My Blog

What’s in a Baguette? In summary, it’s that long, loaf of yeast-filled, oven-baked bread that the French consider to be the sacred "daily must" in any consumption circumstance. Some come plain, some come complicated, and some sprinkled with nutty unexpectancies… Just like the happy baguette, this episode retraces my steps of my daily taste of Paris life - then, now and to come… a taste of everyday adventure!

Well, what can I say? La vie est belle a Paris…Of course it would be for a person who’s been living for 23 and a half years in ultimate equatorial humidity and sweat mounted with a backdrop full of sky-scrapers and modern bling bling buildings, massive highways (yet the jams) and loads more cars….all right-hand drive! That said and done to give you what you came with, let me help paint the contrasting experiences…

I remember touching base Paris at 7am and sleepy (thanks to not sleeping at all in the plane cos of the movies). Got a cab (cost me a whopping 50euros to my apartment from the airport!!) and got to my apartment alright. My house was a small place, but comfortable. Only 30m square (heck! That’s almost the size of my room in Msia!!) My room was on the 5^th floor, overlooking a public stadium where ppl go to play football every evening n a park just next to it, where kids and families go to relax after a long day or week. Though, wasn’t too central for a busy bee like me who can’t be kept locked in, ever! So I’ve recently moved to somewhere more central and larger, with a 5 minute walk taking you directly to the busy Champs-Elysees! Love it!:)

I remember the first time I got to work. I told the receptionist, “I’m from L’Oreal!”….only to get a puzzling look on her face. Then I realised what I left out and quickly added ‘L’Oreal Malaysia”…..DUH!!!!! I work in this room with a whole lot of products, too many until they stacked them up in boxes and arranged them against the wall, all piled up….we have a nickname for that stack…. ‘The Leaning Tower of Maybelline.’ I’m just waiting for the day it collapses. Hahahaha….hope I’m not the one below it!!

I figured that the French are pretty private people, keeping to their own personal lives and not letting people know what they do during the weekends! Never ever call them on the hp for work when they’re on leave….it’s like one of the ten commandments of the French bible… ‘thou shalt not disturb your french colleague during his/her leave or holidays!!!’

I remember the first day I went for my first French lesson!!! Oh goodness me, and I thought I knew something about the language. At least I’m less embarrassed now talking Msianised French. I found out that ‘chef’ in French means your boss! Funny. I used to make up weird sentences with my professor. It’s still not comprehensible my French, but I survive with my smatterings here and there….enough to order food and direct my way home after booze!!:P

I remember on the first day, without sleep but still energised to see the city, I hopped on to the metro subway and got lost around town, but lost in a good way as I stumbled upon many treasures along the way!!! Just like going to Champs-Elysees and searching for a McDees (which incidentally was situated underground!)! And the beautiful Opera-Garnier House to the quaint streets of the Latin Quarter near St Germain des Pres. The majestic Notre Dame to the adrenaline-pumped Chatelet area! Crossing one too many bridges, I gave up remembering them.

I remember eating Japanese at so-called Japanese restaurants only to realise that most of them are run by Chinese!!! Though normally I believe French food is surprisingly just right for me, quantity wise I mean, don’t get that mixed up with me LOVING it!! All that processed poultry and all!!! It’s really sad cos there’s this joke that says the French kids don’t even know how a chicken or duck looks like anymore thanks to good ol’ food processing….it just comes out in one lump of ‘stuff’!! EEEEKKKKK!!!! You should see the fish!!!!

I realise I can’t trust the weather here!! One day it rains, one day it shines! One day it’s hot (31 degs) and the next, cold (8 degs)…. I found it a challenging puzzle of guessing the weather to win 50euros!!! I remember once I was trying to use my nifty new mini umbrella my mom bought for me from Msia and knowing how flimsy it was, I still believed it could’ve help shield me from the rain….Alas! The strong winds blew my umbrella inside-out, breaking the inner suspension and getting me all wet!! I had to walk home from the metro station with a broken umbrella, cold and miserable! Not to mention my pair of Hush Puppies got completely drenched!!

I realise that prices can’t be compared to RM when I see a McDees meal at 7euros whiles Msia’s costs RM7. SIGH,  that was the first sign! No more mamaks, ‘tai chow’ and coffee shops. Now I have chic cafes and a la mode restaurants to replace that and whilst the‘ Indo-Mie goreng with telur mata kerbau, nasi lemak, assam laksa, char kuey teow, neslo shake and teh o’ ais limau’ start to disappear from my sight, only to be replaced by the ever common baguettes with jambon (ham) and fromage (cheese), I try to console myself with whatever supply of Maggie Mee I have brought over, knowing they’ll run out soon!

These days I’d rather just spend my days walking the streets, aimlessly, waiting for new surprises to pop up. I still do have plans to move around, checking out the countryside and all, as well as bankrupting myself to go to Spain, Eastern Europe and my dream NYC!!

It’s been one heck of a ride here… a place far away from the comforts of home and family and friends… weaknesses would be the strengths that fortify me mentally, emotionally, physically. I know it hasn’t been and won’t be easy. I do feel alone and occasionally de-motivated. But all I know is I’m here, seizing the day and relishing every single moment of it…. And graciously, I’ve been bestowed this chance.

And for me, this IS the place to be… for now….

Signing off to zzzzz

A+

Elena

PS: Another classic tale of my jinx is coming right after this! Till then…

SALUT A TOUS,

Finally, I’m actually finding time to write something for my embarrassingly empty blog space (at 2am local time, thanks to insomnia) … for those who know me too well, you’d usually need food to stop me from yapping but I’ll be doing justice here in this space at last! Just got back from one of my best friend’s fairytale wedding and what a misadventurous journey that was! Thought everything would be sober from start to end, but found out there was more than just a 12000km, 12hr plane ride back than meets the eye!

Firstly the plane from Paris to Amsterdam delays…..causing me to start panicking on the second connecting plane just right after! And so it was, totally wrecked and unfortunate, I missed the connection and was told to fly of the next day! Fake smiles greeted me at the transfer desk only to inform me I’d to go to the end of the baggage claim to book into my hotel! And on I went, with my pc slung over my shoulder and… that’s it! Arrived at the baggage claim area and no info centre in sight to check in! I proceeded to exit the baggage claim right into Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport arrival….I was in Amsterdam…..AGAIN….after 5 days….this was dreadful (i was just there last monday for hols and here I am again…)!!! Firstly, I could’ve just smuggled out illegal jeebies like dope (wait a min, ain’t I bringing coal to Newcastle??!!!) and nobody would’ve even noticed or caught me! Find out there IS a desk in the baggage area and I was led to a back-way door to get into the baggage area again! Damn….

So I was there, waiting for my turn in line with another 100 ’stranded’ from the same plane. Checked me into the Marriot Garden Hotel…different from the rest, wonder why… and was showed the way to the bus stop to catch the shuttle! 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins, 40 mins - sorry, wrong guess…that ain’t the schedule, that was waiting time!!!! I gave up….parted with 20euros (bloodsuckers!!) and told a taxi to drive me to the darn hotel! Finally, compensation well paid for…they offered me the Garden Suite for me to "relax and have a sauna"! I skipped the sauna bit though…too little time…was upset enough! Order a HUGE Hawaiian pizza and set in front of the TV devouring it.  Slowly and slowly, conversations slowed down, pictures blurred out and …it was morning again! Sleep that short???? Damn…

So there I was AGAIN in the Airport at 2pm not knowing what I should do before my 9pm flight….decided once again that since I was in Amsterdam 5 days before, saw the important stuff, ate the important Hash Space Cake (no effect on me by the way) and smoked pretty heavy pot… my mind scanned every piece of info, finding out what I missed out on my brain’s "To Do List" and posed the question back to myself faster than that light buld flashing over my head! BLINK! I know what I’d wanna do!! I’ll go drink some good ol’ HEINEKEN!! 5 mins later, I gathered up the train ticket, a map and what’s left of my hopes and anticipation and headed, DESTINATION : HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE! Damn…..

Was that an experience or what. 10euros gets you entrance to the magnificent "prolonged happy hours" factory walking you down memory lane on how Heineken came about. It also gets you access to beer, beer and more beer….Bars are every 10 mins away inside the place and it’s like a social gathering of the young and old with beer bellies more in common…. I took my beer slow and appreciatingly. Good drafts! Heck, they had to be!!! I’m in the factory! Had more reasons than one to finally own a classic Heineken T-shirt (which will come in handy when you read on!!)! I was somewhat satisfied! Finally, at the end of it, I was rewarded also with a free gift (also included in your 10euro stub)…my very own Heineken Beer Glass! HURAH!!! Ain’t I the happiest person on earth to own one of these (the other voice : wake me up from this horror!!) I miss Malaysia….Damn…

It’s 7pm and I’m back at Schipol to check in…It’s 9pm and we’re all on board! "Finally, I’m going home!" I said out loud, catching the attention of this middle-aged ang moh man sitting next to me. He looked at me, honestly lost in what I was thinking…or maybe assumed I was a prisoner being let off finally on parole and sending me, "the illegal immigrant" back to her country…. I explained my nightmare and his eyes reflected the "no shit sherlock, but pity pity" look." At least it won’t happen twice…things seldom happen twice!" I think I angered the gods! Damn…

1h, 2hs, 3hs……by this time, the flight attendants were serving all the drinks they had stocked for the entire journey to us, keeping us quiet and preventing a riot! We’d been stuck in the plane for 3 hours, not being told by the attendants that….there was a problem with the fuel tank!! And no one was evacuated??? What are these people trying to do??? Sacrifice us??!!! Alas, me and my middle-aged acquaintence realised we would be stuck ANOTHER NIGHT…Damn…

So there it was YET AGAIN, followed the same procedure…fake smiles, baggage claims, checking in, but this time, along with 400 passengers….pity… at least we were all in the same hotel, though a cheaper one! Grabbed myself Burer King with my new-found friend (Norwegian, married, 1 kid, works for DiGi, KL) and took our time in having our dinner, while the rest went through the 10mins, 20mins, 30mins meditative ritual of WAITING…. Burger King after a long abstainance….Great!!!! Then, the flash of that same thought came back to me….2nd night in Amsterdam!!! Get me back to Malaysia!!! Damn…

8am…hotal Ibis…body drained of all excess helium i has stocked for my Msian trip and decked in my new Heineken T-shirt (told ya it’d come in handy!)…yet my heart was relaxed…"What a journey this has been….2 hours away from Paris…and all this…" an 11am flight, on schedule (though the wrong terminal!!! That required another 1km walk to round and round the airport) and same seats as before. Great at least I have someone to talk to during the trip! The last thing I remembered was not being able to sleep (of the paranoia of the plane crashing into some Middle-Eastern country at night due to another malfunction in the plane…) and when I touched down, I sighed a HUGE sigh of relief. The sweltering, humid 35degs, the dusty, polluted air, the sweat, uncles calling "taxi, taxi"- ahhh….all the essences and ingredients for the perfect normal Msian day, everyday.

Neverthless, even with all that that had happened, I HOPED to be back (though it ate 2 days off my Msian time!!), alive and all prepared to attend the fairytale wedding of my friend (and was it a fairytale or what!!!), and that HOPE was something none of these incidences could’ve ever shaken….

Dedicated to Cherrie, whose wedding, no matter what happened, even under the most bizarre unforeseen circumstances, I promised to attend. And girl, anything for ya! It was my pleasure and honour to be a part of your wedding memories. Friends for always and Love Ya babe!

Till the next exciting episode…

Signing off for now (zzzzzzzz…..),

Elena

PS : Damn I can’t use all those fancy symbols found on the french pc pad!

P.P.S : I still have my ‘STRANDED’ hotel ticket with me as proof of my 2-night nightmare in Amsterdam…

P.P.P.S: Look out for the next blog on "My Life in Paris, Baguette Style…" soon!