Going to the shopping mall

It is so good to have a big weekend... and then come back to work for only one day !! He he... Yesterday was bank holiday in France and tomorrow I am going on holiday for a week ;-)
And when I'm back I will certainly be quite busy so I thought I would post something today, or I will lose all the lovely readers and commentators who have visited my blog for a few weeks now ;-))

I hate going to the shopping mall on a Saturday afternoon...
and I know it. So why do I keep going ? Well, that's a good question !
Every time we go to this big mall on a Saturday afternoon, it is the same : first, we gotta find a parking spot. So we start prowling around the parking lot like a raptor looking for a prey.
Mr T (my boyfriend) usually drives and he calmy scans the parking lot while I am like : "Hey! There's a space here!" and then "Oh sorry no there's a little car in there". Mr T doesn't even pay attention to me as I always give false alarms. So after a while I shut up and start cursing city life.
Finally we end up finding a space miles away from the shops we are going to, and my level of annoyance has raised from 0 to 3.

Interlude : looking for a word in English on the internet, I found this article : "How to find a parking space at the mall". Quite interesting. Apparently, some company conducted a survey in the United States and identified four main species of mall parkers : “search and destroyers,” “lay and wait,” “stalkers” and “see it and take it.”

"Search and destroyers roam the aisles, cruising endlessly for the perfect spot. Lay and wait parkers position themselves at the end of an aisle and wait for a space to open up in what they start to believe is their territory. Stalkers, the most predatory, slowly follow shoppers leaving the store back to their parking spot. The favored method is to see it and take it, where shoppers don’t care how far they have to walk."

I find this really depressing. I am not a native of Paris, nor its suburbs, I was born in Burgundy and I've lived in a small town of 9 000 inhabitants for 18 years. I would never wait for a parking space there. Most of the time, I had plenty of choice + I could park easily - and not have to pratice parallel parking...
I've been living in big cities for a while now, but I have still not accustumed myself to this. I got used to taking the metro, and spending an awful lot of time in trains, but I still get mad when I am in a traffic jam.

And then, when you finally get in the shopping mall, it doesn't get better.
I love shopping but I need living space. I cannot bear being pushed around a million times when I am looking at something in a shop, or being stuck behind a group of people when I am walking down an aisle. That is why I usually go shopping during lunchtime - but I guess it is not gonna be easy any more to do that often with my new job ;-)
So after an hour or so my level of annoyance has reached 8 and it is better not to speak to me at this moment !
An when we get home we are so exhausted, and I say : "This is the last time I go there on a Saturday afternoon!"
But we go back again.
I guess this is just the consumer society driving us mad.

La Nouvelle Star - French American Idol show

Below is a video of one of the best contestants of "La Nouvelle Star" - the French American Idol show.
He manages to charm his audience with real old-fashioned songs (well, at least the 2nd one, below, is really old and out of style : "où sont les femmes" ...)



His taste in clothes may not be perfect (where did he find this jacket ?!) but the guy really has a charming and special voice ;-)

This is the really old old old-fashioned song "Ou sont les femmes" (by Patrick Juvet)....



What do you think ? Have a great weekend !

Greatest funny cats video

I love this one. It's my favourite.
I just had to share it on my blog ! It's so hilarious ;-)
You've probably seen it already but this is so funny...
Cat lovers will be delighted, others will laugh too !!

Countdown

Sea, sex and sun... Au revoir, au revoir président !
(I am quoting Serge Gainsbourg and a French lottery commercial ;-)

Why am I so joyful ? No, I haven't won the lottery. But I have started my countdown...

J-2 : only two days left to the weekend !

J-5 : only five workdays left at the office !

J-7 : in one week's time, I'll be on vacation in the Caribbean Islands !

I'm feeling so good at the moment...
I know this job will be over soon, I know next week i'll be chilling out on the beach, and I have a new job waiting for me ...
I'm not even there but I'm already feeling so good about this change. It's quite exciting !
Of course, I'm gonna miss some people, and I'll have to get to know people again in my new company.
I'm gonna miss playing tennis at lunchtime with my pal Steph ! (Yes, we had this opportunity - there is a "cheap" tennis club close to our office and we managed to play once a week together during lunchtime. Tomorrow's gonna be the last time... Bouh-ouh-ouh...)
But then, my new job is gonna be fulfilling and challenging - and that is GREAT. I have missed feeling good about my work.

I hope you're having a good day too. Lunctime now...

Marathon de Paris

The Paris Marathon took place yesterday, on a sunny but fresh Sunday morning.
My brother and friends of mine run the Marathon so we went to support them.
The route is very beautiful - it starts at Arc de Triomphe and passes through the city's most beautiful areas : Champs-Elysées, Rivoli, les Quais de Seine, Bois de Vincennes, bois de Boulogne...
The atmosphere was so joyful and friendly I almost felt like running ! But I am so lousy at jogging ...
And when you think about it ... all the motivation and endurance needed to run 42 km ! Wow... this is quite a challenge.
So **CONGRATS** to everyone who run the Marathon this weekend !
Well done guys ! I admire you. Keep it going !

Stolen quiz

Because today is FRIDAY (Yepppeee!!!) I am stealing this from Cheryl who stole from Anisa who stole from Ginger....

1. Where were you 1 hour ago?
In the train, half asleep, sun-kissed by the sun through the window...

2. When is the last time you filled up your gas tank?
I don't have any car. My boyfriend has one.

3. What is the most amount of money you've spent in one store?
Can't remember ! I tend to go shopping often but buy small amounts (so I do not feel guilty about shopping)...

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
My socks and my shirt are kind of pink
+ I have bright pink Post-It Notes on my desk !
+ a couple of pink reports (there were only pink covers left when I had to bind them!)

5. When is the last time you went to the mall?
Wednesday

6. Are you wearing socks right now?
Yes ("En avril, ne te découvre pas d'un fil").

7. Do you have a car worth over $50,000?
No.

8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
I often let my boyfriend drive...

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
No

10. Are you popular?
Popular is a high school concept I am not familiar with... But sure I have many friends !

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Tea and orange juice for breakfast.

12. What was the last thing you mailed in the mail?
A copy of the contract I signed for my new job !!!

13. Do you wash your car?
I have no car.

14. Last fast food you ate?
Apple "compote" with a slice of gingerbread for breakfast... Yummy....

15. Where were you last week at this time?
Same place I am right now.

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Yes, there were sales going on in my favorite shop....

17. What bank do you use?
Société Générale.

18. Do you own any land?
No.

19. What do you want to be when you "grow up"?
A good and happy person.

20. Your dream vacation?
Well... I have so many ideas... A trip around the world :-)

21. Last boat ride you went on?
When I was on vacation in NYC last November ! We went to Ellis and Liberty Island.

22. How old are your parents?
Older than me.

23. Are you in love?
Yes

24. Do you have any single friends?
Yes

25. Last play you saw?
A French play with a French actor - only French people know I guess : Jacques Gamblin.
I've also seen The Phantom of the Opera in NYC in November. It was great, even if I almost got asleep... Not that the play was boring, no no no !! but we had been walking around the city all day and were completely exhausted - and sleeping in a crappy youth hostel...so basically lacking of sleep !

26. Have you been to New York?
Yes !! Lov' it.

27. What are your plans for tonight?
Relax... It's Friday... Maybe having dinner outside...

28. Last concert you went to?
I can't remember ! Probably this salsa open air concert last summer...

29. Next trip you are going to take?
I am going to Dominican Republic in two weeks time !

30. Ever go to camp?
Yes

31. Were you an honor roll student in school?
I've no idea what that is...

32. What is your current GPA?
I am not a student anymore

33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
Yes, a perfume by Castelbajac - kinda almond scent.

34. Are you hungry?
Yes. It's nearly lunchtime !

35. Where is your best friend located?
She used to be in Paris but moved to Dijon recently for a job.

36. Do you own a cowboy hat?
No...

37. Do you have a tan?
Not really... I'll have one after my holiday though !

38. How old do you want to be when you have kids?
Dunno... Probably around 30.

39. Do you collect anything?
I used to.

40. Is this quiz annoying?
Not really, it's entertaining.

41. Last time you got pulled over?
Can't remember when, probably 6 months ago, on a Saturday night. But we didn't get a ticket or anything !

42. Ever been arrested?
Noooo

43. Been to Mexico for Spring Break?
No.

44. Do you like hot sauce?
Sometimes.

45. Last time you sang Karaoke?
Two and a half years ago, at a birthday party. We had fun !

Cloud

I just love this cloud ;-)

Another train story : the free ticket woman

Yesterday, when going home from work, I was heading toward the ticket gates in the train station when I heard a woman shouting at a RATP employee at the counter (RATP is the company running the public transport network in Paris).

I stopped just a short moment to hear what she was complaining about :
" Just give me the bloody ticket ! I know you [the RATP] are making loads of profit ! You sell advertising space, don't tell me you're not making profit ! "
She was using the most contemptible tone of voice imaginable.

I suppose this woman wanted to have a free public transport ticket.

The employee, who I presume often faces discontented public transport users, was breathless. She was completely gobsmacked. I was too !

First of all, this argument was completely irrelevant. Public transport is a service, you're just supposed to pay for it. If you manage to get in without paying, well, good for you - but claiming you're entitled to have a free ticket... this is something else !
I'm sure this woman wouldn't have asked this to a cabdriver !
I can picture the woman at the checkout in a supermarket, saying she's entitled to a full trolley of goods free because the supermarket is making profit ...

And come on, the RATP isn't the typical example of a company making huge profits out of its clients ! This is a public transport company...
Did she confuse RATP with TOTAL or WALMART ?!!!!

I can still remember the face of the ratp employee. I am sure she wasn't aware of her employer's huge profits.... The big multinational RATP....

Anyway... I had to fly to catch my train so I didn't hear the end of the story... Did the woman get her ticket ? I hope not !!