Day 5 Paris: Saturday

Quite a number of shops close today and the weather was warmer too.

Early morning raid of Le Pharmacies only to discover not all pharmacies are created equal. The price differences can range from 3-6 eur!

Passages Couverts - following the lonely planet walking guide.
lovely boutiques in Palais Royal
Lunch at Frenchie To Go - Fish & Chips, Lobster roll & pulled pork sandwich
Then on to Left Bank - Jardin du Luxembourg; an aborted attempt as they close the park at 4.15 pm! (opening hrs 8.15 to 4.15
Stopped by at Angelina adjacent to Musee Du Luxembourg
Early diner at Huîterie Regis 12 oysters ( Les Fines de Claires & Les Spéciales de Claires from the West Coast of France Marennes-Olégrons near Bourdeux) with Sancerre white wine and espresso. Superb!

Day 4 Paris

Friday

Le Marais District
Place Des Vosges
Vert D'Absinthe
Au Passage for lunch
Centre De Pompidou

Day 3 Paris

A day of climbing up and down endless stairs, discovering the French pharmacie, adventure in Metro/RER with scary crazy or drunk (or both) French dude following us. Quaint Ille de Cite and more friendly ebullient French waiters.

11.12.13 Day 2 Paris

Highlights:
Greek marble statues of Gods and Goddesses in the Louvre.
Christmas decorations around Rue de Rivoli and Place Vendome

Meals:
Lunch @ Le Souffle
Dinner @ Le Petit Machon (Lyonnaise cuisine)

Day 1 Paris

Arrived at 6.30am to 0 degree weather; misty breath is fun :)

Trip into Paris by cab took a while as we were stuck in early morning rush hour traffic. Oh, don't mess with Parisienne drivers, they are very aggressive and not only was our cab in a minor fender bender, but we also saw a motorcycle rider knocked down by a utility van (but he was certainly a-ok, he popped up to angrily confront the van driver). The ride took abt an hour plus. The cab driver though not good in English was friendly and quizzed us on basic French words when he heard us practising in the cab.

Finding the apartment was easy and check in was a breeze. Apartment is nice enough and well sound and weather-proofed. Location is good as well being just parallel to the shopping belt of Rue de Rivoli and steps away from the major metro exchange Chatelet Les Halles.

Took a much needed rest for an hour or 2 then out to look for lunch. walked along Rue St. Honore and finally stepped into Cez Gladines - a canteen like bistrot serving Basque cuisine. I had the Poulet Basquisse and Bran the Entrecôte with herbs. Mains were about 10-13eur, decent food with delicious Rioja wine.

Then off we went strolling along Rue de Rivoli all the way down to Louvre and on to Jardin des Tuilleries and Place de Concorde with the obelisk and Eiffel Tower & Arch de Triomphe shimmering in the distance in setting sunlight. Louvre even from the outside is magnificent (You almost don't need to go in as it is covered with engravings/mouldings, sculptures and grand doors)

Jardin des Tuileries in sunset is such a lovely wide open space with petit fountains surrounded by iconic green lounging chairs filed with Parisiennes (and tourists) catching the last rays of sun while braving chilly weather. It's an idyllic space and I can see why the Parisiennes love it. Despite being winter, it seems likes it's autumn in the city with many trees still clinging on to their golden leaves. The sunrise and sunset colours are also magnificent; all pastel pinks and purples and soft yellows and oranges. With the short winter days, sunset begins at around 4pm with the city getting dark by 5pm. Kind off disorienting at first since we feel like it's dinner time by 5 but the restaurants only open for dinner at earliest 7.30pm.

4 hours in the cold took it's toll on me and I had freezing hands an hour into our walk which leather wool lined gloves could not thaw. And yet everyone else looks so comfortable and not at all cold - hm, must figure out warmer 'strategy'. So we we're pretty tired after our long walk and on the way home stopped by Pattisserie/Bolangerie Gossellin and Julien just doors away from us for pastries. They are not much for browsing it seems as the customers seemed to walk in knowing exactly what they wanted. We had a canelle and apricot tart from Julien and a framboisse pastry and Roquefort quiche from Gossellin with wine from the neigborhood supermarche for dinner. Only later did I discover that we should have ordered the Baguette une tradition that all the other customers were getting. Well there us another 7 days! Right on our doorstep is also a charcuterie/tratieur, fruit & vegetable vendor and a Boucherie just waiting to be explored :)

Retired by 8.30pm, completely shattered.

Paris Museum 4-day pass: eur54 each
Cab ride eur65.30

Notes:
- Must be braver in going into restaurants,cafes, bistrots, pattiseries etc - who cares if the French laugh or roll their eyes at us?
- Warmer gear is essential! Keep bundled up even at the beginning when it seems pleasant and not so cold.

Cat walks over keyboard

It's hard to type with a busybody homicidal psycho jungle cat insisting on 'helping' :)

Hobbes is 5 months old and has been with us for just over 2 weeks now. He's an inquisitive little fellow who simply must investigate what we are up to at all times. He's also prone to attacking us; something I hope he grows out off!

It's been an interesting transition. So this must be what being a parent feels like - though I'm sure it's much worse with human children. It's tiring and very involving. But I have hope he will settle in and mellow out.

He IS soft and cuddly when he allows it, and those socks are to die for.

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December 7th; am feeling panicky and unprepared (probably because we aren't prepared). Only way to resolve this is through action.

So. Things are going to get done.

Luck Be a Lady

Uff. 

So many updates needed. But actually come to think of it, none are needed at all because this corner is virtually anonymous. Ah, happy now!

Brand spanking new (and terribly expensive) personal laptop requires that it be used for IMPORTANT STUFF. Yeah! Ok. Hm. So.

I don't know about you, but when someone calls me 'lucky' I always smell the stench of jealousy emanating from their words. And in the context of a professional environment it is unmistakable. I thought I'd left these people behind in the school yard but I suppose these juvenile self-proclaimed victims just grow up to be sorry-faced 'unlucky' adults. Somehow they never attribute it to their own doing and find every chance to decry their 'unfortunate' circumstances and begrudge us our 'fortunate' one. 

Dealing with people is a massive pain. Dealing with the same old tired personalities can take a toll and muddy what is an otherwise perfectly happy personal life. I find their petty lives tedious and boring as I'm sure they find mine too. This is the reason I try to keep work strictly separate from leisure. I almost never socialize with co-workers anymore outside of office hours. I also don't check my emails after I leave the office as I know I have trouble compartmentalizing and can easily start worrying and sliding into a bad mood during my off hours.

Having a room to myself at work is also a stress reliever; a private room for a private mind. Plus I can shut them out whenever I want to. I hate that I am still bothered by what others think of me even when I know exactly how unremarkable they all are and can equate that to the worthiness of their opinions. Possibly because there is a grain of truth sometimes? But still, I don't pretend to be free of failings, so why can't I be allowed my inadequacies without criticism? Who are they to judge? All these small people leading small lives and trying their damn-est to be less inconsequential by hacking away spitefully at the 'lucky' ones. 

And they have the nerve to wonder why I am distant.

Now if you called me lucky in my personal life, I'd have to agree with you. Blind luck it is, and after all this while I'm still amazed. How indeed did I get so lucky?