I had the Beyoncé experience.

I went to see Beyoncé in concert this past Wednesday at Bercy. It was awesome! She sang EVERYTHING, from her B-day album to Dreamgirls to old old original Destiny's Child songs. She danced her ass off. She didn't even fall, like not even a stumble. The orchestra (all girls) and dancers were amazing. I was impressed. So much so that I'm not even going to mention how the 20 minute intermission between her and the opening act, Lemar (who?), was closer to 50 minutes. Bottom line: She rocked. My photographs, uh, not so much. It's like where's Waldo, except with Beyoncé. Hint: She's the shiny one, probably in the middle.

Stars really should be 2.5 times the size of us common folk. It would make the world a better place, or at least improve their visibility. Just a thought.

Comments on YouTube suck.

They are always the stupidest things written by 7th graders ditching school or something who don't seem to understand the rules of grammar or know how to spell. And those ridiculous chain comments. All unnecessary.*

Anyway, I am actually writing this to inform you that I saw Lily Allen in concert this past Sunday. She rocks! You can check out some of my footage here and here.

* Although I may not always follow them, I do know grammar rules. So there goes your smart-ass sentence fragment comment.

Year of the Pig

Happy Chinese New Year!!

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this weekend. The sun has been shining relentlessly, which caused my mood to soar with equal vigor. So this afternoon I went to the Chinese New Year parade to celebrate. The costumes were eye-catching, as was the (little bit of) dancing. But overall, I found the parade to be lacking in energy and organization (there were large spaces between the groups, which left one wondering if the parade had in fact finished or if there was more to come). The participants walked way too quickly for being on parade and they didn't display enough excitement. Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed. But it was nothing that a walk along the Seine and a crêpe couldn't solve.

Also, during the parade one of the dragons hit me in the head and I am almost certain that is a sign of good luck. Wishing prosperity, happiness, good fortune, and success to all!

long overdue

So I returned from London today. It was a really great trip, other than the expected rain, wind, and chilling temperatures. I traveled via Eurostar and I was super excited, because I LOVE trains. I was especially excited by the prospect of travelling underwater. However my vision of looking through the train window and out of the clear tunnel and being able to see all of the sea life of the English Channel was short-lived as I passed through a completely dark tunnel for no more than 20 minutes only to arrive on the other side, thinking I'm in the UK already? I nodded in and out of sleep for the remainder of the trip. Thursday night I had plans to go to bed early in order to better facilitate early rising on Friday, but of course that didn't happen. Instead, I stayed up late, tasting the 3 different types of bas armagnac that I had bought at the salon des vins a couple weeks back. How I ended up with 3 bottles of brandy instead of a bottle of champagne like I originally planned is another story altogether. So here goes... We went to the salon des vins at 11 AM on a Sunday. Tasting wine this early on a Sunday didn't seem like the best idea, but it seemed better than the alternative of having to deal with the crowds which would undoubtedly show up later. So we decided to meet at 10:30 AM. I opted for the drinking method to wine tasting rather than the pouring out technique, because really I hate to see a good drink go to waste. Needless to say by about noon, I was pretty much faded. I ended up buying 3 bottles of bas armanagac from a vendor whose second question (the first being Where are you from?) was Did you vote for Bush? Jade, I still hold you responsible for this purchase with all of your holiday talk of brandy and egg nog. But it did turn out to be a nice buy (although I am still a bit bitter about not getting the champagne). After the salon des vins, we went up to Montmarte and into the Sacré Cœur. Once inside the cathedral/church/basilica (not quite sure which term is most appropriate), I realized that I was toting my bag of alcohol in the house of the Lord, which I deemed a bit inappropriate and quickly made my way back outside. Overall, the building was very beautiful both inside and out and there is a spectacular panoramic view of Paris from the base of the structure.
Back in London, ordering at a Chinese restaurant, the waiter asks what we will have to drink. I reply: I will take water please.
What?
WA-ter.
What was that?
Wat-ER.
You want WaTer?
Yes. WATER. Thank you.
Damn. Is my American accent that hard to understand? But in his defense (because it is obviously not MY fault), english is not his mother tongue. But really now, how many drink choices are there with 2 syllables that begin with a w.
Glad to be back in Paris, where I feel at home.

For interested parties, the rest of the photos from my trip to London can be found on my Flickr site.

It's raining.

I forgot my umbrella at home today. So it rained on my head all day as I traversed through the city. It sucked. But thankfully I am not (yet) sick as a result.
This whole month has been gray and rainy. I don't hate the rain, in fact I find it rather calming and cozy (while indoors). However I prefer consistent changes in the weather. Because I get through the rainy weekdays knowing that the sun always spends its weekends in Paris. This evening I checked the forecast and much to my disappointment, that will not be the case this weekend. I suppose I will have to make do with indoor activities.

Last weekend was especially beautiful and on Sunday I went for a ride on a bateau-mouche along the Seine. Blending in with the other tourists, I held the metal speaker to my ear listening to the historical explanations of le Louvre, les Invalides, and various other points of interest. Afterwards, I walked along the Seine soaking up the sun.

Oh yeah, for Thanksgiving, Madame and I went to a restaurant for Indian food. Oddly, that seemed a bit normal (although not much like Thanksgiving). I had chicken tikka masala (admittedly a non-South Indian dish) and a sweet lassi. Rice-based cuisines always bring me comfort. Although I am still waiting for that sweet potato pie (ahem, Jade!). And I am really missing the frantic shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Ah well...

a day filled with gifts

I am finally in possession of the ever elusive carte de sejour. Yea! It only took 4 visits to the office at Cité Universitaire, tons of paperwork (which never seemed to be completed just right, hence the need for 4 separate trips), and a 1.5 months wait for a medical exam. The exam consisted of me following orders that were being yelled in my direction (in a very non-sterile environment). Standing on a scale. Covering one eye at a time and reading letters from far away and words from close up to test vision. Stripping naked from the waist up to have a chest x-ray. (By the way, I am now the proud owner of said x-ray, which I'm told will come in handy...) Inhaling and exhaling. Answering medical history questions. Forty minutes, a few tears, and 55 euros later the card was officially mine.

Tonight I went to the Daniel Swarovski Autumn/Winter collection Poetic Night show. The collection was gorgeous. The decor was beautifully done. Everything was very sparkly, notably the champagne (which may be why this post is a bit rambly and full of adjectives/adverbs with -ly endings). Best of all, I received a bag of take-home goodies! Yeeeessss!

and more gifts

A pair of healthy non-smoking lungs.

These pictures definitely do not do the show much justice. Sorry. The lighting was dim and I'm not much of a photographer.

Or videographer, it seems.

life is beautiful

Don't you hate it when real life starts to interfere with your blogging? Anyway, this was my weekend.

I have been congested so I decided to succumb to everyone's advice and try some nasal spray. Nasal sprays always make me nervous and until now I have never been able to actually spray the liquid into my nose. But I am happy to report that I feel like it is working.

Saturday I spent the whole afternoon and much of the evening at le Centre Pompidou (which I now honor as my absolute favorite museum of all time ever) with Carin. The best exhibit was the Fabrica: Les Yeux Ouvres. It is remarkable the way the exhibit approached current issues through creativity media. The beauty of the art contrasted with the often hideous reality (ie violence, world hunger, poverty, racism, political injustice etc) is brilliant. Maybe I'm a little too excited about this, but I enjoy contemporary art and the possibilities that it reveals. One of the best aspects of the exhibit was the COLORS magazine notebook project in which people around the world were presented with an opportunity to express themselves however they pleased in a blank notebook. This collection of notebooks was displayed for people to read. I was especially moved by a notebook written by people in Uganda whose lives were affected by a spouse dying from HIV/AIDS (and additionally frequently themselves or their children suffering from the disease). The stories were handwritten in raw, straightforward language and accompanied by headshot photographs. As I read the stories my tears flowed as candidly as the words - assuredly filled with grief but more importantly hope and fight to live.

(Yeah, okay. I was getting a bit too happy with photoshop.)

Carin and I went to Ladurée today and I had a raspberry and passion fruit tart which was heavenly. We went to Sephora also which was the worst decision, because EVERYONE was there, pushing (without saying excuse me) and spritzing perfume all over the place.

I will end with this sentence that I read on another blog in a comment and that commenter read it somewhere else, so I don't who to credit, but I'm feeling it. The only way we have to find a reference point is continuing to move.

Americans have more fun! (an experiment)

Hypothesis: Drinking wine improves my French comprehension and expression.

Variables:
The amount of wine that I consume
The amount of wine that the others consume
The duration of time during which the wine is consumed
The effect that consuming the wine has on the accuracy of my perceptions

Methods and materials:
1. Attend a dinner party with:
3 boys whose uniting language is Japanese (Mr U, Mr K, and Mr 5)
3 girls whose uniting language is English (Mlle S, Mlle C, and moi)
2. Be served plenty of wine and food.
3. Record observations and conversations.

Results:
Moi: But I really am shy! (I insisted while starting my x glass of wine.)
Mlle C and Mr K: You are NOT shy! We do not believe you.
Mr K: Americans talk a lot.
Moi: We talk a lot because we like to have fun and we enjoy parties where everyone is laughing and having a good time (or at least I do).
I still stick with my assertion that I am shy. Really, I am! I'm not usually quiet once you get to know me, but initially I am shy. Definitely wasn't convincing anyone of that yesterday.

Moi: Don't laugh at my French!
Mlle C: He's not laughing at your French, he's laughing at you.
Moi: Oh! I see.
Mr K mocked both my French and English. Specifically my voice, which never ceased to amuse him. Apparently, making fun of me is an activity enjoyed by people of all cultures. Hmmph!

Mr K: I love MAC.
Mlle C and moi: I love MAC too!

Moi: I love Madonna.
Mlle C: Me too!
Moi: Do you like Madonna?
Mr K: I ADORE Madonna.
Who would've known that MAC and Madonna are capable of surpassing all language/cultural barriers? (Is it any coincidence that both are American? I think not. ;))

Wow, why is a random guy in the metro dominating the pic?

Conclusion: The more wine I consumed the better my French became. Mr K even noted that the more wine he consumed, the better he was able to understand my French. Point 1 for team Leela! (I think...) Mlle S served as a control since she doesn't drink alcohol. As a result, she remained confused during most of the conversations (including the English, so I'm not really sure what was going on with her). The results of this preliminary experiment are consistent with my hypothesis, however I cannot rule out the possibility that perhaps the variables skewed the results. Thus more experiments are necessary before I can confirm my hypothesis.

WTF: Leela ate sushi!? Yeeeaaah booooy! Vegetarian sushi!!

Bonne Anniversaire

I guess that since it is my birthday and all, I am expected to post something fabulous about myself or how I have grown over the past year or something else equally insightful.
Hmm…
Will you settle for what I ate for dinner?
Okay. Well, Madame and I ate at le restaurant Georges in the Centre Pompidou, where we had the most dazzling view overlooking Paris at night. The ambiance was very modern and exclusive. Equalling in appeal was the presentation of the food. I had the tomate mozzarella, which consisted of tomatoes with mozzarella cheese, garnished with basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Then for dessert I had the cheese cake with fromage blanc sorbet. You know how I adore desserts and this one was delicious.
So happy birthday to me and to the start of an extraordinary new year!

Z's & G's

It's a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. The sun is shining in all it glory. You are driving down the highway peacefully singing along with Justin. Dirty babe... Wait, you are distracted by what you see. 1, 2, 3...more than 30 of the mostly the same type of car speed by you on the opposite side of the road.
What the hell is going on?
It's a car run.
A what?
Let me explain. So, there are car clubs for people in the Bay Area who drive Nissan 350Z's or Infiniti G35's. They meet up and drive to different places together to hang out, talk, and admire each others cars. This particular run happens to be to Monterey.
These people have too much time on their hands.
You are probably right.

As I sit in the passenger seat of Jameel's G35 watching the world through my window, I pray for my safety.

By far the best part of the trip was when I got a chance to visit my favorite squirrels in Pebble Beach. They are incredibly friendly and will not hesitate to come right up to you. Because although there is a clearly posted sign instructing visitors not feed the animals, it is quite obvious that it goes mainly ignored.

Cali Iz Active

Los Angelos
Manhattan Beach








Hollywood Park Casino
(Note: Do not ever go there, it is sooo terrible!! I can't even elaborate, because you had to be there to believe it. Just trust me.)







Happy 50th Birthday Yolanda!



Sippin' on that Andre.


San Francisco






China Town






Pebble Beach









Circle of life in action.



Please don't feed the animals!








Monterey






Palo Alto
The absolute best burritos (and hot sauce) I've ever had!



Acknowledgements: Thank you to Jade and Jameel for your undying hospitality! An extra thanks for dealing with my indecisiveness and my propensity for listening to anyone who approached us on the street.