Monday, December 24, 2007

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!!!

Hey!!

Here we are, one day before Christmas!! You know how much I love Xmas!! I like listening to Christmas songs, seeing all the decorations, buying christmas gifts ...
Even if this winter I cannot often go out because of my health, I feel really lucky, because my mom's decorated all my room to make me feel happy, with lots of garlands, fairy lights, a little christmas tree ... She also surprised me by taking me to the Champs-Elysées two weeks ago, to show me all the christmas decorations. It's amazing and really beautiful, and most of the stores there have decorated their windows. And when you go there, it just smells christmas and I love it. The only deceiving point there is there is no big christmas tree, like for example in Galeries Lafayette, or at the Rockefeller Center in NYC. There are only few small white christmas trees at a small traffic circle there. I thing it's really too bad, because that's the Champs-Elysées. It's such a big and famous place, where so many french people and tourists go everyday ...
My mom and I went to Starbucks there to drink a hot chocolate, and I've never seen a such fancy Starbucks before haha, It's obvious we were on the Champs-Elysées.


In my opinion, I thing we don't celebrate Christmas enough in France, especially compared with Germany or the US (where we can see many great decorations outside and where people decorate their houses pretty well). It's too bad ...
The only part where people celebrate Christmas a lot is the east part, just next to Germany. The Christmas market in Strasbourg is very famous! They talk about it every year on TV, and it looks gorgeous! Unfortunately I've never been there yet.
But except that, most of the cities put like 5 decorations in a city, and usually we don't hear so many christmas songs in stores or in cafés. For example in Paris, only 3 places are pretty well-decorated : The Champs-Elysées, The Eiffel Tower, and Les Galeries Lafayette (It's a huge mall, like Macy's in the US, or maybe a bit bigger). Usually it's pretty crowded there at Christmas.
The cool thing is TV channels air all the christmas movies & cartoons (like the Disney Movies, Home alone, How the Grinch stole Christmas, Gremlins, Jingle all the way, the Santa clause ...)


Rumor has it London is also pretty-well decorated, but I've never been there at Christmas. I don't know how much people celebrate Christmas in other countries, so if you want to talk about it, feel free to do it by letting comments.


Anyway, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!!!

Here are some photographs I took recently : My decorated room, and the Champs-Elysées two weeks ago. I also made 2 videos of the Champs Elysées, enjoy!














































































































































Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Pullip Addict

I've decided to make you discover one of my hobbies, collecting Pullips. For now I've got 9 Pullips. Before explaining what pullips are, I would like to let you know that you're free to leave me comments about any entry, don't be shy ;) It'd be cool to read you.
About Pullips, the photographs you're going to see are the pullips I bought, enjoy ^_^

I took this straight from the wikipedia website.

Pullip is a collectible fashion doll. It was created by the Korean company Cheonsang Cheonha and marketed by JUN Planning of Japan. Since release in 2003, other types of dolls were added to the Pullip line: - male Namu (retired)
- male Tayaeng
- younger girl Dal
- miniature versions of pullips called Little Pullip




Pullips are released on a monthly basis, and there are additional limited release exclusives sold occasionally. Each edition has a Unique name with distinct face make-up, hair, outfit, accessories, and box.
The Pullip has an unique eye mechanism that allows the eyes to move back and forth, and wink, using levers on the back of the head. Pullips are highly articulated. Pullip can be personalized
and customized. Pullip is about 12 inches tall with an oversized head. The body is about 9 inches
tall (1:6 scale), the size of many fashion dolls such as Barbie and Jenny.



Body :

The articulated Pullip body has gone through several changes. Early dolls had Marmit-type bodies with visible screws. The first three dolls (Moon, Street, and Wind) have necks that can snap easily, though this was fixed with later releases.
Starting in December 2003 with the release of Venus, Pullip had a new body (called the "Type 2" body), which had no visible screws, a soft torso, and joints that can be pulled apart. This body had more realistic proportions, and to date is the most poseable body. Disadvantages of this body include the limbs can fall off or pull apart too easily, the soft torso 'pops' out of the hip joint, and that the plastic of the body had a tendency to melt under certain environmental conditions, mostly high heat and humidity.
With the release of Lan Ake and Lan Ai in 2005, a newer body was created with less articulation, a smaller more child-like body, and hinged wrists/ankles. This is referred to as the "Type 3" body. While sturdier than its predecessors, this body is the least poseable.















Special Editions and Exclusives :
While the regular release of Pullip is 'limited' in that only a certain amount are made, this number is known only by the manufacturer. Occasionally a limited release exclusive pullip will be made in a quantity between 300 and 1500, and sold in addition to the regular monthly release. Some stores that have had exclusives are Toys-R-Us Japan, Magma Heritage (Singapore), HauteDoll (U.S.), TBS shop (Japan), and pullip.net (Korea). The limited sales exclusives came with a certificate showing their production number, until the September 2007 exclusives that did not include a certificate. In early 2006 with the release of Fall Purezza, Jun Planning announced that it would no longer make exclusive dolls due to the dolls cutting in on the demand of the regular releases. They apparently changed their mind in early 2007 with the release of the first U.S. store exclusive, Haute, by HauteDoll, which was later followed by multiple Japan exclusives.



In anticipated of the 5th anniversary of pullip, five dolls were released as part of the "Another Alice" limited edition set including anAnother Alice, Another Queen, Another King (Taeyang), Another Rabbit (Dal), and Another Clock Rabbit (Dal). These were inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Pullip collectors often refer to this set as the "Golden Alice" set. Their original release date (August 2007) was postponed in order to include the new eye-closing feature on the Another King Taeyang. Persons that ordered the complete set received a bonus flamingo figurine. Only 500 of each of these dolls were released.In 2006, Jun Planning began releasing licensed pullips of the characters of the popular anime/manga Rozen Maiden series. These were not limited sales with the exception of the final Rozen Maiden pullip, Kirakishou (which was an exclusive to TBS/Japan). Many other collaboration dolls have or will be released including H. Naoto, Hello Kitty, and Neon Genesis Evangelion Pullips in 2007 and early 2008. Holly is based on Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) from the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Rozen Maiden, Hello Kitty, Evangelion, and H. Naoto editions are not exclusive or limited sales dolls but have higher prices than standard dolls due to licensing.
Prior to 2006, Jun Planning released some editions that bore close resemblance to popular characters and celebrities but are not officially licensed. Fantastic Alice is similar to Disney's rendition of Alice in
Wonderland. Rida bears resemblance to Nana. The Happy Birthday 2 doll set is a Native American pullip named Sacagawea and Namu named Geronimo. Principessa bears close resemblance to some images of Japanese musician/designer, Mana.















Other Pullip Merchandise :

- Pullip Costume : Pullip Costume/Fashion are clothes and accessories sold by JUN Planning for Pullip dolls. This includes complete costumes, articles of clothing, and accessories. Pullip Costume items were released sporadically. Many sets were cancelled or discontinued following their announcements.
- Magazine : JUN Planning authorized a Pullip Magazine book that is is 88 pages long, written in Japanese, and published July 2005. The magazine book includes the full catalog of each Pullip released up to that point, concepts, interviews with the designers, collaborations with popular clothing lines, guides on customizing pullips, and outfit patterns of brand name fashion designs.

Customizing :
Like the more expensive Ball-jointed doll, these dolls are easily customizable. Pullip dolls released prior to March 2004 had rooted hair, but the scalp pieces can be swapped with other pullips. Dolls after this point have wigs that can be removed more easily. The head and eye mechanism can be taken apart with a simple screw driver. Changes range from minor such as wig or eye-color swapping, to custom dolls of completely new designs. More intensive customization can include resculpting the face or body, adding piercings, tattoos, ears, teeth, and facial hair.















Interesting links :
JUN Planning official website

Official Pullip website
The Dollhouse Tutorials & Custom Galleries
Pullip Dolls Much Fansite
HauteDoll
Pullipland
Pullip.net


The next Pullip I want to get : Pullip Hello Kitty ! Isn't it cute?


Monday, December 10, 2007

I'm back

Sorry for that change, my other blog in English was cool, but this new one is really easier to use and I can manage more things.

About the title, it can sound pretentious (but don’t worry I’m not, I mean I think lol), it’s from the new American TV Show “Gossip Girl”. I love it, and in the opening theme, Gossip Girl says : “Who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell, you know you love me, xoxo, Gossip Girl”, so I thought it was fun .



About my surgery (it was on November 15th), it’s ok. Actually I was surprised because I had so many horrible memories from that hospital … but this time it was fine. I wasn’t such in pain (God bless morphine), at first they had to give me a machine that could have shot me morphine when I pushe a button, but they had no more machine, so, when I was in pain, I asked nurses for a shot of morphine, and in 5 minutes I felt so much better, it’s so cool, but don’t worry I’m not an addict ^^. I was so tired, because of the surgery and all these pills I had to take, that I slept during all my stay in hospital. I lost my appetite for 2 weeks, I think it’s because of the anaesthesia, but it was ok because the food at the hospital was really disgusting, most of the time I ate only bread and a yogurt for each meal. But fortunately, my mom and Céline brought me junk food .


For 2 days, I had a high fever, and the bad thing is when a patient has fever, the nurses have to do a blood test twice in one hour. But when you often have blood tests and shots, the veins hide. So each time they had to do a blood test to me, they stung, but the needle wasn’t in the vein, so the nurse moved the needle in my arm, trying to find my vein, and you can imagine how painful it was. Once, the nurse failed twice before succeeding to do the blood test. After each blood test or shot, I got a bruise. And since I had the surgery, and for two months (until the doctor removes my cast), as I cannot walk at all, I have to get a shot every day to make my blood coagulate. I don’t like blood test very much because sometimes it can be painful, but about the shot, I really don’t care because it’s not painful at all. So in one week in hospital, I got at least 16 stings, between blood tests and shots, I think it’s my record haha! And the funny part is, after having done the blood tests, nobody told me if I had any infection lol, the perfusion I got worked, so I guess the fever was caused by the surgery (and by the fact I was really exhausted).


I know it can sound weird, but I was happy because that time, I wasn’t such in pain (especially if I compare with my other surgeries I got in this hospital), and the nurses were really nicer and also more patient. I was just sick sometimes, because, especially the first days after the surgeries, I needed to rest, and I couldn’t sleep well, because each hour the nurses had to come to check my temperature and my blood pressure (and they were worried because it was very low, but usually I have low blood pressure – that’s why I often have headaches and migraines – so I told them to not worry about it), anyway, it wasn’t their fault because they just did their job, it’s just it doesn’t help when you want to sleep lol.


I wasn’t alone in my room, there was another girl, Linda, she was 22, and when I arrived she’s already had her surgery (of her foot). I never dared to ask which disease she had, because she wasn’t able to talk at all, I don’t know why, and she didn’t use signing, she just made a specific sign with her hands for “yes”, “no”, and “maybe”, and when she wanted something specific, she wrote what she wanted on her Nintendo DS. She was really cool, we communicated a bit and we succeeded to understand each other.


I don’t know what I’ll do if I couldn’t talk, I’m so talkative, talking is such an important thing to me … I feel lucky, because yes I’m sick, and I know there isn't a cure, but finally it’s not so serious when I compare myself with other sick people. There are many things I cannot do, I know that, but I can walk a bit, and even if I have less strength than healthy people, I can move my legs and my arms, and I can use them, and there are also so many things I can do!
That’s why I try not to complain too much. There are so many more miserable people than me …


And I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful friends! I really want to thank all the people who supported me (and who keep doing it), thank you for all your phone calls, your text messages, your emails, your messages on facebook … It helped me a lot and it means a lot to me!!! I’m nothing without my friends, so I love ya all!!


When I was in hospital, only my mom, Celine and Monique could have visited me, because there was a huge strike of public transportation, no bus, no subway, no train, it was such a mess, and it lasted almost 2 weeks! Fortunately lots of friends have visited me since I got back home. Jaouhara brought me 2 boxes of chocolates (thank u again, they are delicious!!), and my mom bought lots of homemade cakes, so I think I’ll gain 10 kilos by the end of the months haha. No seriously, I’m trying to be reasonable, because as I cannot walk at all, I cannot burn many calories.


Since I’m not allowed to put my foot on the floor, and of course to walk, I have to stay in my room and I cannot do anything by myself. Of course my parents, especially my mom (because my dad works like a dog), are really helpful, but I know it’s disturbing for them, I feel guilty to bother them all the time, but I can’t do anything except saying “thank you” and “sorry”. I’m trying to not ask too much, but in any case, I’m losing my dignity, I’m not going to die for that of course, but I’m looking forward to walking again!!
Five days ago, I went back to the hospital; they removed my stitches and replaced my cast.


The rare moments when I can go out, it’s because of my mom, because we can drive to La Defense, because it’s a huge mall and it’s accessible for wheelchairs, and now there is a big Christmas market, I love it, I love all the stuff about Xmas haha., and I already bought almost all the Xmas gifts for the family. There is also a huge movie theater there, so I saw 4 movies in 2 weeks; 2 french movies: “Ce soir je dorts chez toi” and “L’auberge rouge”, it was fun but they’re not the best movies of the year. I also saw 2 American movies :

- “Enchanted”, the last Disney movie. I loved it, it’s a mix of animation and reality, it’s magical and funny.

- His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass”, with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Eva Green. I love that sort of movies, it’s the same as Narnia, Harry Potter …

The funny thing is, as I cannot walk and of course climb the stairs, I have to stay in my wheelchair and see the movie from the first row, and I’m so close to the screen, I feel like I’m in the movie haha.

Anyway, I’m really in good mood because even if I hate winter, it smells Xmas ^_^ and I love Christmas !!

The only problem is, as I stay in my room all the day, and I go out rarely, I’m pretty bored. Of course I have many DVDs to watch, many books to read, Internet, but, I don’t know …
I watch TV and DVDs a lot (I’m watching again all the Sex & The City episodes, I love that show so much, Carrie Bradshow rocks!!), but all the day it’s really boring. About Internet, it’s cool like 2 hours, but as most of my friends are offline during the day because they work, I cannot speak so much. I have to read more, but the problem is, since my surgery, when I open a book, I fall asleep in 5 minutes anytime. I’ve started a book from Agatha Christie, it looks really good and I absolutely want to finish it quickly.

Fortunately, lots of friends visit me and call me and it really makes my day!!

Thanks to Eva’s advices, I bought a computer program to learn Spanish, I took a look and it really looks efficient, but I also want to buy a book, because I have a pretty bad memory (you know, like the fish in the movie Finding Nemo haha), so I would like to review the vocabulary on a real support. I also got many Spanish songs from Calle 13, Babasonicos, Julieta Venegas, Ojos de Brujo, Silvio Rodriguez … I’ve started listening to them, and I like them!
I’m very motivated to learn Spanish! Thank you Eva for motivating me and for all your advices. I’m crossing my fingers strongly to meet you in Paris (hopefully) soon!!

I’m also so happy because my lovely friend Gregory (from Martinique), whom I met in NYC, is coming to Paris at the end of December, he’s so cool!! I haven’t seen him for almost 2 years, and I really do miss him!

One of my hobby is to collect Pullips (that's special japanese dolls). I may write another post about that later. Anyway, I'm so excited, because I've ordered a new one online from an american store, its name is Haute Pullip in New York, it looks so cool! It's a limited edition of 500!!
Here is its description (from the online store) : "That doll comes with casual outfit, dress
outfit, casual handbag, dress handbag, hat, sandals, Metro Card, dog, bracelets, sunglasses and stand. Her hair is a dark green, pulled back in 2 ponytails just behind her ears upon arrival to you!!!"
I'm such lookin' forward to getting it! Here are few photos :












OK, for those who read all this post, congrats to u, you’re brave!!! Hope I didn’t complain too much.

Before leaving, check it out : http://www.chamane-art.com/

That’s my cousin’s website, he launched his own company, he sells elfic post cards that he drew himself. They are really beautiful, they are big, and I don’t think it’s expensive (2€/a post card). I’m so proud of him, and he’s really talented! Here are few post cards he drew: