Cloud surfing on Sunday morning

Sunday brunch at CROUS never disappoints. I think I've mentioned before that there's a student cafeteria on the second floor of my residence. Usually food is stale and disgusting on weekdays but then comes the magical Sunday brunch!!! So this is how it works: for 2.85 euros, you get 6 points, meaning that you can pick 6 items of your choice at the buffet, plus free juice and coffee à volonté. I can't ever comprehend how people can waste 4 points on 3 croissant and one dish of cold chopped tomatoes when there are so many choices. TADA:

Last night was an experiment to remember. It was a bar called the ''Latin Corner'' where women's wish come true lol. So first of all, upon entering, I was shocked to see out of control half-naked [male] waiters. They were like silhouettes of danger waiting to happen. They would randomly hit girls on the butt and pull people's shirts down. [lmao Amy's right, it sounds like a sexual harassment bar] And people pay them to get sexy-time involving whip cream and hairy legs. Fun? Not so much for me than generally awkward and just plain jaw-dropping. Plus, I went with girls who left me releasing pigeons (new Chinese expression learned from my brunch buddy Pan - means ditching) all weekend so I felt a bit sour already for that. Here's a lesson for all : when a Chinese friend asks you to go to a dinner at a Chinese restaurant, it's because she's serious about it and will be looking forward to the event! For the Chinese, going to dinner IS THE PARTY and it doesn't matter what happens afterwards! Comments?

Dieu merci c'est vendredi = TGIF

I felt incredibly French today after buying a baguette at one of the many boulangeries around the 5th. And so I asked a tourist to take a picture of me in front of the Pantheon lol. The baguette was fresh out of the oven so that made me pretty happy!

Actually, I think within two months, my habits have taken a very serious French turn. I love the idea of drinking wine with a meal (and it's not only the idea either - it feels GOOD) and my favorite snack these days is baguette topped with camembert cheese. So that's two things. I've got to take it easy with the Camembert though cause judging from the roundness of my face nowadays, I'm getting fatter! Well I actually don't care about my weigh that much but it just so happens that all fat gained is deposited in my face and I'm not too happy with that, considering that my face is quite round enough as it is!

A few exciting plans are in place for the next few weeks. Next weekend, Melanie is passing by Paris at the start of her spring break and I imagine that we're going to explore Paris once more. The weekend after, mother is landing in Paris with John. I'm going to meet Mel in Milan a couple of days later and we're doing a tour of Italy. Then, I'm flying Rome-Liverpool to spend a few days with my extended family before going back to school. I love a two week break in the middle of April muhahah. Gotta enjoy the good times while they last. Cause they won't. But others will come. Such is life.

Amsterdam and head-butting

SAY HELLO TO AMSTERDAM!!!

Melanie and I went couchsurfing in Amsterdam this weekend. I fell in deep bliss with this city! This has nothing to do with the scandalous lifestyle I usually like to get mixed up in (yes girlfriend) such as drugs and the red light district. I might as well mention now that we did not go back to the red light district at night and I regret it so much! Apparently the prostitutes take your camera and throw it in the toilet if you try to take a picture of them.


Also, I was completely stunned silly by it's large number of bicycles (1 million bikes : 700 000 habitants) and beautiful canals. I had no idea Amsterdam was known for those. In conclusion, it's a city that I would definitely consider moving into, although what's a chemist gotta do in Amsterdam??? This means one thing: change career paths.


Something else I'd like to mention proudly : today, I stood up for my cultural heritage. Coming out from the uni, I was stalled by a young woman who wanted to recruit people for a campus communist group. When her partner saw me, he walked over and shouted "Chopouka!" or something stupid like that. The weirdest part of it all was that when he said that, his eyes were gleaming, as if expecting me to become his friend! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What is it with this country that people think it's okay to make fun of someone's language? I asked him to repeat what he said and when he did, I told him that no one of the asian race appreciates a comment like that, and that his attitude is close to discrimination. I walked away casually after making my point but I should have nagged on until I squeezed out an official apology. So many things were left unsaid but there's no need to worry, I'm sure this is not the last time someone's shouts a made-up Chinese word in my direction so I have plenty of chances to preach.

Today's photos

The weather's getting suddenly warmer in Paris; it's hovering around 15C now. I discovered from a friend that in Paris, you can get haircuts from Tony&Guy (I think it's a high end hairsalon chain) (+ other) apprentices for GRATIS! Also, I was introduced to beautiful rue Monge, close to my residence:

My lab coordinator was just so incredibly hilarious today that I feel the need to share with someone. One thing I love about Parisians is their vocabulary and expressions. I loved the lab lady because she was so outspoken and straightforward - I'm attracted by that kind of personality for some reason, although I don't think I'm like that.

To my lab partner, whom I later found to be a very unresponsive and lazy worker, she said: "Vous là-bas, vous avez l'air complètement septique alors c'est sur vous que je travaille.'' Later, when she was trying explain a concept to him, she says: ''Oui attends, vous me disez des choses mais je ne sais jamais si vous comprenez les bonnes.'' Plus, she was a super nice and helpful, so meeting her today made me happy.

One more thing: my trip to Brussels to visit Mel last weekend! Pictures are on Facebook but I need to tag myself before anyone else can see it, which would be....never I believe? Jk, I will try to upload some of my own tomorrow. I was talking with a friend from Paris today, who told me that Belgians are very 'cute', in the way Chinese people mean it. That reminded me of a 'cute' act Mel and I witnessed in Mechelin (small town 30 minutes from Brussels):

Stop resisting.

That peaceful realization occured to me today, during my excruciating 2-hour physiology tutorial. That delightful thought came and filled a void, I actually felt the sun shining brighter!

I was trying so hard to pay attention when it came to me that I am not meant to resist whatever situation I encounter. Just taking the example of waking up in the morning: we fight against sleep, fight against gravity, blinding sunshine, maybe a hang-over, disgestion, hunger and most often, time itself to try to make it to our 8:30 class! I think it's time for us to wake up and stop fighting thoughts and states of mind that have no weigh on reality. You can make the world walk at your pace and enjoy that burnt loaf of bread in the morning. All you need is a change of perspective. Everything in this world exists for you, so yah, they can bother

to wait.

During the last couple of days, I bought a very funky pair of shoes for 5 euros, finally encountered beauty in the metro and saw with my own eyes a protest for Tibet. For the last one, there was a banner held up by a line of protesters that read: "we oppose the People's republic of China, not the Han ethnicity." Yes, it's important to make that distinction. However, people who protest just for the sake of protesting really angers me!!!

It's procrastination time!!!

First, I want to proudly declare that I've decided not to buy a metro pass this month! I have been doing the 30 minutes trek up and down and through narrow cobble-stoned alleyways to "la fac" (short for 'the faculty' - that's what students call their universities) for about a week now. Not only am I saving 55 euros (the price of a train ticket to Brussels!), I'm really enjoying myself too! Today, I walked home with my classmate, an exchange student from Italy who's taking a drug synthesis class with me. I think walking, home especially, is a great way to bond with people. Not only are you sharing spontaneous conversation subjects, you are also giving presence, which doesn't happen often enough in our fast-paced lives, I believe.

I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I have a incredibly stenuous 8 hour lab session for my biochemistry class. After ending around 7pm (insert grunt), I plan on going to the Louvre and sketching for once!

Where I've run off to

You'll never believe: I crossed the French border and one entire time zone to spent the weekend with my lovely extended family in Liverpool, England!!! The trip was obviously too short and I'm having a serious case of the blues ever since I returned to Paris. I guess after all these years of moving around on my own and starting anew each time - first Montreal, then Paris, and soon, Germany - hasn't hardened me yet. I'm able to face change and I know how to deal with change, but I dislike change. It's too bad that putting yourself in uncomfortable and lonely situations is the only way to grow. Actually, I'm not sure if I mean what I just wrote about disliking change, but that's how I'm feeling now.


I'm beginning to like this whole teaching strike that's been going on. It sure saved my ass this week! I was getting really stressed out about this oral presentation that I'm supposed to have on Wednesday worth 30% of my mark, but thankfully, it was rescheduled to...April! This is a very good example of why we SHOULD NOT WORRY. Nothing is within your control so just accept the cheesecakes if you're lucky and then deal with the punches one by one, when they come. Feeling stressed and worried is a sign that you've lost sight of the primary purpose in your life, which is enjoying the present moment. Okay okay, so what if I read that last sentence somewhere. =P


Finally, I leave you with a couple of pictures of my stay in Liverpool. For three days in a row, I ate so much I felt I was going to die. Like my insides were going to explode. It's was very unhealthy but everything above the waist felt great! Eating good food is like playing 24, people are always greedy for a little bit more but before you know it BAM you've gone overboard and you have to suffer.



One last thing, if you want to appear more Parisian than you are, just add "En fait..." (the literal translation is "in fact") somewhere in your sentence. It doesn't even need to make sense, but it'll work TRUST ME.


For example, if someone's asking you for directions, just say: "En fait, je crois que c'est par [...]" such and such. In English, you could never answer with: "in fact, it is in that direction," right? It just doesn't make sense and I'm not sure it quite does in French neither but in any case, it'll give you such a power boost, and you'll feel like you actually belonged here.