Saturday, May 9, 2009

"je suis canadienne"

today i learned:
- saying bonjour cheerfully when being served at a store or when entering a petite boulangerie or cafe is very important.
- i don't think the french are snobby at all.
- i love the metro! they leave the windows open so you've got air coming in (not sure if it's clean air though, but ca ne me derange pas) and there's signal for cell phones!
- the parisiens speak very quietly on the train.
- essayage - fitting
- i can pass for chinese and japanese. (the latter pleases me a lot considering i've always wanted to be half french and half japanese). hence the title. and this surprises them because my french is really good, so they say, and then they proceed to ask me if i'm from quebec. no, unfortunately not.
- people get tickled pink when they see me whip out my polaroid.
- little french girls and boys are so nicely dressed.
- medical tape is better than bandaids. use them if you are going to be doing a lot of walking. it requires less changing and it protects better.

today i went to see:
- the eiffel tower
- trocadero square
- champs elysees
- l'arc de triomphe
- rue cler
- notre dame (for sunday mass)









today i bought:
- two dresses and a pair of shoes from nafnaf
- a pair of silky balloony girly shorts from zara (i've always wanted them but toronto had no sizes!)

today i ate:
- banana and nutella for breakfast
- banana and nutella crepe at rue cler (good place for buying fruits and fresh produce)
- grilled baguette slices with goat cheese
- coffee with hot milk (it is so goood)
- pizza from one of the many pizzerias close to the apartment









demain, we are off to normandy, st. malo, dinan & mont st michel. my dad is driving.
teehee. wish us luck!
have a great weekend, everyone!

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Friday, May 8, 2009

i'm here!

bonjour!
i am finally in beautiful paris!


i thought i'd upload pictures and say hello before my dad and i walk to the left bank. we've already done rick steve's historic paris walk.
paris, mes amis, is sooooo beautiful. the apartment that we are staying in is at least 200 years old and is right in the middle of cafes and restaurants. as i am writing this i can hear lovely french chatter, the clatter of cups and saucers and people singing. it is very much a lively scene outside. (and what am i doing inside?!?! harhar. my dad went out for a quick walk. he's looking for a grocery store to buy some food. nutella specifically. harhar. i just woke up from a very much needed nap). the weather is very pleasant - tights and sweater weather.
this is the view from l'appartement:




some pics from our walk:




i had an upset stomach from the plane ride (and plane food!). but i've already had the following:
- salade de chevre chaud
- steak with bearnaise sauce
- red wine
- chocolate mousse
- cafe creme
- macarons en vanille






i've gotten to practice my french a lot today. it surprises me how much i can still understand. and it amazes me how such a simple movie, sabrina, (as silly as it sounds) can create dreamers.

and that is all for now. i brought my polaroid and my konica film camera as well, so i'll have so many pictures to show you that you will get tired of them. harhar.
have a good weekend! :)

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009



-i got my box of polaroid film in the mail, finally.
-i'm not done packing. my dad is. haha.
-it was a busy day at work. i am trying to get everything done before i leave.
-i finally went to anthropologie. it was quite a trek. but worth it. i got two trousers for cheap. the area was just like the grove in l.a.
-i got some canadian money converted to euros. and some travelers cheques.
- i am so excited. i plan to watch bolt on the plane (harhar. i'm THAT excited. i've already looked up the in-flight entertainment).

i hope you guys had a good spring day today! :)

PS: i need HELP. i don't know what to pack. i've packed for summer weather and it looks as if it's going to be quite rainy. and the girls in my favorite french blogs are wearing boots still...am i going to have to pack for two extremes?

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Saturday, May 2, 2009

hiro, jarvis & japanese dress books class

the more i use apple, the more i feel that everything apple is the way to go. which my colleague calls being "apple-fied".
meet hiro.
(hiro from heroes)
{how do you do?}





i love it. i am no longer going back to pc.
aaaand:

meet jarvis.
(jarvis from iron man)
{how do you do?}




i love it. or him. it takes getting used to, but i like how i don't have to wait until i get home to check my emails and my calendar. plus i needed a new ipod. i needed more space. he looks scratched and dusty but it's the case. harhar.

this spring/summer i have two classes to take that i am really excited about!
1. conversational french at the alliance francaise.
2. AND. the japanese dress books class at the workroom! karyn, who has made tops/dresses from these pattern books, has finally created this very much requested class.

see, i bought the book a long time ago but when i opened to check out the pattern i wanted to faint. harhar. all these lines. all these japanese characters. i tried to decipher it but couldn't. i tried to follow tutorials online, which may work for intermediate and advanced sewers. but for beginners and lazy sewers like me, having someone there to show you what to do is what i need.

i had my eye on these dresses and tunics for the longest time:





and just recently i found the prettiest fabric (similar to this h&m top that i bought and love) that i thought would look really nice as one of these dresses.



then i find out that karyn is offering this class. and so i signed up right away.
it is almost full, so if you're interested, make sure you sign up soon!

sigh. everything just came together.

now if other things just came together and made sense. sigh.

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

boulangerie of macarons + brunch

today was such a beautiful day. spring weather in the morning and summer weather in the afternoon.
perfect day to go a-brunching and exploring downtown with alice.
alice and i make quite a clumsy pair (more so for her though. harhar) and normally go into uncontrollable fits of laughter.


1. first stop was la bamboche - a cute little french bakery


i love the striped awning.



olive baguettes


freshly baked madeleines

our main reason for going though was to finally get a taste of those delectable macarons! i thought i had to wait until my paris vacation to be able to taste these beautiful (but very delicate) pastel-colored gems. you can buy them in toronto! they are a bit pricey, but they are very worth it. i loved green tea and lavender.







macarons à porter: for dessert after brunch!

la bamboche
4 manor road east
416-481-6735

2. next stop was le petit dejeuner (yes we had a french theme going on. alice and i both majored in études françaises).
it was quite busy when we got there but we didn't have to wait long for our food.
i had a croque madame.



it was quite good. although i had expected it to be drenched in sauce. harhar. i guess it was just as well. it came with a side of salad.


i ordered a plate of rosti. my croque madame was too healthy.

next time i come back i'll order a benny.

le petit dejeuner
191 king street east
416-703-1560

and two h&m tops (me), american apparel dress (her), italian soda and a latte (yes, on a hot day!), three macarons at dundas square later, we parted ways. i had to go for the monthly TRENDS event. where i actually did the introduction. that was quite an accomplishment. :)

anyhoo, i hope you are all having a good weekend! :)




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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

old school goodies.

meet henry!
{how do you do?}




i found him through craigslist! it's $20 well spent. i met up with caroline at college station and did our exchange there. i've tracked down stores that still sell polaroid film and i will be buying them this weekend.
i am so happy. i've already taken henry for a test drive around the neighborhood and he works wonderfully! my dad also found my box of polaroids from two years ago. i will scan them once i get the chance.



lovely presents from john:







bliss.
bliss.
utter bliss.

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two more weeks.

14 more sleeps and i'll be in an overnight transatlantic flight to paris, probably scribbling away furiously at my journal.

ever since...
cinéma français
before sunrise, paris je t'aime
missing that opportunity to study abroad :(
amélie (as cliché as that sounds)
those grade 9 french textbooks
sabrina, a la julia ormond,
...i have been dreaming to go to paris.

these are not my lovely photos but in a few weeks i'll have my own. :)
i am so excited.


chocolate monster's flickr






from here


simply breakfast


ps:
joanna, karyn and casey are going too. and i cannot wait to see their pictures!

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Friday, April 17, 2009

giveaways+hello weekend


i haven't been signing onto my blogger. and when i did today, i found that two of my favorite reads are doing a giveaway! they all end today, but you still have time! :)
+karyn is giving away a copy of uppercase magazine to two lucky readers.

+ the lovely anabela of fieldguided is giving away a copy of lula!



today should be a lovely day. a whopping 19 degrees! :)

tonight, to celebrate my siblings' birthdays, angela & al-jo&i are staying overnight at the fairmont royal york hotel. not sure what we're going to do tonight yet, but it will definitely involve lots of food.

i hope everyone has a gorgeous weekend!

ps: i found a polaroid one step camera on craigslist...i hope that it still works. i'm going to see it today.

pps: i am thisclose to buying a canon rebel xs, 10.1 mp. i hope hope hope that it all works out. it's secondhand, but i'm sure it was loved.

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Sunday, April 12, 2009

a bit of prepping going on for the trip:


luggage tags to chic-ify plain, black luggage


some pre-versailles reading. marie antoinette, as snobby and as frivolous as she was, was very much misunderstood. (oh yes, i actually borrowed books from the library! i normally buy them...)


the paris moleskine (grad gift from my sistah) and a very naughty french phrase book. hehe.

AND, i hope everyone's had a great easter!

- church for the past three days has been at least two hours long.
- passion of the christ never fails to make me cry.
- spontaneous dinners out with friends at midnight are fun. while blasting out meg & dia, deathcab and josh radin songs. hardeehar. i felt 20 again.
- niagara as a spontaneous outing for easter is the best. had a latte for the first time in 40 days and it was delicious.
- i've been spending way too much money at h&m.
- it's a good thing i've finally opened a tfsa and rrsp savings account. it's about time.
- my room is messy. but at least my closet is clean and organized. it really looks like yogurt in there. hardeehar.

have a good week everyone!

le grand trip countdown: 25 more sleeps

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Saturday, April 4, 2009

when it's too cold to go to the beach...

...let the beach come to you.









it's a sandcastle kit.
tres adorable.

sigh. dreaming of summer weather.

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

i love.

i have been feeling a little bummed out. and tired. with lots to do and so little time. i need two of me. i need sleep.

but then there's those little moments in your day that help you bear things and make you lighter inside:
- the lovely way the sun hits the tops of trees as it rises
- strangers that help you with doors
- strangers that give you a little smile as they walk onto the elevator
- the violin guy at the train station playing pachabel canon in d
- an unexpected email from someone you love
- catching the bus to get home
- and videos like this. this makes me so happy. enjoy :) i hope you all have a good day full of little moments.

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Monday, March 23, 2009




there's nothing better than leftover pie and ice cream.
i should really stop wolfing it down.

i finally made a new banner (the last one was from fall! completely forgot to do a winter one).
the banner took forever to do (looks so simple too!) but mac doesn't have a paint program, unlike its windows counterpart. so i downloaded gimp. it's sort of like photoshop. after three hours of google queries and playing around, i have finally gotten it. i'm sure there's more to it than just resizing and cropping images, but i don't think i'll go further than that.



i started working on the mini zipped pouches for TRENDS' makeup event this saturday.
i felt so clumsy with the sewing machine...understandable, after a two-month hiatus. never again! i managed to produce two samples, both of which i can't use for TRENDS. the dimensions of one were too disproportionate. and as for the other pouch, i gave it to my sister who liked the fabric.



harhar. and my altoid tin collection is growing.

i hope everyone had a bearable monday!

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Sunday, March 22, 2009






- i am full of pasta, garlic bread and apple crumble pie/triple berry pie with vanilla ice cream

- gravy boats make cute vases

- after all these years i finally saw 13 going on 30. i now have the hugest crush on mark ruffalo. is it the way he speaks? his hair? hmm. i don't know.

- i bought 28 zippers today

- i love cozy dinner parties

- i sort of pulled an ina garten today. had everything ready before everyone came. i even set the table with flowers, harhar. one day i will have my own set of crisp fabric napkins too. i'll make them myself, just to one up her. harhar.

- yay for gossip girl. they finally have a new episode out.

- have a lovely weekend everyone! :)

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Friday, March 20, 2009

je l'adore.



i finally bought it. :)
the scent lasts longer.
and the bottle is just so adorable.

looking forward to:
- 5:00 pm, friday
- dinner party tomorrow
- a weekend of crafting
- sleeping in on sunday morning and waking up to my dad's banana and blueberry pancakes. yum-o.


here's to a sunny weekend! happy spring everyone :)

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

just because.

1. there's 50% less hot sauce in the disposable little cup that goes with my jerk chicken burrito (i have to squeeze every bit out now, whereas before i would have to throw out a third of it).
some stores have started keeping their serviettes behind their counters.
and manchu wok is still giving out one napkin per order.
i feel as if i'm the only one who's living in an economic boom. i really should start saving money. or just stop spending money in general. and start bringing breakfast and lunch to work again. and once h&m stops making pretty clothes then i will stop spending.
a pleated, gauzy, silky, high-waisted navy blue skirt is just irresistable.

2. and it doesn't help that i'm planning a trip in may either.
i just want to do everything.
my dad and i had finally narrowed it down to the following:
* bike tour to versailles
* bike tour to giverny/monet's house
* day/night bike tours around paris
* day trip to london
* normandy/st. malo/mont st michel trip
(bike much?)

3. my little sister has the cutest little phone voice.

4. i am going to start sewing again. i'm going to be sewing up tiny makeup kits for the TRENDS event (a makeup artist from dior has graciously agreed to give four lucky girls makeovers!) in march (harhar, i had a lot of practice in december. i know it seems like that's the only thing i know how to make, but in truth, it's the only thing i can make that has the least number of flaws!). i have to make a minimum of 10. yay, project.

5. it is so wonderful to walk to work with the sun shining so brightly and to come home in daylight.


i hope everyone is having a good day! 15 degrees of sunshiney weather! lovely lovely.

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Monday, March 9, 2009

25 things.

hello friends.
i have completely neglected this blog so to update it i've decided to list 25 random things about me. i have been tagged on facebook but didn't really feel like posting this there.

1. i just bought the 13 inch macbook and i'm quite frustrated.
i named it hiro nakamura (my favorite character from heroes).

2. i used to crush on cartoon characters: gambit from x-men, darien from sailor moon and eric from little mermaid.

3. i still do not have my license. fine by me. i catch up on sleep on the train.

4. i started reading the sweet valley high books in grade 4 and i secretly did so from my mom. i thought it was scandalous at the time because of all the kissing parts. i also that the same way about the betty and veronica comics.

5. my barbie doll didn't date ken. she dated my brother's gambit action figure. i also used to make them kiss, for which i got in trouble. my sister, who was such a prude back then, told on me.

6. i keep a moleskine journal. i no longer write profound things (harhar like i ever did). most of the time i just doodle or list good things that happened to me during the day.

7. i went clubbing for the first time two weeks ago with my co-workers, and i really enjoyed it. it was at a classy club where most of the guys wore suits and the girls were in nice dresses. it was different from what i had imagined it to be (dingy, dark and sketchy).

8. making my bed in the morning is that one consistent thing i do each day.

9. i have problems with saving money. my investment is in my closet. hardeehar.

10. the first concert i attended was our lady peace.

11. i always take the aisle seat at the theater or on the plane because i go to the washroom often.

12. my closet looks like yogurt because of all the creamy tops i have purchased. i love cream.

13. i always order the same thing from the menu.

14. i clean my bathroom or bake when i am anxious.

15. i haven't used my sewing maching in two months.

16. my favorite karaoke songs are making love out of nothing at all and total eclipse of the heart.

17. i secretly wish that i was half japanese and half something. hehe. not so secret anymore. japanese girls are gorgeous. i also secretly wish that i had been born and raised in france. not so secret anymore either.

18. i would like to redecorate my room. it's screaming to be redecorated, what with all the fabric and craft supplies i have amassed over the months.

19. i am a huge sourgrape, especially when i play scrabble and monopoly against john.

20. my most favorite place in the world is anywhere where john is. sounds cheesy, i know. but there, i have said it.

21. i liked high school musical 3.

22. when i was in jk i shaved off my right eyebrow, the day before picture day! my mom got so mad and she cut my bangs in the sideswept fashion so that it would cover the missing brow. i did it because i remember watching my dad shave and being fascinated by it. another stupid eyebrow mishap was when i had the genius idea of plucking my eyebrow with a mini nail clipper (because i couldn't find the tweezers. this is so wrong in so many counts. one of them being that it was totally unsanitary)

23. i can finish an entire bag of chips and box of ice cream. i would also rather snack than eat an actual meal.

24. i have a routine for when i take a shower: hang my towel on the left side of the rack and my bathrobe beside it, so that the towel is the first thing i grab when i am done. after showering, i brush my teeth, then wash my face (the logic behind it is so that i have washed off any toothpaste residue, making it safe to apply my toner), then flush the toilet.

25. i hate daylight savings time...springing forward, that is.

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