joyeuses fêtes

We're in my in-laws for the Christmas celebration. This is my third Christmas and we're relaxing at home right now. It's really cold here.. much more colder than in our place. It's a non-white Christmas unfortunately.. the weather right now is grey, cold and foggy.

Christmas at my in-laws is a simple, quiet family affair. In fact, it's just like any other day with the exception of a Christmas tree, presents and extra food on the table :)

My brother-in-law is on his way home all the way from Tahiti where he's based at in the navy. So we're looking forward to that.

Well happy holidays to all!

cheerios

francophone-me

It was on this day 2 years back that I began my journey in France.. the place I call home now. The country known for it's beauty and charm and wines and cheeses and not forgetting those infamous strikes :) I fell in love with Paris the first time I was there around the mid-90's.. it's a paradise for art aficionados like myself.. its beautiful architecture, museums, art galleries, those charming streets and cafes..... and I'm actually living here now, not that far off from Paris.

I've learnt a great deal about the French culture after spending 2 years here. I went through some culture shock in the beginning but I've come to adapt to my new surroundings and integrate with the French way of life. The thing I admire most about the French is their common exchange of pleasantries.. they never fail to greet you and then say goodbye be it at the cashier's or even in the waiting room at the doctor's. I was pleasantly surprised by those gestures in the beginning.

The most difficult part for me though was the language barrier.. it was exasperating to be handicapped with words... but things are different now.. well I wouldn't say I could rattle away like the native French but I'm on my way there. Being constantly fed with the language through the media really helps. My grasp of the language at the moment is sufficient to hold a decent conversation (with some English words thrown in in desperation!). Well I'm taking it easy.. really. As the French saying goes, Il n'y a pas le feu.. literally means there's no fire, meaning no hurry.. (n'est-ce pas, chéri? :)

Well we're enjoying life here at the moment. Only time will tell if we'll make this place our permanent home (or not)...

winter : l'hiver

Winter is officially here though the cold weather has been with us for weeks now but that just signals for colder days ahead. I'm all bundled up in wool neck to toe with a hot cuppa close by and I can still feel the chill. We're using electric heater in our apartment but the distribution of heat is not as consistent as those given out from chimneys. Raw flame is most welcome in this weather. I don't take to cold weather very well.. it's only normal since I'm a 'warm' person by nature :)

Well cold season has its pros and cons (more cons in my opinion). The pros - it doesn't make you sweat which renders no shower (if you so choose not to have one) and that'd make for infrequent need to change of clothes which then make for less laundry (oh we don't practice this by the way). On the other hand, this weather makes you pee a lot, dries up your skin, chaps your lips.. I've lost count on the number of lotion tubs I've exhausted to keep my skin supple and my lips never sleep without its evening dose of lip balm... but the cold does miracles to your hair.. and that's a plus. Apart from that, this weather casts a grey spell that can inadvertently play on your mood. Furthermore, it's a hassle to put on all those layers before you step foot outside... and before you can enter your car, you'll need to defrost it first when ice has formed on it overnight.

Well I can be adventurous when I want to but I think I'll skip North Pole altogether. Excuse me now while I take refuge under a thick blanket.

bouquet provençal is in the air

Got ourselves this pretty lamp that diffuses aromatic scent in the air (we finally bought it, Kin... and yup, it's exactly the same as yours, Mars except for the colour).

We finally have something that does its job well.. we've been trying out different air fresheners off the shelves and none of them as effective as our new lamp here, that aromatizes the whole apartment with its lovely scent. It's especially useful after having cooked up a storm in the kitchen or after those cheesy meals that can stink up the place easily. I just have to turn on the lamp and off goes the bad smell.. the wonders of it all..

christmassy sights

There we were, amidst the visually shivering crowd who has decided to check out the Marché de Noël (Christmas market) located downtown. We've been driving past it all this while and finally decided to brave the cold to have a look see. It was a pretty sight with overly-priced items on display. We were cornered into buying praline coated peanuts by the very much eager-to-make-a-sale lady who didn't stop shoving sample food into our hands. Took a snapshot with Papa Noël, brisk walked around the market and we headed back to the car. It was bloody frozen, I tell you.. we spent no more than 30 minutes outdoors and I couldn't feel my ears by the end of the walk and I felt a slate of ice forming on my lips and nose. Boy, were we glad to be back in the warmth of the apartment after that.

stepping my way to fitness

Boys and girls, meet my new friend, Stepper.. equipped with a mini computer and it's movement resistance adjustable. From now on, I'm gonna get really intimate with my new friend. I've decided to inject some vigor into my otherwise sedentary lifestyle here at the moment. I'm not a sportive person.. never been one... and I don't wanna risk growing sideways by sitting around all day facing the computer screen. As it's too cold out to be doing any adrenaline-pumping activities right now, I've asked dear hubby to get me Stepper and believe you me, I'm not gonna let it gather cobwebs in some dark enclave of the apartment.. nooooo..... in fact, I've tried it out for 15 minutes and I can already feel the effect it's doing to my lower body... good Stepper and thank you my sweetie!

burn baby, burn..

We've finally summed up the courage to install the new DVD writer (thanks to brother Boy for that) and it's running perfect! Both of us know nuts about opening up a CPU and meddling with the internal bits.. but thanks to online info, we're able to do that without breaking a sweat (makes me feel like a pro now.. ta-di-da). Well at least that saves us some euro instead of calling some guy to do it for us.

cotton: cozy, durable, versatile

Two years on.. but seems like it was just yesterday.. looking forward to infinite years ahead together.. je t'adore tellement mon chéri!

snoopy on my feet

That's my new home shoes.. heavenly thick and soft interior.. feels like I'm walking on thick wool all the time.. and they keep my feet warm and happy always :)

sun's up

It's a bright day today.. a nice change from the grey moody ones we've been having lately.. but don't be fooled by the sunny face.. it doesn't get any warmer.. it's still a freezer out there. Wanted to breathe in some fresh air, so I've opened the window but shut it close 3 seconds after. It's a harsh weather and there've been reports of homeless people dying from extreme cold.. I really pity them. It's impossible to survive in this weather without a roof. We're really fortunate to be in the warmth of our home. Apparently the temperature will dip further in the coming days.. time to get 'thick'!

sub-zero

I am chilled to the bones. The temperature fell to -7°C this morning.. that's cold.. REALLY cold. I'm just glad I didn't have to step foot outside. When it gets this cold, it's best to stay indoors.. most ideally under a thick blanket cause no matter how much you layer up, the chill still gets to you. (Poh if you're reading this, I'm willing to trade places with you anytime.)

Oh yeah, we retrieved our strayed luggages on Tuesday. Everything was intact except for a couple of battered surfaces on one luggage (due to rough manhandling I'm sure) and a couple of broken tubs containing spices. I had the 'honour' of clearing all that up after much dread. Well we're just glad we got our stuff back without much delay. Did I mention that our newly bought luggage tags were stolen?... that's a downer.

eh merde.. what a day!

I'm back online after a long absence. Well, we're reluctantly back from our vacation.. back in the freezing cold.. back in our quiet home. We're already missing everybody in Singapore.. and the warmth too, definitely! It was really hard for us to part with family and friends.. we had great fun with everybody. It would be months before we get to see them again.. how cruel!

Well things started out wrong right from the airport... first, it was SO wrong to leave the family (again).. then there's the flight delay.. next we found out that our luggages somehow got lost during the transit (apparently they're now safely back in Paris airport and we'll receive them in a day or two.. or three or four...) and as if all that wasn't enough, we had to wait for an hour in the cold to take the bus from the airport to the train station.. that's French service for you. It was a long and tiring trip back home for us.. fortunately we didn't have to stay outdoors for long cause the cold was really unforgiving and I was underdressed for a -2°C weather. The cold was like a hard slap in the face especially after coming back from a tropical country.

Well we're all settled now.. the heater is in full force.. we're decked in thick clothes.. drinking hot soup. We had a long, well-deserved sleep yesterday.. just waiting for the luggages to come now.

antsy-wantsy

hmmm.. I haven't been blogging for a while.. been busy with stuff (right). In exactly 3 days, we'll be on our way to Singa city.. we're practically counting down to the seconds till Saturday. We're really eager to be back there again to meet everybody and be in the warmth. We're all packed and ready to go.

That looks like a lot of luggage for just the two of us.. but they're full of goodies more than anything.

driving miss daisy

It's the second time I've tried my hands at left-hand driving and it was invigorating. It wasn't as awkward as the first time though. Well it does take some getting used to especially with the hand coordination.. my left hand instinctively moved for the gear each time for the gear change. Otherwise it was smooth sailing, save for the 'road switch'. I miss driving.. I love driving... I'd rather drive than be driven. Well I guess driving is like riding a bicycle in that you never forget the skills acquired even though you haven't been behind the wheels for a while.. except maybe for a few hiccups in the beginning. Perhaps I should take up a licence in the close future to be able to drive here... but in the meantime, I'm contented to be in the passenger seat and enjoy the ride. Speaking of cars, when I first came to Europe, I find it funny to see how the cars here are mostly small in size.. unlike the ones you're used to see on Singapore roads... well anyways..

the colours of autumn

What a beautiful day.. the sky is blue, the sun is shining with soft breeze blowing in your face and the air light as a feather. Autumn has an air of romance attached to it and I guess it's mainly due to the ambience given out by the warm colours of the leaves.. couple it with a weather like today's and it's the epitome of the perfect season. A stroll in the park is all the activity you need in a weather like this.

meatballs, anyone?

Another entry on food.. well what can I say.. I'm a foodie. I have the abundance of time at my disposal and I use it to brush up on different skills, one of them cooking. I've always liked meddling in the kitchen and I must say that married life has made me a better cook... well at least that's what my hubby thinks. Those meatballs were made from scratch and it's really worth all the toiling in the kitchen to see dear hubby devouring the food with gusto.. and with a sincere compliment added on the side :) On another note, I do miss authentic Malay food ('real' food as my bro put it). It doesn't taste the same here without the proper ingredients. Well I'm gonna do justice to my feedbag once we're there.. oh yesss!

lets have a raclette

No, that's not some kinda sport. That's another French favourite during the cold season. It's a meal consists of cheese, boiled potatoes, chicken/turkey/beef ham.. plus a raclette machine. First you melt the cheese in your individual metal plate, peel the potato and arrange it on your dinner plate together with the ham of your choice. Once the cheese has melted, slide it over the potato and voila, you have a melange of cheese, potato and ham in your mouth.. or you can have it sandwich-style and stack them all up on a piece of baguette... yum-me.

sofa.. soooo good!

The time has finally come to part with our sad-looking old sofa of 4 years and replace it with a more sturdier, smart-looking one. No lost tears there. Well it's one of the many things we're changing in our apartment as part of 'operation revamp'. We're popping a bottle of champagne in celebration (non-alcoholic one of course)... bottoms up!

strike 2.. 3.. many!

There was a massive cumulative strike yesterday involving over a million French. This time around it's organized by people from the transportation line. Trains, planes.. were suspended and it created a huge mess.. I'm just glad we're not directly affected by it. The French are infamous for their strikes. They go on strike for whatever reasons.. and be it rain or shine, hot or cold. It's a favourite pastime of many.. from students to teachers, doctors, garbage collectors. I find it amusing the first time I saw an ongoing strike first-hand in Paris... it had a street party atmosphere more than anything. Maybe I should grab a loudhailer and march with a group of strikers the next time around.. just for kicks. We cross our fingers that there won't be any strikes the day we're flying.

(Photos added as requested, bro)

ramadan

Here's wishing everyone 'selamat berpuasa'! We're jumping the gun a day earlier over here. It's my second year fasting in France and it's no more different than doing it in Singapore, unless it falls during summer or winter. My dear hubby is all psyched up to go through the month-long challenge and I'm really proud of him. Courage, chéri.. je suis très fière de toi :)

weekend

Yes, it's the weekend.. and that translates to a good DVD (my weekly dose of English programme) with a big fat pizza, right in the comfort of our cosy cove... oh yeah, and throw in a couple runs on the video console. Well that pretty much sums up our routine on weekends as there's nothing much to do outside... and it looks like we'll be spending more time indoors now that the cold is descending on us.

say cheese!

The whole apartment reeks of cheese after a meal of cheese fondue.. but at least it doesn't stink as much as the stronger smelling cheeses. I've always liked cheesy stuff and France is the country well-known for its wide variety of cheeses. That said, I try to stay away from the cheeses here as most of them have a really strong, sharp odour. The French like their cheese 'raw' and it's eaten on a daily basis at the end of a meal. I prefer my cheese cooked and cheese fondue is the ultimate form of cuisine where you get the most cheesy goodness out of a meal. You'd melt for this even if you're not a great fan of cheese... I can personally vouch for that. Cheese fondue is a staple food during the cold season.. eaten with pieces of baguette, it's a simple yet complete meal in itself. The amount of fat consumed can be frightening though... but hey, bring on the fats.. it would keep me warm in this cold weather ;)

autumn : l'automne

Goodbye warmth, welcome cold. Autumn's here.. windy.. cool breeze... the sun's still up but it won't be for long now... time to layer up. The temperature's dipping progressively and we feel the chill most in the morning and at night. I must say it's my preferred period during the transition from hot to cold season and vice versa, as it's neither too hot nor too cold. So I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

shopping spreeeeeeee!

ok.. new week, new entry.. I'll try to update as frequently as possible but maybe not daily cause I'm sure you guys wouldn't wanna know how many strokes I made while brushing my teeth...

Well, I'm back home after spending the weekend at my parents-in-laws'.. we spent a good 3 and a half hour on the road driving the way back.. it was really long and tiring but I'm used to it now.. it was pouring so I didn't get to enjoy the countryside much. We took a detour to Dijon before heading to my in-laws' and spent the day there shopping!... we bought a trunk load full of stuff. It was my 2nd trip there and it was really nice to be in a big city again.. it reminded me of Paris with its beautiful architecture and its crowd. Well in short, it was a weekend well 'spent'.

take off

I've finally decided to stand in line and enter the world of blogging.. since I have all the time in the world on my hands. It's a great way to keep family and friends up-to-date on what's happening in this part of the world on a regular basis... so mark this space! :)