect on my decision patterns, or try to identify some patterns I have if any.

I strongly recommend this for those who have an interest in understanding some unexplicable behaviour, or just some source of cocktail party anecdotes.

A day of shopping and letting go

Of course, London is a place to make use of the money painfully earned through patience and self discipline. I forgot the white shirts though:(

My partner in crime got a crash course in crowd navigating and bargain hunting, even if it was very difficult on a crowded Saturday on Oxford Street...and also a cold lesson in ignoring strangers..but she certainly failed that one...Being too nice in the city doesn't get you anything but annoyance and disturbance.

Instead, pouring your heart and soul into producing unheard of sounds in the confines of a not-so-soundproof room is the best way to let go of all the worries and stress...and vapor of alcohol..

One eventful day

I suppose it's been a while since my brain has been challenged this much. I was on a UNIX based course today and I am even surprised I enjoye dit so much. God knows how I avoided using vi in my college years, yet there I was trying to rack my brain with the ways to edit and save a file in the damn editor. Anyway, I only retain things when it is absolutely necessary so for the next 2 days I will almost act as if I knew my way around that UNIX (s)hell.

After a morning that breezed through, an afternoon trying to understand a Solaris based sytem configuration on a full stomach and a drowsy head, I was back to my housing area...and on an impulse to buy something for a cute litle girl (Kenzah), entered a kids' clothes shop. After some difficulty, I found some cute clothes, but then after 5 more minutes I found everything cute and ended up with 7 outfits! Imagine if it were for my own kid! I was shocked. So I put everything back on the rails, and started from scratch. I seriously am not fit for this kind of things. It is much easier to buy clothes for myself. These are clothes she will grow out of in a couple of months too, so it seems like an expensive investment. Without being a parent, I now understand the tight budget they have/had to juggle with.

I got sick of trying to make a decision so ended up buying the 2 things I picked up first...I am a gut feeling person after all.

All that is elft is to be pretty for my passport photo tomorrow.

Weekend bite size pleasures

Fantasy muffins

Stroll in Camden Market to see what's left from the fire

Help! I've gone mad

This morning I woke up at 04:30 to get in line for a bag. It is a designer bag sold in Sainsbury's (a food store like Food Lion or Kroger), and there are only 20 000 of them, or so I was told by my fashionista flatmate, Miss Lyon. She has seen it in the living secction of an airport magazine months ago, and could not buy one fo the 1000 sold in the designer shop, so she convinced me to get in line with her outside a supermarket to get one of the 30 bags given away this morning at selected stores.
We got there at 05:30 and the shop opened at 08:00 (I feel very vain). But the experience was fun as we met other crazy people and their husbands there, knowing that the bag was selling on ebay for more than £400 and sold that morning for £5. There is nothing like greed. I have never heard of the designer before, but she might succeed in becoming a household name: Anya Hindmarch.





The irony though is that it was marketed as a reusable shopping bag because designed with the We are what we Do group, thus environmental friendly item, but it was sold for £5 and given inside a bright orange Sainsbury plastic bag.
I am going bag to bed...

Mechanical theatre

I was idly strolling in the market when some really cute wooden robots attracte dmy attention in the Kinetica Museum in Spitalfields market. They are having an expo on all things mechanical, powered by loads of wheels and rods and it's so beautiful and fun. The engineer in me just marvelled at the different transfers of movements and direction changes to operates those little puppets.This is a nice one, representing a boat sailing on water, with a backdrop of a big rainbow.

There were so much to see, and I only had my crappy phone with me to take pictures and videos so it's probably better to check their website

For most pieces, you push a red button and the installation moves...for small kids and wannabe grownups.

Top 3 things I can't buy

3-Dietary food, such as slim fast and such . I feel miserable because if I buy it then I have to eat it, and they're not very good, except the ones I bought in France years ago but which is now discontinued... I don't like slim fast.

2-panties. Because no matter how I look at them they look huuuuge...:(

1-Condoms...I've never even tried. In a supermarket I walk down that aisle and glance around and discover to my horror that there are millions of boxes of different colors. Geez, as if it wasn't difficult enough. And then for some reason I can't read anymore so I just stare at the aile, continue walking and wonder what's the difference between those condoms: thickness of rubber? talc and powder? reservoir? size? breathable (huh?) flavour? texture? glow in the dark? with or without lubrification? So I leave it to the guy to get them.

I just imagine guys shopping...
'oh man, i only have 2 condoms left and it's the weekend. Gotta get some more. So let's see...what's the cheapest?...hmmm...3 for the price of 2. yeah but this is small. And I need lube. Don't they have family size boxes so that I don't have to do this so often? Hehehe, the ones with flavours...******(censured thought). Oh shit, another guy is coming over (this one is hetero right?). Ah well, whatever is under my hand then. Oh shit this is not what I wanted. Ah well, maybe she will....grrr...run run...ah damn, all the cashiers are girls, ah well, gotta hide this one with the lettuce, or shoo, how about some flowers? yeah..smooth!'

Arghhh that was painful, to try to think like a guy like that. Am glad I'm a girl.

What happens in Vegas...

...Stays in Vegas...but here are some snippets...

First, we stayed in Circus Circus. We went out to see a show of Le Cirque du Soleil, and basically could not escape this whole circus that is Las Vegas (strip clubs, limousines, slots machines).



We didn't spend money on gambling: a mere $4 each, just enough for the waitress to bring us some free drinks. We basically played penny slots and made a dollar last forever! We did spend some money on shows and food, and shopping (that goes for me).

Of course there were the must sees, usually free. But my all time favourite is the dancing fountain in front of the Bellagio.


I could watch it over and over again and never get fed up with it. And I was so lucky on this one as I caught the show with the music from my all time favourite movie.

Jingle bells

Saturday was sunny! So I escaped my newly curtained indoor to join the crowd on oxford Street, unsuspecting the major shopping spree that was going on until I realized they blocked off the street to all vehicle. Among the hordes of families and suburb gangstas, there were many Santas, a truck promoting the Tour de France, an asian/scottish band...


Then walking on to Oxford Circus, I came upon fake snow falling in the wind and four huge white balloons carrying dancers/acrobats moving along some deafening seasonal music. It was very nice but the cold was eating my ears despite the crowd packing itself together to watch the dancers and take pictures with their phones...and this is the kind of footage you get with a crappy mobile phone like mine:




On my way home, I managed to grab a program of the Spitalfields Festival and hopefully will catch a free concert or a choir sometime in the coming week..a yuletide season without music is unacceptable.

A special week

I am having a surreal week

Monday: Went to the free music recital in Covent Garden on Monday and really enjoyed it. Guitar and cello played some spanish and latin american music. It was full as usual and the average age was 60. We probably caught a disease in there but the music was nice. But then again we are 40 years too young, and still with our own teeth..I am mean. After that, we enjoyed the reasonably clement weather for 30min, just enough to head for a Japanese restaurant that specializes in okonomiyaki...very good stuff. It's a Japanese version of an omelette, with cabbage, onions and whatever you want int here, cooked with the love by the waitress that makes you wanna take her place because you want to play with food like her...An experience I would recommend. By the time we stuffed ourselves with okonomiyaki and green tea ice cream, it was time to walk to Oxford Street to buy some trousers, except it took us 3hours to get to H&M because we were also looking for f* me boots...ahhhh..And a big achievement (and a frustration) for me was that I bought nothing that day. Well except for food and tickets for ballet...they don't count, they're not clothes!

Tuesday: Am not sure what happened during the morning since I probably slept until I got to the eye test exam at midday. Then after being forced to read small letters, and had air blown at my pupils, I was too awake to miss some really cheap junk that I haven't even used yet...paint brushes, Christmas cards, backgammon travel set (how many of these do I buy? and where did they all go?), ribbons for my future curtains (still in design at the back of my head), and more I can't rememebr becasue it is lost in my junkyard bedroom. Even dragged Hobbes home to sort out my computer problems. I have a feeling he does that a lot...being patient toward us, internet novice. Then it was time for catching up with Bambi who obviously had a fun day at work, sorting out the workflow. Hot chocolate and crisps in good companyat tea time, which flew by smoothly like cold water running on your head on a hot summer day (feels good).

Wednesday: Work was hell. My heart felt like lead, my head hurt like acid, and it was busy like a Monday. Time was sluggish and wouldn't give me a break. I finished the day longing for a comatose sleep.

Thursday: Started with the all so not healthy English breakfast (yum), and a clear head (at least I was awake). Were pushed on the main stage by puppet master ( yes we have a dictator). It allowed me to see the gallery and the stage of some news broadcasts, which are cool but oh so not glamour...but at least I went in there..yay, and without asking..I was actually asked. Later on, got to tag along to go to the newsroom where a colony of journalists cram into an open space office and work..yikes..scary but had to feel like a tourist in there. So a pretty good day considering the previous day...not to forget: Congrats to Hobbes, good luck in being my boss!

Friday: Not sure if I'll live till tomorrow, but am sure it'll be alright
Saturday: Hope the weather is sunny, I'd like to smile in the sun
Sunday: Day of the Lord, I'll try to go to Church in St Paul...to say Thanks

Anime otaku

Yes, I am shameless and admit I still watch japanese animes. The ones I have however have no cyborg or cars transforming into a giant fighter by combining with other truck or flying jumbo jet. There are real soap opera anime out there, and it is more fun to watch than real bad actors. I must say I like the voice actors in these anime as well, as even when I don't understand much (well, I can only order food, let's face it), I enjoy watching the unsubtitled episodes.

A shortlist of what's out there for instance, all followed weekly:
- Ouran Host club
-Nana

I also started watching Kasimasi but it seems a bit too slow and boring. And of course I sometimes try to catch up on Bleach.

It's really only because there is nothing on tv and I am too lazy to go to the movies. And there is nothing out there anyway..I mean...snakes on a plane..hahahaha what kind of a plot is that? Now that you can take matches and cigarettes but no lipstick or eye drops on a plane...

Cars and disco

Ahh.. so am actually enjoying this 'Top Gear' show on TV..I can only watch it from time to time. My knowledge of car is still very inexistent: 4 wheels, seats, steering wheel, stick shift...really, the rest is if it looks cute or not...those guys go on and on about the model V50K or ZER-O serie (hahahaha)...ah well, let me be girly.

It is september already so I'll get more depressed each day again until next spring...I need to get out more...am serious! But before I can get into the skimpy outfit and show some meat (arghh) I need to face up to the daunting challenge of running the 10Km (yeah yeah, it haunts me...why did I even sign up?)

Until then, I have laundry to do, room to sweep, data to backup, and most frightening, I need to live for 7 days without my dear cocovanille (I can't let go).

Shopping a Belle Epine

J'ai traine toute la petite famille a Thiais, au centre commercial Belle Epine pour acheter de la cire a epiler et des dentifrices a Carrefour. Resultat des courses? On a acheter 2 sachets de courses, incluant deodorants, gel douche, fromage, yaourt, detachant, detartrant, et meme du talc...Les hommes se sont meme achetes des pantalons chez Celio.

Puis ce fut le gros repas chez le marocain d'a cote, ou on s'est empiffre de couscous..mmm trop bon. Finalement il faudra se coucher parce que demain, je vais devoir prendre un prise de sang.

C'est une bonne journee de balade en famille.

Made in Belgium

4kg overweight (ok, more than a week before), and a lot of things to remember, I 've just returned from Bruxelles...yes yes, where you eat fries and chocolate until you die...
So I survived..my dear friend and her husband made sure I eat healthy. Still, the fact is there..So you wonder if everything made in Belgium is so delicious?

I can confirm that the fruit beers are actually nice and I can drink those without wrinkling my little nose to the smell of manly, bitter beer. I tried a kriek beer, which is a cherry one. It drinks like juice and I like it that way.

Other things nice about Belgium? It is a fact that Belgium has the most density of population owning comic books (bandes dessinees) in the world. And I can assure you that after going throgh the comics or graphic novel section at the Made in Belgium Expo, all I wanted was to have all those comics and read them for the rest of my life....just imagine
Natasha, Thorgal, XIII, Lucky Luke, Boule et Bill, Cubitus, Pierre Tombal, Largo Winch, Bob et Bobette, Blake & Mortimer, Alix, Le Psy, Claire et Julie et..., Le Chat, Marsupilami, les stroumpf, Tintin et Milou....arghh..and so many more!

Also at the Expo, I discovered that so many artists are from Belgium: benny B, Lio, Annie Cordy, technotronix...and even Adamo...Phillippe Lafontaine, and of course, Jacques Brel...

So hurrah for Belgium....

More shopping...

Saturday morning. I managed to stay awake on my home from an overnight shift. Out of the warm underground, I met the quiet streets and the chilled air. My favourite time of the day. The beautiful sound of silence and the illusion of clean crisp air. Hopped on the 52 bus, struggled to keep my eyes open, and didn’t miss my stop. Dropped the handbag, undressed, and slipped deep in the soft warm comforter. Closed eyes, exhaled, and drifted into heavenly sleep.


Sweat dropping down my back. Roaring engines covering the whispers of the leaves in the wind. It must be afternoon. I need my daily walk into sunlight before my night shift tonight. Besides, I have nothing to read anymore and could use some window shopping. And I remember I should get those leather belts down at the market. They were only 12 pounds. Gathered all my strength, grabbed a peach, and headed for the crowded market.

On a mission to find something to lift my spirit.
A pair of handmade earrings made of seashells and grains? 7 pounds.
A chocolate brown fake suede leather jacked with white woolly lining? 20 pounds
One handmade wide leather belt with metal thingies incrusted in it? 40 pounds (gasp)
Smells of great Caribbean food? Free!
Colourful handmade glass jewellery: rings, earrings, pendants? 25 pounds at least

Wait. I need a lamp or a light bulb for my room. Bought light bulbs the day before but they don’t fit. Looking at those garland lights in the shape of flowers and stars (10 pounds). Got into the deco shop having a clearance sale. Got 2 candles for 2 pounds. That will do. I won’t dress in the dark tonight.

Laughter tickled my sleepy brain: just saved 38 pounds and won light!

Going shopping

While waiting for the tube, I blankly stared at a huge poster promoting Toronto as a destination. The top level showed four young women, arm in arm, laughing with their teeth out, and looking very happy in a bustling street bordered with tall skyscrapers. The text in huge font was spelling out RETAIL. The bottom of the poster displayed a woman wrapped in a white towel, lying on her belly with her eyes closed, and awaiting for a masseur. The word THERAPY spanned the width of the picture. And it quite fitted my needs at the time: retail therapy or shopping session was always welcome in my world.

I used to consider grocery shopping as a mere activity to get bread and milk for the fridge. Living 15minutes from the Portobello Road fresh market changed all that. One Day I had a good list of groceries set up in my head: bread, milk, some oranges, tomatoes, and most importantly, toilet paper. I got out, and decided to walk my way down to the market in an attempt to burn some fat. To be honest though, it was because my bus card had expired the day before, and the weather was pretty sunny. I rolled down Ladbroke Grove road, turned left and found myself in the middle of hordes of tourists. I forgot it was Saturday, which meant thousands of tourists with cameras admiring the antique market and the handmade goods at various stalls.

So I fought my way through, and started admiring the vivid colors of the fruits and vegetables on display. I got myself a box of raspberries to nibble through my shopping. The cries of “5 mangoes for a pound” startled me and I instinctively walked back to the stall and got 5 mangoes. Which was not a good idea because they were huge and heavy and I haven’t even bought anything on my list yet. I told myself this was my weight training of the day.

My next stop was the flower stall, where I stared long minutes at flowers of unknown names, and bought nothing. I suspect it was just an excuse on my part, a way to calm down before passing by the bread and snack vendor just next to it. The stall was adorned with bagels, fruit tarts, pizza, baguettes, round breads with Italian names, foccacias, donuts, and more…

Walking up the hill with a newly bought chocolate donut, I almost bought a stamping rubber with an intricate flower design. Fortunately I didn’t have enough cash on me. I passed by various jewelry stalls, old and antique leather and wooden toys and games stall, an expensive macaron shop, and more antique merchants. Finally I got to Notting Hill gate station and topped up my bus card. I got home by bus, to realize I absolutely didn’t buy anything useful. And while washing those beautiful mangoes, I discovered they were all very ripe and soft, and needed to be eaten soon.

The day’s worth? 5 mangoes and no toilet paper!

That Viagra commercial

Have you noticed that Viagra commercial yet? The one which features the song by Queens: "We are the Champions"....very appropriate.
I realized men are so lucky to have their problems solved by a litle pill. A man's ego is summarized in that litle magic. In contrast I have trouble deciding what to eat, or when to eat, what to wear, be friedly while PMS-ing, why is he not calling, what card to send to my friends today,my tighs are too big, are my eybrows symmetric, ...and the list never ends.
Of course, you can always argue I watch too much TV, and I agree totally.

So for all the women out there who haven't found the perfect commercial to solve their problems, I say:
CHEERS, for without us there won't be trade. No GAP, or Victoria Secrets, no sunless tanning lotions, no huge diamond on a ring, and no bikini's....

Oh, and by the way, the razor commercial (Venus) is not comparable to the viagra...

After Sun shout Out

You think this is insignificant, but there is a market for After Sun lotion. When you go to the grocery store, all you see is sun block and sunless tanning lotions. Then hidden in the middle of somewhere (pads and toothpaste, you might find one botle of after sun lotion.
Agreed, you just need something with Aloe Vera and mint or anything soothing after sun. But you know, creating a label that says After Sun might actually prompt people to use some soothing lotions, hence increase sales..but then again, whatever ...I'm no marketing guru here! Just looking for a choice of After Sun Lotion!
Peace!