Oli'cious

AWESOME NEWS

2009-02-19T12:42:00.004+01:00

AWESOME NEWS !! I’ve successfully completed my trial period at work so now I have officially a contract for an unlimited period !! I'm so relieved!! I started working on November 24th, and normally (in France) a trial period lasts at least 3 months, but my manager validated mine 2 weeks earlier. She told me that she was very satisfied with my work, that I'm very professional, I have a good team spirit, I’m always on time, I always smile...I was so happy about her feedback, especially because I suffer from a lack of self-confidence (which inevitably increases my level of stress). And she did tell me that I should be more self-confident because I’m competent. I was quite surprised because usually people say "ok you're great (blablabla) BUT...”, but this time there was no BUT, so now I feel pretty good and I m gonna try to keep doing that way to not get any "BUT" haha ;)
One more time, thank you to all the people who’ve believed in me and have supported me!!! It means a lot to me!

Except that, hmm, nothing much to tell… I caught a cold for the second time in 2 months… sore throat, fever… That’s so weird because usually I’m NEVER sick ^^. But actually it’s pretty cold in my office, and I think you all know that I’m (too) sensitive to the cold. But this winter is pretty harsh so everybody is sick haha.

About entertainment, I attended a great play last Sunday, called La Maison du Lac (Translation: The lake house). It was pretty funny; I really had a good time! (I love going to theater)

I also went to the movies, but only twice since the last time I posted:
- Yes Man: I liked it, I laughed a lot, I don’t laugh at all Jim Carey’s movies, but this one was really funny!
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I lovedddd it! Unfortunately I didn’t read the book, but the storyline is really original. Benjamin Button’s character is very moving, and you’re really getting attached to him while you watch the movie. And the love between Benjamin (who doesn’t stop getting younger) and his love of his life (who of course is getting older) is really well-described and beautiful!
And I hope I’ll have the opportunity to see these other movies: LOL (French movie), He's Just Not That Into You (yes I love girly movies haha), Bride Wars, Espion(s)(French movie), Slumdog Millionaire, Le Code a Change (French Movie)

Two weeks ago, I was invited by my lovely friend Jaouhara to the concert of Travis. Travis are a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, they have already released six studio albums and they have twice been awarded British album of the year at the annual BRIT Awards. I didn’t know any of their songs before attending their concert, but I really had a blast! I love their style and their music so now I have to buy their albums hehe. Thank you Jaou for the invitation! (Only disadvantage : There was no elevator... so I had to climb like 40 big steps.. but thank you girls for your help!)

Before ending this post, I really want to congratulate Lili who is going to work at Disneyland Paris for a long time (and I know it’s her dream), so congrats Lili !!! You deserve it!

Happy New Year 2009 !

2009-01-26T21:22:00.005+01:00

Happy New Year !!!!

I wish you all the best : Health, love, friendship, success and happiness!!

Well, what can I say… I’m super happy!! I still love my job (my trial period should end at the end of March), my manager is great and I learn a lot. For now, it’s a pleasure to work in this company. It’s a bit stressful, but I love to have responsabilities!

I’m also very excited because Monique and I are going in Miami for 6 days in the middle of April!! I miss the states so much!! I’ve already gone to Miami for 3 days in Thanksgiving in 2005 (with Audrey), but we didn’t have the opportunity to visit. So it’s now or never haha. We’re going to plan our visits in advance because we don’t want to waste time when we’ll be over there. Visits, shopping, enjoying the sun… I’m looking forward it!!

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas! Mine was great. This Christmas was special because Olive (a friend from Korea) spent it with my family and me. I met Olive (her real name is Dong sun but she wants us to call her Olive because it’s easier) through Eunhyung (whom I miss badly). So a few months ago, Eunhyung (who also lives in Korea) told me that her best friend had to come to Paris to learn French, and as Olive knew nobody over here, Eunhyung asked me if I could advice her. Olive and I exchanged emails for a couple of months to get to know each other, and I did my best to advice Olive well haha, then she spent Xmas and New Year’s Eve with us. When I met her the first time (for Xmas time), Olive started learning French for 2 months, and I was very impressed because she’s learned very fast (but she also very studious), she’s already had a great level in French!! She understands pretty well when we speak, and it’s very easy to have a conversation with her. She’s curious and friendly, so it was definitely a pleasure to have her at home! And I love the fact that we have to explain her French habits, make her discover the French food (my mom cooked way too much but it was delicious), and try to help her with all the administrative stuff. I’m very happy to help! It’s a wonderful experience! Now she lives in a dorm in Paris but sometimes she stays at home for the week end and we hang out together;

Just after Christmas, I finally started reading the book Twilight (Chacha pressured me to read it because she knew I’d like it –she knows me so well haha- and I also wanted to read the book before watching the movie), and I finished reading it 2 days later. I loved it... the story (the content is so harmless, that's cute), the characters (the relationship between Bella & Edward is so well-described, with so many details), and I like the fact that Bella is the narrator and that she uses the first-person verb to speak of herself, because we (the readers, women at least haha) feel like we really are Bella, so all that happens to her becomes more intense... Before reading it I was expecting to not like it because I thought it’d be a vampire book but it’s not. I was such into it that I read all the sequels in only one month. New Moon (the 2nd book) was as great as Twilight, but the character of Jacob is very present in this book and I don’t really like him, so Twilight is definitely my favorite. I also liked Eclipse (the 3rd one), the fact that Bella has to make a choice, what happens with vampires and werewolves.. but I didn’t really enjoy Breaking Dawn (the last one). Actually I just really enjoyed the first part. In my opinion this last book has nothing to do with the others, and I think that because of the success of the old books, the author wrote it too fast… I won’t tell you why I didn’t like it because I don’t want to put any spoiler here (for those who haven’t read it yet).

I still go to the movies as often as possible, here are the movies that I watched from the beginning of December:

- Agathe Clery: This film is fun but I wasn’t expected this. It’s a musical. It’s entertaining but I’m kinda disappointed because usually Valerie Lemercier (the main actress) plays in better movies.
- The Day The Earth Stood It: OMG I didn’t like it at all. Actually I don’t really like Science Fiction (except Star Wars, Matrix..), but at least I tried haha.
- Four Christmases: Entertaining, funny, I liked it! And I love Xmas movies haha
- Secret Défense: I liked it but some scenes are tough to watch
- The Spirit: I liked it but I expected something better. It’s so obvious that it’s the same film-maker as for Sin City; That’s pretty much the same atmosphere (that I like btw); In my opinion the first scenes aren’t interesting and they were way too long. But the actors are pretty good!
- Twilight: I definitely loved it! I was surprised because I loved the book so much that before watching the movie I thought I wouldn’t like it (because usually I’m disappointed with adaption of books). But the storyline is really the same as the book (at least the main facts), so it’s a great adaptation. The main actors play well (I’m especially impressed by the performance of Robert Pattinson –he’s excellent- who plays Edward, because the character is so perfect in the book, that’s no that easy to play so I thought I wouldn’t like the character in the movie). And the sceneries were beautiful!
Only bad point: The movie had a low budget (and seriously I don’t understand why as the huge success of the book) and unfortunately the special effects are not so good.
- 7 pounds: I liked it, this film’s beautiful but also so sad!! If you want to watch it, don’t forget your box of tissues ^^ Will Smith & Rosario Dawson are amazing!
- Revolutionary Road: I didn’t really like it.. I mean it was ok, but I expected something much better. The story is pretty common, and quite depressive lol. I think the movie is too long. But Leonardio Dicaprio and Kate Winslet are stunning!! And it was nice to see this couple back on screen, 11 years after Titanic.

The beginning of a new life?

2008-11-21T18:37:00.008+01:00

Freaking goood news: I GOT A JOB!!!! Damn it, I’m so relieved!! The whole thing about looking for a job was really stressing me out!! The huge financial crisis didn’t help…

I’m going to be a Marketing assistant in a huge international company, and I’ll start working next Monday. I’m so looking forward to finally working!! The job seems really interesting, and the team very nice! Plus, the company is 15 minutes far from my home by walk, it’s perfect for me!! I’m really motivated and excited about starting working, but I’m also kinda nervous, I hope I’ll be capable enough. Wish me luck!!

One month ago, I went to Caen for a week end, to visit some good friends of mine. We really had a blast! I haven’t been there for 11 years… such a long time!! I finally met the husband of my friend who is lovely, we saw the sea (I -and my coat ^^- ate a Nutella waffle, yummy!! But I think I had an overdose of Nutella this we), I rode a horse (Last time I did, I was 6)… We also attended a fancy-dress double birthday party (Happy B-day C&A!!), I dressed as an angel, Rose Marie as Strawberry Charlotte (She also smelt strawberry!!), Carotte as a carot (^_^), Orianne as an angel, Orianne’s husband as Captain Haddock (from Tintin), Anthony as a spider… There were also a Cleopatra, a cocoon, the Adams family, a cow girl…All the costumes were wonderful! I really spent an awesome week end!!

A few weeks ago, I also saw 2 musicals in Paris:

- Edward Scissorhands : I attended the show with Jaouhara and my mom. It’s BEAUTIFUL!! There was no song, only music, it was like a ballet. Edward Scissorhands is my favorite movie, I do love the story, and I also love the OST, so I loved this musical!! It was stunning!

- Grease: It’s a French adaptation of the movie, it was pretty fun, the only bad thing is almost all the songs (except the most famous) were in French, and it’s so weird!! I love the movie, and I know very well all the songs in English, so I was a bit disappointed when I heard the songs in French (I definitely prefer the English lyrics).

In two weeks, I’ll attend with my family the French adaptation of the musical The Lion King. I saw the American version in NYC, and it was awesome!!! I hope the French version is as good as the American one!!

I also met a cousin (that I never saw before), he stayed in our place, and my mom and I made him visit Paris. It was nice to finally meet him!

When we visited the area of Chatelet, we saw several artists that could draw your portrait. So I struck the pose, and here it is:

Personally I think it really looks like me, this artist is very talented! What do you think?

And here are all the movies I saw in movies theater (from the end of July):

- X Files: the movie: I didn’t like it. It was just a thriller, but with Mulder & Scully in. I think the movie

doesn’t have the same mood as the TV show.

- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: I liked it! There was action, it was funny, and the storyline was

great. It’s just weird that another actress played the character of Evelyn O'Connell

- Dorothy: I didn’t really like it. I thought it’d be scary, but not really, it was just very weird, and slow!!

Actually I’m disappointed in the storyline.

- The Dark Knight (twice): I LOVED it!! The storyline is very good, and I especially loved it because I didn’t

expect that end (I never read the comics). And Heath Ledger was amazing as the Joker!

-Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie: I liked it!! I thought the storyline could be slow and a bit boring but

finally it wasn’t at all. It was interesting!

- Babylon A.D: I liked it!! Very entertaining!

- Mamma Mia: I loved it!! That’s not surprising, I love Abba songs, I already saw the musical when I was in

NYC, and I loved it too! This movie was refreshing! Meryl Streep is amazing (she moves well!!).

- Mirrors: I liked it! But when I watched the movie, I was so scared!! I’ve been traumatized by the scene

where the girl was killed in the bath… I’m still having nightmares about it..

- Manipulation: I liked it, but the storyline was a bit slow.

- Jar City: I didn’t really like it. I was expecting something else, something scarier. The storyline isn’t that

good and it’s very slow. It wasn’t original.

- The Life Before Her Eyes: I didn’t like it. Actually the movie was quite good, but it’s also quite slow, and the

end is very disappointing (in my opinion).

-The Accidental Husband: I liked it! It’s a girly movie!! And I like the actors who star in this movie.

- Faubourg 36: I liked it! The storyline was quite simple but I loved the atmosphere, the old Paris… And some

good actors star in it.

- Entre les murs : I liked it. But I don’t really get why this movie won the award in the festival of Cannes.

- Cliente: I liked it

- Go Fast: I liked it! I spent a great time, it’s very entertaining!

- Vinyan: I hated it! Slow, no goal, no action, I was really bored!!

- Righteous kill (twice): I liked it. The storyline is good but I expected something better. But I really do like Al

Pacino and Robert de Niro, they’re very talented!

- Blindness: I liked it. There were some slow parts, but the storyline was great!! If we think about it, it’s kinda

scary, how we would react if it really happened…

- Le Crime Est Notre Affaire: I liked it. It’s an adaptation of the Agatha Christie book. The storyline was

interesting, and it was also pretty funny! Plus, there were some great actors.

- Coluche: I didn’t really like it.

- High School Musical 3: I liked it. It’s not the movie of the year, but I like musical movies, and it’s pretty

cute! And Sharpay is funny haha

- Quantum of Solace: I liked it. Well, I like the James Bond movies. It’s hard to follow the storyline because I

didn’t remember well the last movie. The actors are amazing (Daniel Craig is very charismatic). The storyline

is good, but not as good as the old movies, and it’s disappointing. But the movie is very esthetic.

- Body of Lies: I didn’t really like it. I wanted to see this movie because some good actors star in it, but I don’t

really like war movies. Plus, the storyline is quite slow.

- The Visitor: I liked it. This movie was very moving!

- Vilaine : I liked it. It was hilarious! I spent a really good time!

- La Très Grande Entreprise : I liked it, it was fun!

- Bouquet Final: I liked it. It was hilarious. Seriously I recommend it!

- The Duchess: I liked it. No surprise, I like this kind of movies

- Les Grandes Personnes : I didn’t like it. It’s very slow, there is no goal, and the end is disappointing.

- Two Lovers: I liked it. I was pretty moved by the storyline…

- Musée Haut Musée Bas: I liked it. The storyline is original, many talented actors star in this movie, and it’s

pretty funny!!

- Changeling: I loved it!!This movie was so sad!! And it’s worse when you think that’s based on a true story…

It’s just unbelievable!! Angelina Jolie was very convincing in this role! And John Malkovich is also a very

talented actor! The movie lasts 2h20mins but you don’t feel it. Very touching movie!!

I’m so excited because Christmas is coming!! Ok, I know it’ll be in one month, but whatever, I’m in Christmas mood. My mom already decorated our entire apartment, our balcony too, and of course set the Xmas tree!! It’s beautiful!! I love Christmas… I love Christmas decorations… I love to listen to Christmas songs… I love Christmas trees… I love walking around in Xmas markets… I love buying gifts for people I love… I love the Xmas spirit!! It’s magic!!

Anyway haha, it’ll be Thanksgiving in a few days, so Happy Thanksgiving to all the American people!!

Back to reality

2008-09-08T15:37:00.005+02:00

Hey!!!

I’m finally back from my vacation. Actually I got back to Paris 2 weeks ago, and just the day after, one of my cousin, whom I never met before, arrived in Paris and stayed in our home for 2 weeks. My family and I made him visit Paris.
My vacation were AWESOMEEEE ^_^ I really had a blast!!! We visited many beautiful places, and we also took ton of photographs haha.
I’m going to put up some of my pics here, but if you want to see all of them (I took A LOT of pics haha), you can see them on my facebook page, my myspace page, and on my flickr account, enjoy!!

So my parents, my brother and I went on cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line. Basically, this company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or seating arrangements for meals, nor is formal attire required.
The cruise started at Dover, UK, so first we had to go there with all our luggage. We took 2 trains then a ferry to go there. We left very early in the morning on August 11th. Actually it was my dad’s birthday, so just before leaving we offered him our gifts haha. Anyway, I thought it would be a pain in the neck to go to Dover, but it was ok.

But we were relieved to finally arrive to our cabins. The ship was impressive. It’s huge; there were 15 decks, 11 restaurants, 13 bars, 2 swimming pools, a church, an Internet cafe, a gallery, a store, a spa… Our cabins were great; we had a balcony & a TV, and enough room to put all our stuff. We had two cabins, one for my parents and another one for my bro and me.
All the staff (except the people at the reception and at the shore excursion desk) was nice and very helpful! Each time the housekeeping ladies cleaned our cabin, they made us a towel animal, and they all were really well done.
There were many activities on the boat, but most of them were sportive activities, so it wasn’t for me haha. Every night there were a show then a party but neither my parents nor my brother wanted to go… So I never went because that’s not funny to go to a show or party alone, everybody knows that ^_^. That’s the only deceiving point. But we especially enjoyed the restaurants! There were French, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican restaurants… a steakhouse… Our favorites were the French restaurant, the Japanese restaurant (it’s delicious, plus the chef cooked in front of us, and he was pretty funny), and the steakhouse.
The cruise lasted 12 days, and we were 4 days at see + of course every night.

We visited several wonderful cities: Copenhagen, Berlin, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. We stayed one day in each city, except in St Petersburg where we stayed 2 days. Of course all the excursions were in English, fortunately we all understand English, except my mom (but she’s improved a lot her English skills during this trip), so we had to translate the main facts for her.
Here are more details about what we visited in each city:

Copenhagen, DENMARK: This capital is very cute!! We were lucky because we had a sunny day. The excursion was called Panoramic Copenhagen, it’s a driving tour in the city, the bus took us to the main sights and attractions : We saw the Old Stock Exchange, the Royal Library’s new building, the Black Diamond, the Opera House, the Old Fish Market, the Amalienborg Palace, and of course the famous Little Mermaid Statue. We were surprised because the statue was very small, but of course very beautiful. It’s one of the main attractions of Copenhagen. The true story of the Little Mermaid is quite sad, but I like it, and I also love the Disney movie haha. Anyway ;) The Amalienborg Palace was nice; it is the winter home of the Danish royal family. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard. We had lunch at the Old Fish Market, and it’s my favorite place, it’s colorful and verv lively. We just got one bad feeling; we found that the Danish people were quite cold with tourists (even our guide).

Berlin, GERMANY: It’s the city I like least … but I think it’s because we spent a long time in the train and also because of the guide. Plus, I fell down when I wanted to get in the bus, I hit my head and my thigh and got 2 big bruises, so of course that’s not good memories ^_^. Anyway, our ship arrived in Rostock very early in the morning, and we had to take a train to go to Berlin. The train ride between Rostock & Berlin is approximately 3 hours each way through Mecklenburg countryside. We were in a reserved carriage, and in the morning a light breakfast snack was served, and in the evening a snack was also provided. So it means we spent about 6 hours in the train… We did a tour bus, and it included photo stops at the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichtag, Charlottenburg Palace, the East Side Gallery, and Checkpoint Charlie. We also did a boat ride along the River Spree (but it was a closed boat, and we weren’t near the window, so we didn’t see so many things). We also went to the famous Pergamon Museum. The 60-minutes, self-guided tour showed the Pergamon altar and the fabulous Ishtar Gate of Babylon. It’s interesting, but unfortunately I visited only 3 rooms because there were too many steps to visit the other rooms … I think it’s really weird that a such famous and huge museum is not well handicapped oriented. Anyway, we also had lunch inside an Old Prussian Palais. It’s very good, but I think the food wasn’t typically German. The guide was nice, but she had a strong accent, sometimes it was hard to understand her. Plus she couldn’t stop talking haha, so at the end of the tour we were kinda tired, and most of the facts she told us about Berlin were historical facts, I mean that’s not so interesting because we can read that in books. I prefer to know some anecdotes & legends.

Tallinn, ESTONIA: Tallinn is definitely my favorite destination (with Stockholm). It’s a small medieval town, with lots of gothic treasures. This town is way too cute. And our guide was awesome, she’s really fluent in English so it’s easy to understand her, and she was very friendly and also very funny. She told us many things about Tallinn, and also many legends. We saw the Old Town, offering excellent views of the ancient city wall. We also saw the Kiel in de Kök CannonTower (in the Upper Town), the castle (now the seat of Estonia’s Parliament), the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Town hall Square (the center of the Lower Town), the Great Guild, the Holy Ghost Church, the 15th –century Apothecary Shop and numerous medieval merchants’ homes. The Town Hall Square is one of the best preserved Gothic Town Halls in Europe and has been at the center of Tallinn’s life for six centuries. Unfortunately, there were two bad points: The weather was horrible, it was raining cats and dogs, and it’s also cold and windy. And almost all the streets are cobble stone streets. I think it makes Tallinn very charming, but it’s horrible when you are in a wheelchair. My dad had huge difficulties to push my wheelchair. Sometimes we have the same problem in Paris, but the cobble stone streets are much bigger in Tallinn. But I definitely loved this tour!!

St. Petersburg, RUSSIA: This city’s gorgeous!! I love its architecture, it’s really beautiful. The first day we visited the Hermitage Museum. I loved it, this Museum is splendid, the architecture is beautiful and there are so many paintings and other beautiful objects to see. Basically, it’s the largest art museum in Russia, and ranks among the most prestigious and fabulous museums in the world (and seriously I understand why). Originally founded by Catherine the Great in 1764 as a private court museum, it evolved into the most remarkable collection, containing nearly three million objects. I didn’t like the guide so much, because at the end of the visit, we were longer to leave the museum, because of course we had to take the elevator, and we had to wait for it for a long time because many lazy people use it ^_^, so all the other people from our group were already in the bus, my bro too, but the guide forgot that my parents and I were still in the museum (that’s weird because she helped us during the visit and I was the only person in a wheelchair in our group), she asked the driver to leave, fortunately my bro came straight to her and told her we were still inside the museum … That’s not really professional. But I definitely like this museum!

The evening, we saw a Russian show and it was awesome. We could hear some Russian songs (of course we didn’t understand anything haha), and there were beautiful costumes. I took many videos with my camera so I’ll put them on my Youtube account (that is tinkerbell92400).

The second day, we did a driving tour to explore the most remarkable sites of St. Petersburg. We enjoyed the magnificent view of the Neva River and the Rostral Columns, the Hermitage Museum, the St. Peter and Paul Fortress…We also saw the beautiful Church on Spilled Blood and the Isaac’s Cathedral. We also went to a souvenir market, and there was another one at the port. I bought so many things over there, because they sell beautiful souvenirs. I bought a real Russian doll, and also a Russian box, I don’t know the right word in English, you know the beautiful boxes that Russian people make by hand. I also bought two books of Russian fairy tales (you all know I love fairy tales ^_^) and also some jewelleries (they make beautiful small eggs as necklaces). And of course I also bought ton of souvenirs for the friends haha. So I think my credit card definitely hates St. Petersburg.
We’re disappointed about only one thing: We wanted to visit Peterhof, the town of palaces, because rumor has it’s stunning! But the woman who was in charge to sell us this excursion refused to sell it to us. First, she told us that it wasn’t handicapped oriented. Then when we told her I could climb the stairs (we’re very motivated), she told us that the wheelchairs weren’t allowed inside the palaces, because they damage the wooden floor. It’s totally unfair, and we’re way too disappointed.

Helsinki, FINLAND: Many people told me they didn’t like this city, because it wasn’t beautiful. I was surprised (in the good way) because we saw some nice places. We did a driving tour to see the main city highlights. We stopped at several places, as the Senate Square (including the Lutheran Cathedral), the Sibelius Park (where we saw a monument constructed of 527 steel pipes honouring the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius), the Temppeliaukio Rock Church …
After having visited the Temppeliaukio Rock Church, I freaked out because I lost my bag (and I have all my life in), fortunately our guide was lovely , she went back to the church and to the souvenir store to see if she could find it, and guess what, she did!!! It was in the souvenir store, next to the counter, I think I was carrying too many souvenirs in my arms and as my bag is quite heavy, I wanted to put it on the floor for one minute and I forgot it… I really suck sometimes ^_^. A huge thank you to our guide, who was very patient!!

Stockholm, SWEDEN: Stockholm was definitely our favorite destination during this trip. It was our only excursion in French and our guide was nice and very competent. We got lucky because we had a really nice weather. This city is really cute; there are many interesting museums to visit, and also very nice places, as the Old Town. We did a driving tour and we stopped at few places. First of all, we went to the imposing City Hall, renowned for its architecture, murals and as the site of the Nobel Prize Banquet. Completed in 1923, this building is the result of a 12-year effort by artists and craftsmen. We also went to Fjallgatan, offering a splendid panoramic view of Stockholm. We visited the Swedish warship Vasa, once considered one of the worlds largest and the pride of mighty Sweden’s Navy. The present Museum is built around the 17th century warship which sank in Stockholm’s inner harbor on her maiden voyage in 1628. Its discovery in 1956 and subsequent salvage in 1961 is one of the most important events in marine archaeology. We also passed by the Old Town, that is a very nice and colorful area.

Even if there were some organisation issues, I definitely loved this cruise!! A huge thank you to my parents!! I came back with ton of great memories!

My new gadget

2008-08-10T21:55:00.002+02:00

I finally got my Iphone 3G !! Damn, it was a tough fight haha.

At the beginning of July, I went to the closest store to get more information about this new Iphone. The seller adviced me to book one now, because many people will buy it the day it’d come out. So I booked one, and he told me that the store opens at 10am, so I had to come at 9:30 to be sure not to wait too long, because he thought there would be many people waiting.
The Iphone 3G came out on July 17^th, so this day I arrived at 9:30 AM and what a surprise, the store was already opened. I told a seller (not the same one) that I was coming to pick up the Iphone I booked, and he told me “sorry, already sold out” **-_-**. I was quite upset. Then I saw the salesman who was supposed to book it for me, and he told me that he was on vacation just before the release, so he wasn’t be able too book it for me, and he wasn’t aware that the store’d opened that early (it opened at 8:am that day). This time he promised me that he’d call me as soon he’ll get one. One week later, he called me to ask if I wanted a white Iphone 16 Go (I wanted the black one) because he’ll get some the day after. I refuse politely because I really wanted to get the black iphone 16Go. One week later, still no news from him, so I decided to call the store and a seller told me that he got 2 black Iphone 16G that day but he already sold them… What the heckkkkkkk. So I explained to him the situation, and apparently this seller (who is also the manager of the store) wasn’t aware of anything, hum ^_^. Anyway he apologized and told me that the next one he’ll get would be definitely for me. And one week later (2 days ago) my Iphone was waiting for me hehe.

**VICTORYYYY** haha. 3 weeks to get a cell phone. I knew that many people wanted this cell phone but not that many ;)

But I understand totally, this phone rocks!! It took me half an hour to put the SIM card haha (I couldn’t find where to put it haha and there was no instructions) but after that it was ok. It’s very easy to use it. And the great thing is we can download many cool applications, useful or not ^_^. I already downloaded few common applications, like Myspace, Facebook, AIM … but also few useless applications, like the famous Magic 8 Ball haha (I love useless things haha). And the design is awesome!! Congrats to Apple! As Anthony said, goodbye social life ;)

I’m going on vacation tomorrow. I’m so excited!! It’ll be my first cruise; I think it’s going to be awesome!! I just hope we’ll have a nice weather and that I won’t be sick on the boat haha (but there is no reason, because it’s a huge boat). The only annoying thing is that tomorrow, we have to wake up at 4:30am, take 2 trains and one ferry to get to the boat (because it’s near London). But it definitely deserves it!

What time is it? Summertime!

2008-07-24T21:38:00.012+02:00

Hey !!

I’m back, at least I wanted to update my blog. I got some hard times for few months, that’s why I didn’t really want to give any news here. Indeed, I’ve been looking for a job in marketing since last February and I still haven’t found anything yet. And it’s very tough to see all my friends going to work and being the only one who doesn’t do anything, I feel kinda useless. Of course people work the week days so I cannot hang out with anyone. Fortunately there are nights & week-ends :)

I still feel blue sometimes (not finding any job is pretty stressful), like everyone else, but for a couple of months I feel better, and I really think it’s because we are in summer. It can sound stupid, but it’s true. I love this season, the light, the hotess, the atmosphere, people are more cheerful… Of course I keep looking for a job (I already sent tons of resume and cover letter, and answered many job offers) but we all know it’s much calmer in summer because people go on vacation. There are several reasons I don’t find a job :

- That’s my first real job. Of course I already worked but only one month as a communication assistant, and I did 2 Internships as a marketing assistant. Companies want to hire experienced people, but if nobody give me a chance it’ll be hard to get experienced ^_^
- In my resume, I haven’t done anything concretely since June 2006. That’s because it took me a year to get my driving license (you all know the difficulties I had, but if you’re not aware, feel free to check my older posts), and another year to have my important surgery for my left foot and recover from it. But of course I can’t say that in my resume. And if you look for someone to hide, but that this person haven’t done anything for 2 years, you can think he/she’s lazy or just not motivated to work. I understand that …
- Too many people want to work in marketing
- The handicap. In France, the unemployment rate for handicapped people is twice higher than the common one. Of course when you have a handicap there might be some stuff that you cannot do, but the main problem is that in France many people are pretty close-minded (especially in compared with English speaking countries like the US where people are much more open-minded about that), when they know that someone is disabled, some people think you re stupid or mentally handicapped, or they just think you re too sick or weak to work. Well I already know what I’m capable of and I clearly say it. But I can’t show my capacities if nobody gives me a chance to do it. There are some companies who want to hire few disabled people because they’ll pay less cost, but some of these companies offer them a way too low salary (or position). I’m not going to apologize for having a bachelor degree, yes I have a handicap, yes it’s tough to not find any job, but I’m not desperate, so I won’t accept every situations.
The other problem is that France is also materially very late. I know that’s hard to believe… But too many common places as schools, buildings, stores, or even the streets are not handicapped oriented. I don’t really know why, because France is supposed to be a developed country! Here is an example: I applied to work at the company where I did my last internship, because I really loved it, there was a good atmosphere, and I learned a lot. I got a phone interview with the vice CEO (he’s really nice) and he told me he would be interested in hiring me because I did a great job as an Intern. Then we talked about the place (because the company moved into another building), and here is the problem: There is a big step to get in the building and it’s impossible to climb it with my electrical wheelchair. And nobody could carry it even for only one step because it’s way too heavy … Damn we are in PARIS , the capital of

France

!! And many buildings are still not handicapped oriented. It must change! It definitely will, but when, nobody knows. I'm still waiting for some news from the vice CEO but because of this problem I'm quite pessimistic.

That’s why sometimes it’s quite tough for me morally; I know why companies would mind hiding me. But I also know why I must be hired : I’m a smart woman (at least I’m not more stupid than anyone else), I have a bachelor degree, did a couple of internships, speak English fluently, I’m a people person, high motivated, well organized , hardworking,… So why the heck wouldn’t I find a job?! I know I’ll find one, because I deserve it, I just have to be patient (what I’m not LOL).

Anyway ^_^ Fortunately I’m surrounded by wonderful friends, so thank you all so much for being so supportive!! A special thank you to Jaouhara :)
Plus, Monique, one of my good university friends moved in the same town, and now she lives 5 minutes far from my home, what is really practical haha because we hang out together more often. And it’s pretty cool!

I still love cinema and go to the movies about 8 times a month. Here are the movies I saw from the end of May 08:
-What Happens In Vegas : Entertaining. It’s typically the kind of girly movies I like ^_^
- Sex & The City: I loved it. I’m a HUGE Sex & The City fan and I waited this movie for a long time. All the characters of the TV show are there, the story is good, the character of Samantha Jones is way too funny, I love the outfits, and it takes place in NYC (feeling nostalgic). Be sure I’ll buy the DVD
- Affaire de Famille: There are some good actors but the story is kinda weird. I don’t really know if I liked it or not…
- JCVD: I didn’t like it at all. It’s way too long and boring, and I don’t really like Jean Claude Van Damme
- The Happening: I loved it! The story is really weird (especially the end), but I was expecting that from this director. I love lot of his movies!
- 21: I liked it! It is a bit long but the story is pretty good!
- Waltz with Bashir: I didn’t like it. I think it’s a great movie, but I don’t really like this kind of movies. It’s a war movie and of course pretty sad.
- Nos 18 ans: I liked it! It was funny & entertaining.
- Street Kings: I loved it! The story is really interesting, there is some action, and the actors are pretty good!! I was really happy to see a new movie with Keanu Reeves, because I think he’s an excellent actor and I didn’t see him in a movie since The Matrix Revolutions. It was also funny too see Hugh Laurie in a movie (his character is weird haha)
- Made of Honor : Fresh & entertaining . A girly movie. It’s always a pleasure to see Patrick Dempsey on big screen ;)
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall: I didn’t like it. I was way too disappointed, because I like a lot the main actress, Kristen Bell (who plays in the TV shows Veronica Mars & Heroes), and I also like the actor from How I Met Your Mother so I really wanted to see this movie. The story is fun but I really don’t like this sort of sense of humor (there are many jokes I didn’t like), I didn’t think it was funny at all, so I was pretty bored.
- Mes amis, mes amours: I liked it. Entertaining, and there are some great actors
- Made In Italy: I hated it. Seriously, it’s so boring, the story sucks, I fell asleep for 20 minutes and I really didn’t miss anything. The actors aren’t even good (in my opinion)
- Wanted: I loved it! I liked the story, there is some action, and the actors are awesome!
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: I loved it too! I already like the first movie but this movie is much better! I like the story, the characters, the atmosphere … I just love this sort of movies!
- Hancock: I didn’t like it. I didn’t really like the story, the movie is supposed to be funny but I never laughed lol. Plus I don’t really like Will Smith…
- Mad Money: I liked it! The story is deja vu, but it’s pretty funny and entertaining. Besides, I like Diane Keaton.

About TV… It’s a hard time …because all the American series ended up in June and we have to wait until September to watch the next season haha, I told you, I’m not patient at all (big flaw I know).

A couple of weeks ago, two close friends of mine, Chacha & Geri, from Lyon, visited me (but not at the same time) because they were in Paris for a few days. And now every time they come, we eat lunch at Breakfast in America, an American diner we found out a few months ago. And it’s delicious, I love American food (Pancakes, bagels, donuts, hmm yummy ^^).
Geri came with two friends plus her boyfriend, so we made them visit the most popular places and monuments in Paris :) It was pretty fun, even if the weather wasn’t that good (it’s Paris lol).
Chacha made me discover the Pinky Street dolls (if you don’t know what it is, check it out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_Street ), I bought one and now I’m definitely addicted (aww my poor credit card haha). They are way too cute!

This is the one I bought:

Here are some shots I took with Chacha & Geri (if you want to see more photographs, check it out : http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonlitfairy/)

A day with Chacha :

A day with Geri:

I went to Disneyland Paris (I have a Year Pass) with Monique! We definitely had a blast! It was very sunny, and I have a pass to cut the line so it's really cool ! We enjoyed many rides! Monique hasn't been there for 15 years so she was really happy to go back!

I also attended two concerts few weeks ago : Mika’s concert & Duffy’s concert. Both of them were way too awesome.
I went to Mika’s concert with Jaouhara, it was a real show (with dancers and acrobats), and very colorful, we just loved it!! Mika has a huge creative mind and he’s definitely a pretty good artist!

I went to Duffy’s concert with Monique, but we got lucky because we weren’t supposed to attend it. Actually I really do love this singer and her album, I wanted to attend her concert but when I tried to buy tickets, it was already sold out. And then, only few hours before the concert, my best friend Bilale called me and told me he had an emergency and that he couldn’t attend this concert (I didn’t even know he was supposed to go there lol), so he had two tickets to offer, and as he knew I like a lot this singer he decided to offer me the tickets, and I asked Monique to come with me. Duffy has an amazing voice and also very good songs so we really enjoyed the concert! Thank you so much for the tickets Lilou, you really made my day!!

I took some videos of the concert (cameras were allowed), I posted them just under this post; Enjoy !

Now I’m lookin’ forward to going on vacation in a couple of weeks!! Usually every year we do a family trip in August. I really wanted to go back to the US, so I suggested my parents to go to California and visit San Diego & Los Angeles (I know that San Francisco is also gorgeous but we cannot visit all the West Coast in 2 weeks). They were very motivated but one week after I talked to them about it, they found out this trip would be too expensive because we took this decision too late. I’m way disappointed, because as you know I really feel home in the US, I miss this country (and of course I also miss NYC), and I really need to go back. But it’s my fault if we waited until the last minute to book our vacation; I wanted to wait until the middle of June before booking a trip, in case that a company would have hired me.
Instead of going to California, we finally decided to book a cruise of 12 days (from the 11^th of August to the 23rd of August). It’ll be our first cruise. Apparently, the boat is huge, there are 3 swimming pools, 13 restaurants, 15 bars, a bowling, a theater … And we’ll stop at several cities. Here are the cities we’re going to visit: Copenhagen (in Denmark), Berlin (in Germany), Tallin (in Estonia), Saint Petersburg (in Russia) – we’ll stay 2 days there, Stockholm (in Sweden) and Helsinki (in Finland). I’m so excited, I’m sure we’ll have a blast J

Before leaving, here are some photographs of Monique, Jaouhara & me visiting Paris (We live in Paris suburb and we still enjoy visiting Paris, besides we wanted to take advantage of the good weather)

And also other random pics (from Disneyland Paris, Celine's farewell party...) :

Well, now I think it’s time to end up this post! Enjoy the summer! We’re finally having a good weather in Paris, so it’s the opportunity to sunbathe!I haven’t gone to Paris Plage but I’m pretty sure it’s crowded, so I prefer sunbathing on my balcony with a magazine, a book or just my ipod haha

and for the lucky ones, enjoy your vacation!!

xoxo

Duffy's concert

2008-07-24T18:54:00.001+02:00

Here are some videos I took of Duffy's concert at the Olympia Theater (Paris) :

Duffy singing Rockferry

Duffy singing Hanging On Too Long

Duffy singing Warwick Avenue

Duffy singing Delayed Devotion

Duffy singing Mercy

Duffy singing Distant Dreamer

If you want to see more videos of this concert, visit my youtube account : http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=tinkerbell92400

Mika's concert

2008-07-23T23:05:00.006+02:00

Here are some videos I took of Mika's concert at Parc des princes (Paris) :

Mika singing Relax Take It Easy :

Mika singing Billy Brown :

Mika singing Love Today :

If you want to see more videos of this concert, visit my youtube account : http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=tinkerbell92400

Short message

2008-04-16T19:27:00.002+02:00

Hey

Just a short message to say I won't post for a while, coz I'm feeling blue, so I have nothing special to tell you. I'll post when I feel better.

See ya

So many things to say

2008-02-29T22:45:00.003+01:00

Hey !

First of all, I apologize for my last message. I was particularly sad and disappointed. In fact, I had a meeting with my surgeon on January 15^th, and he had to take my cast off. He told me I had to keep my cast one more week, to try to walk. Before my surgery he wanted me to go to a special hospital to do physiotherapy, everyday for 2 weeks, when I’ll take my cast off. During the meeting I told him it wouldn’t t be possible because nobody could take me there and bring me back home everyday. Then, he started getting angry and asked me if there was a medical center near my home, to do the physiotherapy there (the thing I don t understand it s why he didn’t t asked me that before, because it would have been more practical to do physiotherapy just next to my home). Anyway, he asked his assistant to call the closest medical center, to book a place for me as soon as there is one available. But I reminded my surgeon I had to leave in 2 weeks for La Reunion (on vacation), then he started yelling at his assistant, he told her stop trying to call the medical center, because they wouldn’t get a place for me before I leave. He yelled at me because, according to him, he didn’t t know I had to go to La Reunion so fast (that is not true because my mom and I told him about it, just after my surgery, and he even told me with a huge smile it would be good for me, that the sun and the sea would be advantageous for my recovery), and he even told me it would be my fault if the surgery wasn’t a success. He almost made me cry… He’s such a jerk, and a liar! My mom noticed I was panicked and sad because of what he said to me, she started fighting with him, telling him she could do the physiotherapy to me because she knows all the moves (I had physiotherapy for 20 years so we got used to it). This stupid surgeon left without telling us goodbye and he didn’t even give us a date for the next meeting, he, as most of surgeons, treats his patients as piece of meat. It’s pretty scary.

Fortunately, I made lots of efforts, and physiotherapy everyday with my mom, and I forced myself to walk (because it was freaking painful), and now I finally walk!! I just hitch a bit because it’s still a bit painful. But that fucking stupid surgeon was wrong; I did well, just thanks to my mom and myself, and I’m proud of that!

One week after getting my cast off, we flew to La Reunion. Damn, 11 hours in a plane, it’s so hard when you’re scared in it… I took a sleeping pill and I slept only 3 hours lol. But this airplane company (Air Austral) was pretty good, the best I ever tried, I recommend it. The food was delicious (and we all know it’s quite rare in an airplane), and the flight attendants were very friendly and polite.

Anyway, I visited my childhood friend (Claire), her son (Leo, 4) and her boyfriend (Bertrand), who live there now, and I was very happy to see them! We had a blast, we talked a lot, we played cards and board games almost every night haha and we visited a lot of wonderful places: The volcano Piton de la Fournaise (it’s amazing), an Hindu house of prayer, a Chinese house of prayer, a beautiful botanical garden, a huge aquarium (with tons of fishes from Indian ocean, we also saw seahorses!!)... We went to very interesting museums: the museum of the volcano, the museum of turtles, the museum of sugar cane… We saw real sea turtles (and 2 turtles making sex, aww disgusting), crocodiles, chameleons, cute lizards, wonderful waterfalls, colorful flowers …
We visited the following towns: St Joseph, Ste Rose, St Pierre, St Leu and St Gilles Les Bains. We didn’t visit St Denis, that is Reunion’s capital city, because many people told us it wasn’t an interesting city. We also ate lots of typical food: many fruits (mangos, pitayas, litchis, Victorian pineapple, small bananas), some spices (like curcuma), bouchon, samosa, chicken cari … All the food there is delicious!!

We really had a great time!! Reunion Island (that is a French department) is really beautiful, it’s very colorful, and people are really friendly. The only bad thing was that the weather wasn’t that good, it was supposed to be the summer, but during 3 weeks it was sunny and very hot only one week … The two other weeks were so so … it poured a lot, and when it wasn’t raining, it was quite cloudy, so I didn’t get back home very tanned lol.
Below this post, you can find another post introducing Reunion Island.

At the end of our stay, the atmosphere was quite horrible because my girlfriend has serious relational problems with her boyfriend, we were embarrassed, so even if we had wonderful moments with them, we were happy to go back home. I really hope she will solve her problems.

Now it’s time to get back to work! The last time I worked was in 2004-2005, before going to NYC, it was an internship as marketing assistant and I really enjoyed it, I learned a lot! Now, it’s job hunting! I’d like to be a marketing manager or a marketing project manager, but I only got a bachelor’s degree, and to do these kind of jobs you need a master’s degree, it’s depressing lol, so right now I apply only to be a marketing assistant, but now, companies prefer interns as assistants, and I’m looking for a job, not an internship, so we’ll see. I’ve applied to the fashion/textile/cosmetic industry and also to the audiovisual industry, because that’s the fields that interest me the most. But I know it’s very hard to find a job in these kinds of sectors if you don’t know anyone who works there. If I don’t get any positive response in one month, I’ll apply to many other sectors. Please, cross your fingers, because I’m looking forward to working!! I’m active, and I really need to work!

Good news: My car is finally fixed!! Better late than never! And my parents offered me a scooter as new electrical wheelchair, and it rocks! I’ll be proud to ride it! And thanks to this and my car, I’m going to be much more independent! I’m going to get my scooter on Wednesday; I’m looking forward to having it!

Anyway, I won’t put up any photograph of my trip to La Reunion here, because I have too many, so here are 2 slide shows with some nice pics, and if you want to see more photographs, you can see them on facebook, on my myspace page and on my flickr page:
http://www.myspace.com/moonlitfairy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonlitfairy/

Here is the cutest baby girl ever, Scarlette, 3 months, who is the daughter of my friend Ilse. Isn’t she adorable?

I can’t leave you without telling you I’m so proud that Marion Cotillard (a very talented French actress) won an Oscar for the movie La Vie En Rose (the original title of this movie is La Mome, if you haven’t seen it yet, hurry up, it’s just gorgeous!)

PS : WARNING, I changed my MSN, I won’t use moonlit_fairy@hotmail.com anymore, my new MSN login (and email account) is oli-dolly@hotmail.fr , normally I sent you a request to add me as a friend, if you didn’t accept it, don’t forget to add me again in your contact list. See ya online

Introduction to Reunion Island

2008-02-29T22:32:00.005+01:00

I took this straight from the website “Introducing Reunion Island”

Not as well-known as nearby Mauritius or the not-so-far-away British Seychelles, little Reunion seems but a speck in the vast ocean, dwarfed by Madagascar, located 500 miles to the west. The French know the island well but only the very well-traveled have ever stepped foot on Reunion's varied and enticing terrain.

With an active volcano on its south coast, 17 miles of warm, welcoming beaches in the west, and lots of mountains and forests in between, Reunion Island offers vacation opportunities ranging from relaxing to truly insane. If you're looking for a place to "chill out", you'll find it here. But if you're the kind of vacationer who prefers an adrenaline rush over a sunburn, the possibilities are endless. From hiking Reunion's unique "cirques" or canyoning the island's many waterfalls to scuba diving or surfing in the clear waters that surround this tiny 30-mile-wide island, adventure activities abound for vacationers hoping to do something a little daring while on their Reunion holiday.

The cirques :

As a volcanic island, the topography of Reunion Island is unique and craggy, with the island’s most enticing natural formations being its three cirques, formed as the inside of Piton des Neiges - the volcano that gave birth to Reunion Island - and further shaped by centuries of erosion.
Most often referred to as natural amphitheaters, these cirques – Salazie, Cilaos, and Mafate – are all a bit different, each attracting travellers that are looking for a true adventure. Some come here for the incredible canyoning excursions. Others want to hike the hundreds of kilometers of trails that traverse the cirques. Some spend their holiday in Reunion mountain biking while others choose a more relaxing trek with stops along the way to explore the cirque’s enticing mountain villages.
No matter which cirque you visit and what activity you choose, you’ll be treated to breathtaking scenery, friendly locals, and world-class adventure…all wrapped up into one magnificent little island.

There are two volcanoes : Piton de la Fournaise and Piton des Neiges ;

1) Situated in the southeast corner of Reunion Island, Piton de la Fournaise is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Erupting for the first time about 50,000 years ago, records note that this basaltic shield volcano has erupted nearly 180 times since such eruptions were first recorded in 1640. The most recent occurred in 2004.

Piton de la Fournaise (Furnace Peak) stretches to about 2,631 meters in height and, since 1980, has been consistently monitored by volcano experts including scientists and government surveillance facilities, just in case an evacuation of residents and guests is required.
The 700,000 residents of Reunion Island have learned to deal with life in the lava path of an active volcano. As a matter of fact, many locals earn money offering guided walking tours and rides to Piton de la Fournaise and the volcano is undoubtedly Reunion’s most popular tourist attraction. Few leave the island without a close-up look at Furnace Peak.
It’s actually quite easy to walk to the top of the mountain and courageous guests can even camp near the rim of the volcano. A helicopter tour is also an awe-inspiring way to experience this amazing sight and such tours are readily available for those who fancy a ride over this bubbling cauldron. In reality, however, the view from down below is the most spectacular. Piton de la Fournaise spews orange and yellow lava day and night, with the evening pyrotechnics topping any first-class fireworks display you’ve ever experienced.

2) The highest point on the island of Reunion, Piton des Neiges soars to 3,070 meters. The most dominant geological feature on the island, located in the north central region of Reunion, Piton des Neiges may be an old, eroded volcano but it’s also a favorite destination of hikers who come from all around the world to explore the area.

Piton des Neiges occupies much of the northwestern two-thirds of the island. Unlike the island’s other famous volcano, this one has been inactive for approximately 20,000 years. Its name translates as “Snow Peak”, but you certainly won’t be doing any skiing here. You will, however, often find a little bit of snow dusting the top of the mountain as you look towards Reunion’s blue sky.
The road to the summit is described as a “walk-up”, not a particularly difficult climb for healthy individuals. Many additional hiking trails surround the area, appropriate for a variety of skill levels. Avid climbers also flock to this area for a little adventure with the best months for climbing being May through November, when the weather is dry.
Visitors will find a biological reserve on the lower slopes of the Piton des Neiges. A stop here will allow guests to learn about many of the 200+ varieties of plants and the many species of animals that are found on this volcanic island. One of four on the island, this reserve was set up about 40 years ago because residents of the island and the government of France were both quite concerned about preserving Reunion Island’s unique biome.

The Wildlife : Reunion Island is a bird-watchers paradise the many birding aficionados head the island simply for the purpose of discovering how many species of winged creatures they can spot here.

There’s nothing terribly unusual about the fauna of Reunion Island. Throughout the centuries, a number of animals were introduced to the forests of the island, such as deer and rabbit. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic or unusual, you may be able to spot a brown maki lemur (from Madagascar), a few varieties of bats, a number of rats, and the nearly extinct Pteropus Edwardsii, a flying fox. Marine mammals may include a few different species of whales

I HATE MY SURGEON !

2008-01-14T16:13:00.000+01:00

FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM ! FUCK HIM !

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-08T17:29:00.000+01:00

I wish you all the best for this New Year: a good health, lots of happiness, love, friendships, success, discoveries, fantasies, travellings …

Do you have any New Year’s resolution? Personally I do (even if it’s always hard to follow them ^^). I have to :

- Find a good job in marketing
- Go back to the US (on vacation). I miss it too much!
- Pay off debt (I’ve almost finished refunding my parents for my car’s equipments)
- Learn Spanish. I bought a book and a computer program. I think I really need to learn a 2^nd foreign language. When I was in High School, my first foreign language was German, but I had a really bad teacher for 4 years, so I don’t speak German. It sucks right? Well, I don’t really like this language, it’s too hard to learn it, and I don’t like the pronunciation, plus more people speak Spanish. It’ll be useful because when I check jobs offers in marketing, the major part require speak two foreign languages. (Thank you Eva for motivating me)
- Help others. I’d like to volunteer (when I’ll feel better of course). Where exactly, I don’t know yet, but I’m searching.
- Read more
- Spend less money
- Keep being honest...I always speak my mind even if it's hard to listen (and even if a lot of people don’t like it)
- Be more self-confident, without getting over-confident.

2007 was a crappy year for me.
Bad points: no master, no job, two surgeries (whose one that didn’t work)
Good points: I got my driver’s license, my trips to Switzerland and London, my friends

This year starts well because few days ago I met a friend whom I haven’t seen for two years : Gregory from La Martinique (he was a student in Aspect School from September 2005 to February 2006). He’s really cool! We talked about our lives, old students, gossip …

I was really happy to see him, and even if we haven’t seen each other for a long time, we’ve stayed in touch by MSN and by email, and we’ve never forgotten each other. Friendship rocks! That’s the proof when we finish something and we start something new, the fact that anybody sees anybody is not true. We don’t have to forget our old friends (even if they live far away), and we don’t need to replace the old friends by the new ones. We need all our friends. If we want to, we can stay in touch with old friends too.

Love exists to be multiplied, not to be divided. I care about all my friends: my childhood friends, my friends from high school, from University, from NYC … and I’m trying to stay in touch with all of them. I need it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and you like what Santa Claus brought to you.
I spent Christmas with my family (with my brother, my parents, my uncle, my aunt, and my cousins) and as every year, I’ve been too spoiled : chocolates (too much haha); some DVDs : Grey’s Anatomy (the 3^rd season), Lost (the 3^rd season), House M.D (the 2^nd season), Nanaka, & Abenobashi (offered by my lovely Lilou); the first book of Gossip Girl (in English), several fairies statuettes, and a wonderful painting made by one of my cousins; and the best thing ever : the love of all my family and friends.

Anyway, I’m freaking impatient because my surgeon is going to take my cast out in 6 days!! And we’ll know if the surgery is a success.

I’m positive because, of course, these two months have been hard for me and my family, but less hard than for the past surgeries. In winter it’s definitely much easier than in summer. My mom made an effort to celebrate a lot Christmas (she took me to Les Champs-Elysées, to the Christmas market …) to make me happy because she knows I love Christmas. I’ve been surrounded by such wonderful friends: Lilou, Céline, Elsa, Perrine, Monique, Jaouhara, Monique, Audrey B. , Chacha, Geri, Axel, Magda, Kelly … I’ve also been supported by friends who live far from me : Virginie, Eva, Johanna, Sonia, Elly, Eunhyung, Nucia, Matt, Luli, Gregory … Thank you everyone for your support and your presence! It means a lot to me and this is really important for my recovery :)

Here are some photographs of Christmas with my family:

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-24T13:01:00.000+01:00

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!

Pullip Addict

2007-12-19T19:38:00.000+01:00

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?

I'm back

2007-12-10T20:16:00.000+01:00

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 15^th), 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: