My new gadget

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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