it's sunday which means i'm going back to school tomorrow! time really flies by so darn fast. i'm ready for school, i know it, but it doesnt really feel that way. i'm just nervous about meeting new people and mingling in a new environment.
i'm hoping the new classmates are gonna be nice people and not people difficult to work/deal with, otherwise i'm bloody stucked in this school. better to be reticent to new people.
of cos, it's gonna be rather exciting as well, to pick up a new course and learn new stuff. damnit, i missed the orientation, didn't get to meet new faces. they better be good people good people goood people!
wednesday's mambo was lovely, they put on Friday, i'm in love! but my friday lover was nowhere at sight! =( i think i was the only crazy woman singing and dancing silly to the cure. they put on blur too! girls and boys! but the crowd weren't moving to that. unfortunately that made me the only lunatic there again, singing along and doing robot dances. grrrr. of cos aunty, j and gossipbox entertained me by dancing along. hahaa.
how can we not do a little rnb when aunty is here right? that's when all the joke rolled in, at phuture. =p
time to get a suitable part time job to support my overspending expenses. i foresee bussssssyyy times ahead.
well, if the new sem ain't too packed, i might just be able to upload the truckload of peeks we took the past month. many many to post! phew!
enjoy your weekend while it lasts. and wish me luck with school.
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DAY 9
marinated beef.
f: this is very good in france! you should try this!
e: erm...no, it's ok. hahaha. merci!
more like mercy me. haha.
forgot what's the name of this fish. it's popular there though. tastes pretty good. dishes always come with boiled mixed vege which i heart. the rice tastes like thailand's pineapple rice.
we drove out for dinner in the town area
starter- escargot. but cooked in a different way. i think i prefer the conventional method although this is interesting.
finally settled in for the day
admiring a 'painting'
it's always orangina, orange juice, or wine. nothing else is better!
spiders here aplenty. me thinks they don't dust their house that often
i felt like i was on an excursion for wine tasting
then he brought us to the place where fermentation takes place
xmas trees! and pretty flowers in thw wild
baby grapes
a visit to erik's vineyard
the oldest maison in La Chatre
it would be nice to be sipping tea on the balcony amid all the serenity
felt like putting on that gold frame
the oldest chapel in town
Citroens like this model aplenty here 
and we're in La Chatre
quick stopby for lunch
in the country where wine is produced. indeed. 
look at that cute little thing on the van!
to Lyon for some gastronomic pleasures or Bordeaux for some fine wine?
caravans spell vacation! i think they're so cute and cosy to be in.
holy cow!
i've lost count of the number of les pont 
one of the few more modern structures in the city of old world charm 
not enough photo opportunities at the louvre 
1 last yummy breakfast in paris before we hit La Chatre
mambo tomorrow! can't wait to strut the moves! as if.
can't wait to have fun with my darlings! haven't mamboed with the gossipbox before. finally, tomorrow!
despite being down with flu and cough(again!damit!), i'm gonna recover tomorrow! i'm crossing my fingers.
We're gonna have Anatolia for dinner tomorrow, which we all have been missing since the poly days... yey!
few more days left of bumming around. i'm so gonna misss this feeling. but well, i had my fill of lazy afternooons and days of just doing nothing. it has been WONDERFUL nonetheless!
now, i need a job. i'm broke! =(
Continuation on day 8. Again, the first post is the last one of today, so read upwards.
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DAY 8
ping pong in the basement. we kids didn't have enough fun before the adults wanted their turn. tsk tsk.
we went down to 'mr bean's' place after. everyone started working out after all that binging on unhealthy fd and drinks...
i wish i can have a basement like that too. it'll be pretty cool to hangout there. and maybe get wasted? lol.
chin! more ricard!
everyone's chilling over small bites, drinks and talks except dylan's...stoning?
swordpick instead of toothpick. of cos they're for finger food only, not for picking your teeth.
dad never got this high before. just kidding. he's always high. lol.
Alex got so excited when i wanted to capture a shot of the cute crackle. it's tasty too! every bite makes you happpy man!
few remaining buildings of the chateau which are out-of-bounds to public now.
fear not, we've got our 'parapluie' with us
see what i meant by we didn't see much of the bleu skies?
more pretty flowers. it's amazing, the amount of effort the gardeners put into maintaining the garden and all greenery.
everyone were busy trying to make the little doll smile. haha
cute manicured shrubs pepper the compounds.
we are all minatures here
row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream.....
i actually resisted ice-cream this whole time(it was freezing most of the time) but finally gave in to temptation...
yummy club sandwich
finally, lunch! we starved souls!
such huge compounds, we didn't manage to finish strolling. they say you need 3 days to do that.
and the show is on....
this is what i call, a real garden
the crowd waiting for the fountain show which happens only during Summer
facade from the garden
unkle has to do a trick or two to make her smile =)
not too happy from all that walking, is she?
fluffy clouds look like they're falling from the sky
more intricate carvings and chandelier
the King with the King
made in 1850?
we were tired and starving after that whole long walk
spot Napoleon
everyone's snapping everyone else.
there's so much to see everywhere. even small teeny details are meticulously carved out.
can you imagine how huge is Versailles? it's spreads on endlessly.
opulence
glaces chandeliers exhibition
cutesy bedframe
marie antoinette's sweet pinkish room with super tall bed 
the huge ballroom
i still can't believe people from the medieval times can actually build these with limited technology.
Royal Chapel fit for a King
extravagant art on the ceiling
i reckon it'll be pretty scary to be walking down this hallway in the dark. alone. not advisable for cute babies.
a peekture in itself
every single thing in here is so enchanting.
isn't it perfect to wake up to this every morning? greenery, sound of birds singing and fresh air, nothing else..
Versailles during the medieval period
the King's concubines
Louis XIV who mum says is quite a goodlooker. hmm, i kinda agree.
beyewtiful bleu bleu sky. it was a pity we missed most of it.
phoa, look at the long queue! thank god it moved really fast.
baby hates sunhat!
horsy horsssy.......
to Versailles Chateau we go!
DAY 7
dinner at one of the restaurants along champs elysees. starved by the slooooow service and to make things worst, i didn't order appetizer. had to wait for an hourish for my main. 
you never miss out the intricate carvings beneath and peppered around the facade.
soldiers of the different troops under Napoleon who sacrificed at war.
giddy spells. if you think this is tough, try walking up! we nearly died. imagine Napoleon walking up and down this spiral staircase everyday. no wonder he's Napoleon!
the only few tall skyscrappers of la denfense amidst the densely populated paris
cleancut sidewalks
the busy stretch of Champs Elysees
the inside, before we hit the roof. feels like some secret tunnel.
this time we went up arc de triomphe. yey!
i like the concept. individual works by different artists housed in each concrete cube.
one of mum's fav. audio tapes really make the tour much more interesting.
designed by the man behind Effiel Tower. see the stark contrast?
i'm so glad that my folks actually enjoyed emselves. never expected us to be appreciating art exhibits together.
the many glass domes allowed natural light in
the Vespas there are so cool with the extended windscreens.
supposed to check out the interiors of grand palais, only to find out it's under works and Monumenta 2007 was on instead.
weird mix of the monument and marche. we bid sis goodbye!
a stalk of sunflower came with every copy of the paris phone directory. they really are good at pleasing the ladies.
lunch 
chocolat galore. you can literally drool at the shopfront.
ain't chantal thomass adorable?
finally found colette
where's me?
the sight of those colorful chairs can make one's morning a brighter one.
mac's again for breakfast
even the men look good with longchamp totes. and check out the aunty's cap! cute!
erm, the lift's not here yet.
finally got to put on the lovely dress my darlings bought me =)
DAY 6
ferris wheels always look stunning in the night.
we strolled to the louvre after din. it's mysterious and divine in the night. nope, it wasn't snowing but drizzling.
mum was saying the manager of the restaurant resembles Paul McCartney while we think he exudes Hugh Grant. lol.
the strawberry panna cotta was swell.
squid ink over cod fish mashed with varied vege. yum yum.
din at a homely and cosy little restaurant. just what we need =)
nope, they ain't sausages but bolsters.
perm installation by Annette Messager. 
japonais version of david copperfield
back again
we were pretty sick of these while we were there but i'm missing it now.
sweet colors in the metro
all these hard-to-resist pastries in the morning and sumptuous desserts, thank god we didn't gain weight!
lobby library
tribute to simpsons. meet our new members of the fam.
so how was the past week? great? well, mine was. celebrated 2 of my dearest darling's bdays. glad the surprise went on without a hitch on monday. glad we managed to make my love smile =) got to meet an old friend of mine again, to think they were in the same class! spore is really a small little dot on the map indeed.
went for the ndp rehearsals last weekend which was pretty much a waste of time. we even left before it ended. it was unprofessional and didn't seem like the final rehearsal at all. the worst part? no fireworks!(and goodie bags) i only found out when i met em before the event. grrr. like 'aunty' said during one of the segments, 'I AM...I AM...I AM BORED LAH!' that's a classic. we'll never forget that! had dinner with the bday girl and others at Hog's Breathe. yummy food, i must say. thanks for the treat,love! caught Cashback after which i thought was quite a good film. but i guess it's subjective(some you-know-whats were there to waste time and crave for nudity content only and commented that the film sucks. wtf right).
had lunch with my coussie who i haven't seen for eons, at Central(finally) and went for the 'aunty's' birthday dinner cum party. it has been awhile since i partied and it was certainly fun. fun to the extend that we stayed on till mos closed. i missed days like this, when the companion mattered more than anything else. you just know it, it felt like only an hour or 2 has past but before you know it, the bouncer ushers you to the exit already. as a matter of fact, the crowd kinda sucked at smoove. as usual, what's new. and with the many 'trees' around, it just made things worst.
vip entries don't work no more, with so many weird and random people all squeezing behind the fences. infact, it's more like the main dancefloor than vip area. eerk. i felt sorry for my 2 friends who insisted on catching the EPL over the many pubs' tv but with us around, of cos they never managed to sneak out of mos for a slight peek at all. haha. managed to try something new yesterday- pineapple malibu, which was real good! enough of vodka/ hard liquor mixes! we should return soon for 54! haven't had enough before the club closed. call me old fart call you want, but i think retro classics are still pretty fun to dance to with a group of people. and for people who dont know the songs(you know who you are.haha), you can start learning!
and i finally caught simpsons! swell!
what a gorgeous sunday. i slept in till 4.30 today after turning in after daybreak last night. it's been so long since that last happened. wasted my whole afternoon, but it felt good, strangely.
dozing off already. gonna hit the sheets now. goodnighty people!
............................
continuation of Day 5 in paris.
my loot by day 5
din american style! we missed our french fries! 
the secret corner
i just couldn't get enough of the iron maiden.
this made me feel rush hour-ish. minus the snaking queue.
J'aime la danse!
love starts....
from here.
Sacre Coeur from afar
this gloomy scene looks like some natural disaster's on it's way.
with all the short buildings in paris, you'll really feel you're at the top of the world.
view to the top
the many ponts crossing Seine River.
why are there so many buttons to push when there's only 3 different levels to go?!
i think i'll faint having to climb up.
okays, foot shot at the foot of effiel tower before heading up..
finally got our passes.
i love this peek. i have a thing for sunsets and carousels, if you don't know by now.
nostalgic postcard shot.
camwhored to kill time. the queue was freaking long........
relive it's glory in the day.
this time we came at 7ish, before dusk! 
in Primptemp Hommes. they have a whole building devoted to homme only! it's really heaven! patent shoes...woo la la!
parisian homme sure have a thing for shoes just like we femme do!
18 degrees celcius...
on the 28th
Elle model wannabes. actually we were waiting for mum to shop.
still tired from the lack of sleep and endless strolls from the past few days.
one of the few fam shots before dad rushes off for meeting.
i miss having chocolat crossiants and other pastries for breakfast =(
the sequence of the peeks are a lil juggled up. start of the day is at the bottom of this post and the end is just below-as usual.
.....................
folks getting impatient, yearning to hit the pillows already while youngsters just got up to play.
she blings in a shower of twinkling lights for ten min every hr everyday after night falls.
the sky changed rapidly within an hour and so,i gotta seize these photo-taking opportunities!
these friendly americans pounced in and left singing to justice vs simian's 'cos we are your friends, you'll never be alone again, so come on, so come on,...' happy bunch who made me happy.
it looked kinda photoshopped i know but it ain't. haha.
magnifique iron maiden.
it was 10ish when we got there. which was a tad too late to get up there since they close at 11pm.
metro shot.
Muse were coming!
we were so hungry, we missed out the Last Supper. rather have our own supper(i mean dinner) before the louvre closes for the day. din at the food court. that was too much of mint leaves and tomatoes to finish man. 
this is the best i can get of her. no photography allowed inside. it was disappointing to see that the painting of her is so small compared to the other less significant yet gigantic(yes, really) paintings.
it was huge inside wonder how these can be housed from the looks of the outside. 
we didn't have much time to cam whore and the premises was just too big! so i just gotta make so with this.
finally, got to see the pyramid..did da vinci code come to mind?
to the louvre we go...
Palais Royale
elated at the sight of stripeys.
i think it's so sweet for big and small dogs to befriend each other. =)
it would be lovely to spend lazy afternoons at these idyllic parks.
no idea what we were laughing at.
candid happy.
indulging in my favourite-stripes!
one of the amazing facades. metallics are in season indeed. 
animated signs
even the toilette had a cool, reflective facade.
carousels aplenty in paris. makes me happy!
creative shops and galleries aplenty along the Passage
even the walls and pillars were given characters.
one of the quaint passages lined with shops.
one of the most tiring,longest and newer underpass in the RER station.
lunch at dad's fav cafe again.
strawberry cake and quiche. i can have this everyday!
the huge Sephora. a pity i didn't pop by.
the french really are flamboyant, right down to their dressing. that includes senior citizens. certainly pleasant to see.
see how crowded it is on the first day of the summer soldes? and you think sporeans are kiasu.
the H&M craze. freaking packed with never ending long cashier queues and i really went crazy there. i nearly fainted when i saw the even more crowded and larger branch at chatelet le halles. not enough time to score there though.
graffiti strewn metro
a quick breakfast at the hotel before dad rushes off for a meeting
sis just came back from hk and she nearly got robbed at shenzhen. the chinese(from china) really are horrible. what with poor standards in food and other products, robbery, cheating, killing rage(to steal and sell internal body parts), etc. yuck. i think i never dare to step foot in shenzhen again.
her bag got slit open at the side. and 2 slits at that. think at that point of realisation really made her face turn green. according to her, the shop lady should have known that the girls around her were attempting to grab her stuff out from the slit. thank god, really. whatever they used(most prolly a knife), was super sharp. it actually cut through her pouch which was in the bag. lucky she brought a patent bag with lining in it otherwise, we pretty much know what will happen. so people who're travelling to shenzhen anytime soon, do be extra careful. better yet, don't bother visiting. hk has whatever you want from shenzhen, so don't risk it.
................................
the remaining few from the hk airport. why didn't they prepare more to cope with the overwhelming demand?! so glad that sis still got 'em for me(as i requested) although she said these flavors are boring.
yey! krispy kreme! it came with a luggage tag too. cool.
it might not look as appetising, bt that's the yummy durian paste. i couldn't get enough of it. fuck that cough. 
a bulging tummy's worth it after savoring a huge lunch.
no it ain't Harry Potter's order of the phoenix. but yes, good bye to the once ever popular Phoenix Hotel. goodbye to the coveted and award winning roti-prata. not forgetting the yummilicious durian cake, which is served as durian paste today. and of cos the other dishes(laksa,chicken rice) which made the buffet renowned to the food experts. sometimes i really wonder, 'what's spore's real identity?', 'what's the point of bringing everything down and reconstructing?','where's our history?'. all the memories gone done the drain, no thanks to these.
you say spore's materialistic and cold, i say yes. i think the whole spore went down to Phoenix Hotel over the few remaining days. the lunches and dinner were fully booked few days in advance and you see diners talking to the service staff, saying their last goodbyes. even i felt an indescribable sadness. don't know why.
let's visit the remaining glorious days before it closes it's doors for the day.
unlimited trips to hk
vespa
mini cooper
time machine?
license to drive
travel to london, japan and the big apple!
Indulgence.
sweet choco
retail therapy
chill-out muzik/sessions
indie
photography
vintage. retro. oldskool
stripes. polka dots
sunkissed
bookstores
all things beyewtifull
munchie-junkie rampages
supamarts
strolls
town
cantonese
a piece of me.
name: ethel tan
pet name: effiedots birthday : 26 dec 1985( pls remember my pressie.) thank you.
msn : boisterous_galz@hotmail.com
location : north/ central
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