in French - sortir d'une pièce comme un fou
literal translation in English - leaving a room like a mad person
in English - storming out of a room
literal translation in French - partir d'une pièce en tempête
This is in the context of my work - how many ways can one think about how to leave a room?
24 May 2006
15 May 2006
la vraie Parisienne sets in...
Tourists in town are the best. You force yourself to get away from your work or house cleaning chores and spend your time showing off the beauties of Paris. Not difficult you say? you're right. but leave it to me to take them to one of my coveted eating spots le reminet which is needless to say in every US guidebook. I can't believe this NYTimes review says a friendly couple???!!!! Even in NY city standards, they are not friendly by any stretch of the imagination. Well the husband/cook is decent, but I think he might be afaid to show a nice side given that he is married to Morticia.
It's frustrating to me that Le Reminet serves some of the most innovative high caliber food with reasonable prices in Paris, yet the service is generally pretty crappy. Well to be fair, it's nice but cold. Morticia* runs the place and never smiles. the servers take after her. and i have seen her storm out and slam the door. and i have waited 45 minutes to 1 hour for a reserved table nearly very single time i go there. only to be seated at around 10:30pm. the food and wine list are impeccable, though, so I keep going back with tourists. and they love the food every time. but when Morticia asks me how everything went - i went French. 100%. I didn't even bother to be gracious and say the food was excellent. I went straight off on the fact that the food arrived too quickly, that we got the dessert menus before our plates were even cleared, etc and we shouldn't have to be rushed because we are seated late. Of course, she points out that 1h15 minutes for three courses is not rushed. oops. where do i think i am ? a 4 star restaurant? my bad? nope. a French woman is never wrong.
* Not her real name but the resemblance is uncanny.
It's frustrating to me that Le Reminet serves some of the most innovative high caliber food with reasonable prices in Paris, yet the service is generally pretty crappy. Well to be fair, it's nice but cold. Morticia* runs the place and never smiles. the servers take after her. and i have seen her storm out and slam the door. and i have waited 45 minutes to 1 hour for a reserved table nearly very single time i go there. only to be seated at around 10:30pm. the food and wine list are impeccable, though, so I keep going back with tourists. and they love the food every time. but when Morticia asks me how everything went - i went French. 100%. I didn't even bother to be gracious and say the food was excellent. I went straight off on the fact that the food arrived too quickly, that we got the dessert menus before our plates were even cleared, etc and we shouldn't have to be rushed because we are seated late. Of course, she points out that 1h15 minutes for three courses is not rushed. oops. where do i think i am ? a 4 star restaurant? my bad? nope. a French woman is never wrong.
* Not her real name but the resemblance is uncanny.
10 May 2006
the best friends ever!!!
i know that i haven't been posting at all been very busy and i am currently taking a break at 2am from SAS programming to tell y'all how great my australian friends are!
sara, jason, dylan and nearly 1-year old sam): three cheers for them!!! not only did they host me for 10 days in their lovely house in annandale (and still consider me a friend), but they posted me a pack of tim tams - the original. the best cookies ever. just what i needed to get over the blues of working too much.
no comment...
thanks!!!
sara, jason, dylan and nearly 1-year old sam): three cheers for them!!! not only did they host me for 10 days in their lovely house in annandale (and still consider me a friend), but they posted me a pack of tim tams - the original. the best cookies ever. just what i needed to get over the blues of working too much.
no comment...
thanks!!!
20 April 2006
Kenya - day 8 - 10 Diani Beach, Mombassa
Spent three days relaxing, sleeping and enjoying warm weather. Who would have thought a safari was so tiring? The water is super warm, the beaches are empty. Mami and I were learning how to windsurf, until she fell onto a black sea urchin (papaya milk is the local remedy). Painful!! Went on two dives. Visibility not as good as Koh Tao, but we saw some large turtles, a school of baracuda, clown fish (nemos), an angel fish, a parrot fish and a lot of dead coral.
Mombassa - well I wouldn't make the effort to go to the old town. Not that interesting and too many tourist shops on a 300m long stretch . And it's a good 45 minute drive from Diani (all that lost beach time!). I preferred the old San Juan in Puerto Rico.... We did hit a great kanga fabric store - Mali Ya Abdulla on Biashara street - who apparently initiated adding Swahili sayings on the prints. I could have stayed there hours and bought so much more...
Road to Diani
soap facade to Diani
le père et son ami
Diani Ferry arrival
Full make-up and fashionable wear under the niqab (she took it off while waiting for the ferry to arrive. i can see the niqab's utility for the dust in mombassa.)
Useful information:
- Mombassa hotel (part of package) - Indian Ocean Beach Club - like all resorts in Diani, it is isolated from the town and is meant to be all inclusive. You can't walk out to dinner, but you can get a tuk-tuk to go out to the stores, etc. Hotel was excellent, food was pretty decent and always plentiful.
- Diving in Diani - most serious place was the Diani Marina - our hotel ried to make us dive with them but we later found out that you would have to go about an hour's drive before getting to a boat, etc. We did two dives right off the shore on the coral reef. An experienced diver said it wasn't worth goign to Pemba because the cost was so high and the fish were about the same as in Diani.
Mombassa - well I wouldn't make the effort to go to the old town. Not that interesting and too many tourist shops on a 300m long stretch . And it's a good 45 minute drive from Diani (all that lost beach time!). I preferred the old San Juan in Puerto Rico.... We did hit a great kanga fabric store - Mali Ya Abdulla on Biashara street - who apparently initiated adding Swahili sayings on the prints. I could have stayed there hours and bought so much more...
Road to Diani
soap facade to Diani
le père et son ami
Diani Ferry arrival
Full make-up and fashionable wear under the niqab (she took it off while waiting for the ferry to arrive. i can see the niqab's utility for the dust in mombassa.)
Useful information:
- Mombassa hotel (part of package) - Indian Ocean Beach Club - like all resorts in Diani, it is isolated from the town and is meant to be all inclusive. You can't walk out to dinner, but you can get a tuk-tuk to go out to the stores, etc. Hotel was excellent, food was pretty decent and always plentiful.
- Diving in Diani - most serious place was the Diani Marina - our hotel ried to make us dive with them but we later found out that you would have to go about an hour's drive before getting to a boat, etc. We did two dives right off the shore on the coral reef. An experienced diver said it wasn't worth goign to Pemba because the cost was so high and the fish were about the same as in Diani.
18 April 2006
Road photos - Kenya
Mount Kenya
North of Nairobi
On road to Samburu
Getting close to Samburu
Between Samburu and Mount Kenya region
Near Aberdares
Rift Valley cliff
Rain storm across the Rift Valley
Kenya - day 5 - 7 Masai Mara
friendly
jumping for a free woman
Sleeping beauty
Tanzania/Kenya border in Masai Mara - note land erosion!
16 April 2006
Kenya - day 4 + 5 - Lake Nakuru and Naivasha
Perfect stopping place between Masai Mara and Samburu - long drive but worth a quick peak. The colors on my colour film are fabulous (these photos are from the digital). We also stopped at a Presbyterian women's self-help project -- Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers -- where single women learn how to make sheep's wool into rugs, blankets and other home items. Their products are mostly purchased by tourists (like my mom, my sister and me), as the prices are quite high for local consumers. I remember some sign about the American government being involved in the center's opening (maybe they sponsored the building?).
Zebra on Lake Naivasha - animal sanctuary where Out of Africa was mostly filmed
smelly
A friendly old beast
Lake Nakuru
Zebra on Lake Naivasha - animal sanctuary where Out of Africa was mostly filmed
smelly
A friendly old beast
Lake Nakuru
15 April 2006
14 April 2006
Kenya - day 2 - 4 - Samburu Shaba Buffalo Springs
Amazing hotel in Shaba.
Samburu children singing
In Samburu, dusk
Buffalo Springs/Samburu border
12 foot termite hill
Samburu children singing
In Samburu, dusk
Buffalo Springs/Samburu border
12 foot termite hill
05 April 2006
things to come...
i have a few travel stories to tell on Kenya. i'll post them over the next week or so.
scotch tape
have you ever wondered what is the maximum length of a piece of clear tape you can unroll before it starts twisting and sticking to itself?
or if it is cheaper to exfoliate dead skin cells with scotch tape rather than the overpriced, perfumed beauty product?
or why scotch cannot adhere to liquids?
or why, on some days, playing with scotch tape seems much more intellectually stimulating than your work?
me neither
or if it is cheaper to exfoliate dead skin cells with scotch tape rather than the overpriced, perfumed beauty product?
or why scotch cannot adhere to liquids?
or why, on some days, playing with scotch tape seems much more intellectually stimulating than your work?
me neither
05 March 2006
le cinéma!
I finally made it to the movies. Brokeback Mountain was the choice. I truly enjoyed it on many grounds. I wondered during the movie whether the storyline would be as appealing if it were about heterosexual couple and I believe so. Going through that kind of pain due to separation, thwarted love, exclusion and an unfulfilled life seems miserable, unbearable.
In terms of the Oscars, I don't usually follow the nominations, etc. But I do hope that Paradise Now wins. Saw it many months ago with my mom. I remarked the objectivity it angled to present on such a delicate subject.
In terms of the Oscars, I don't usually follow the nominations, etc. But I do hope that Paradise Now wins. Saw it many months ago with my mom. I remarked the objectivity it angled to present on such a delicate subject.
03 March 2006
The EU tells Kosmo "Stay inside!"
If you are in a protected zone (zone de protection déterminée), keep all your pets inside and if outside on a leash. See latest EU rercommendations.
Sorry Kosmo - no more sparrows on the balcony... Ok Paris is not yet a protected zone, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Sorry Kosmo - no more sparrows on the balcony... Ok Paris is not yet a protected zone, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
01 March 2006
50-year tunnel project creating another hole in NYC
Vinnie the Mole (450-ton tunnel-boring machine) is digging the massive second phase of City Tunnel No. 3, a 60-mile tunnel that began in the Bronx in 1970 and is scheduled for completion in 2020. By then, the tunnel will be able to handle the roughly one billion gallons of water a day used in New York City that originates from rural watersheds to points throughout the city.
The water tunnel has taken its toll in human life, with 24 construction-related deaths. A man a mile, the saying goes among the workers.
A geologist's involvement in the tunnel project makes his geologist friends jealous. "For a geologist," he said, "this is like going to Disneyland."
Read more in the NYT (sign-up needed).
The water tunnel has taken its toll in human life, with 24 construction-related deaths. A man a mile, the saying goes among the workers.
A geologist's involvement in the tunnel project makes his geologist friends jealous. "For a geologist," he said, "this is like going to Disneyland."
Read more in the NYT (sign-up needed).
27 February 2006
France vs. Uganda
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/45589
Stable government leads to lack of passion and getting any.
Stable government leads to lack of passion and getting any.
Year of travel will not stop to rest
If anyone thinks that I am going to stop at 4 continents per year, they are wrong!
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