A weekend in Paris - Pt 1

Alas, a few moments to spare to share some updates on the happenings on the previous few months... It's been so long since I last update the page. A lot has happened and I am gagging to spill them all out. I think it was in December that I last wrote on my blog. Not that I have shied away from this scene, it's just that I have been away at the beginning of the year and since I came back, there is just not enough time in the day to spare a few moments to indulge and share with everyone about my one true passion.

On Friday the 24th of March, myself and a few friends had embark on a journey on the Eurostar to magnifique Paris... This is not the first time that I have been to Paris, but this is definitely the first time that I am enthused and excited about Paris. The first time that I was there was in 1996 - the first destination on our European backpacking trip. We had started off from Victoria bus station on the Euroline and vividly remembered that the journey had taken on forever!!! From Victoria to Dover, and then a ferry to Calais, and on the bus again to Paris. 8 hours after we started our journey from London, we finally reached our destination. To be honest, I was not very impressed with the city at all. Nobody speaks English and my French is not enough to even save my life! All in all, I thought the people were arrogant and everything about the place is sooooo over rated.

The next few times that I was there, was in the capacity of a tour guide. Once again, all the touristy things were done, climbing up the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Notre Dame, watching Eiffel Tower from the bank of River Seine, watching the grandeur of the Palais Royal and the Musee de Louvre... Don't get me wrong, these places are gorgeous! I can't even begin to describe how fabulous it was to see them all for the first time... But to see them again, and again and again is getting a bit too predictable and boring to an extent. So, why is it different this time? Why am I more excited than I've ever been before? Well, let me indulge you with my I hope not so lengthy explanation.

The main reason we were there is for a surprise birthday celebration for a good friend of ours. He turned 36 in March (which is beyond the half way mark to 40) and his wife wanted to do something special for him and came up with this idea - Invite a few close friends to Paris for the weekend and arrange for a surprise dinner at his favourite restaurant! I thought it was fabulous and jumped on the band wagon when the invite came through... Also, I was celebrating another special occassion which is not known to everyone else - afterall, why should I steal the thunder from the birthday boy?? We're there for his party and it should be that way.

The train gets into Gare Du Nord at approximately 10.30pm. We then catch the Metro (Paris's equivalent of the London underground) to our hotel. When we booked the hotel, I had absolutely no idea which district it will be in. To this day I am still at a lost with Paris's districts or Arrondissement as they're called. Anyway, when we came out of the metro station, we were standing right smack in the middle of Paris's red light district! As far as the eyes can see, there were flashing red lights oozing from every inch of the rows of shops adorning the street and a cornucopia of anything sexual imaginable... Hmmmm...interesting I thought... At this point I was dreading to imagine about the hotel that we were going to be in... Is it going to be dinghy and seedy with a big fat Madame manning the reception? God, I hope not...

To our delight the hotel is just literally a few steps away from the metro station, and to add to that, the hotel looks absolutely charming from the outside. When we were buzzed in, I had to stop myself from screaming with sheer joy...Desert music was playing in the background and for a split moment I thought I was in Marakech rather than Paris and whaddaya know, the receptionist was of a North African origin (Algerian most likely...) and that my friend, completes the whole theme!!!! This wasn't bad at all, I thought!!! The first thing that cathches my eye was the decor - pure indulgence... Opulence was the word that came to mind. Lots of gold, deep red and russet, chaise longues, chandelier, huge antique mirror and console table and luscious fabric replaces wallpaper adorning the walls. The hotel lobby is such a small area, but this decor actually works, It didnt swallow up the whole space and made it look small. It was pure indulgence....

Now, the rooms - aptly named according to the many superstars that France had produced. Ours was called Brigitte Bardot, the one opposite was Jean Paul Gaultier! How cool was that??? Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience... The room was gorgeous... Once again the theme in the lobby is carried on to the rooms... Lots of gorgeous fabrics, vibrant colours and antique furniture. I wouldnt dream of painting my bed room red, but that was what it was... Red walls... And it was very cosy... Once again this decor worked in such a small space. It did not feel claustrophobic at all... From that moment on, I knew I was going to have a fabulous weekend!!!

I must say that the low point about the whole trip was the weather. It was tipping down continuously the whole time we were there. And I wasnt going to let a little bit of rain spoil this trip for me. On Saturday, we set off to Paris's Avenue Montaigne - designer shops haven... I must say that Parisians do very well in the discrete, classic chic to the tee. The street looked like any residential street until you looked further closely. Getting off at Franlin D Roosevelt metro station, we were greeted by the House of Gucci... Walking slightly further, there was Chanel, Ferragamo, Celine, Hermes, Jimmy Choo and the ultimate Louis Vuitton... Now, tell me how do you keep yourself together when all that your heart's desire is tantalising from every shop's window? Somehow, Avenue Montaigne does not have the same kind of buzz that Bond St has... It is very subtle, classy and so so discreet.. It is as if that everyone that was there were there because they were invited. The ladies were immaculately dressed looking every inch the part of what French women should be in everyone's mind. It's probably not a fair assumption, since the sample only came from a very small selection of Paris's elite. Nevertheless, it fed my imagination and I'm sticking with it..

Next stop - Galeries LaFayette. OK, I love to shop but I hate it when there are millions of people and that you have to wiggle yourself through. It makes shopping such a chore and no longer therapeutic, which was what it was suppose to be. We decided to have lunch on the 6th floor at the LaFayette Cafe. This place, brings self serving eateries up a notch in my book. Everything about it exudes Paris - from the food it serves, right to the setting of the whole place. To an extent it reminds me of the cafe at the top of Tate Modern. It didnt have the view of St Paul's cathedral and the River Thames but it gave a view of the Opera district. Too bad the weather was a bit dark and gloomy - it would have been a spectacular view otherwise.

That was day 1 in Paris, I have not yet let on what happened in the evening. I think I have written a fair bit for a welcome back piece. Will continue again some time for Part Deux of day 1 in Paris!!! Good to be back y'all and we'll indulge again soon...

Starbucks red cups

I know that it is winter and christmas is just round the corner when your local starbucks start serving your favourite beverage in a red paper cup rather than the usual white-not-very-exciting looking cups. Since I discovered the joy of Chai tea latte with Soya milk (Grande - always a Grande for me!!! Tall is just too little and Venti is like way OTT), Starbucks is always frequented when I need that quick fix of sugar rush... For those of you who is not familiar with Chai tea latte , it is actually spiced sweet tea... A waft of cinnamon, and nutmeg will fill your nostrils when you lift the cup to your lips to have that first sip. Suddenly you will feel a myriad of different tastes bursting in your mouth... First, the sweetness of the drink will hit you, then the warmth of the all the different spices as the liquid slowly glides down your esophagus and into your tummy - In the cold, it gives you a superficial feeling of as if you're in front of an open log fire. I was in Starbucks again today getting my usual but today I thought why not throw in a white chocolate and strawberry muffin to go with it. This is my favourite muffin, beats your usual double chocolate or the all time favourite - blueberry...

Another favourite in starbucks will be the tuna melt panini - the crispy well toasted bread with melted cheese oozing out is pure heaven. Since I'm on a roll on the subject of food, last Sunday a friend of mine and I went for a late lunch at The Wolseley (the restaurant that is co found by The Ivy's then owner before being sold off). The ambience and most importantly the food is superb. Since we both decided that we'd both have a light lunch, we skipped starters and went straight for the main course. Both of us ordered the moules mariniere et frites - mussels cooked in cream sauce with fries. The plump juicy mussels was so soft that it literally falls apart in your mouth. The creamy sauce was perfect dipping partner for the skinny chips. I personally love chunky chips (with lots of vinegar till they get all soggy and limpy!!!) to their skinny counterpart but for this dish, skinny chips is the perfect accompaniment!! This dish brings back memories of having the exact same thing in Chez Leon in Paris... To which I must book myself a weekend getaway in Paris... Chez Leon for the gorgeous different types of mussels and Chez Omar for that amazing north african delights outside of Morocco or Tunisia- so I've been told!!! Then off to Gallerie LaFayette and Champs Elysees for a quick retail therapy... And that my friend will be 2006 to look forward to. I digress for a bit there... Since I was rushing off to watch a play at 4pm ("As you desire me" with Kristin Scott Thomas & Bob Hoskins), there wasn't any time to sample the delectable selections of puddings to complete our meal... Next time maybe!

After the play finished, a few of us went to Souk Bazaar - a North African Restaurant on Charing Cross Road to round the evening off. The joint is a bit off-beat for my liking. You have to descent a rather narrow staircase before being greeted with a piece of heavy rug hanging in the doorway (we later found out that the rug just keep the draught out) to get to the restaurant. Inside, narrow low tables and chairs adorned the whole space(or the lack of it). Dim lightings, the mismatched tables and chairs, desert music softly playing in the background, heavily French accented waiting staffs, makes you feel like you're in a souk somewhere in Marakech...The whole ambience compliments the theme that the restaurant carries. Amongst us we ordered chicken tagine with olives and preserved lime, lamb tagine with prunes and almond and lamb tagine with vegetables and fresh herbs. All tagine dishes were served with cous-cous. Tagine is a dish that is slowly cooked in an earthenware dish - this dish traditionally invariably uses mutton and vegetables as the prime ingredients but it is quite common now to find the mutton being replaced with lamb (it cuts down the cooking time!!!), chicken or even fish. In my opinion, the most tasty would be the lamb with prune and almond. The sweetness of the prune really complimented the richness of the lamb. The almond flakes on the other hand, just gives the whole dish a bit of texture to an otherwise really tender, melt in your mouth meat and fruit combo. There are just so many places to eat in London - with each offering different kinds of culinary delights. When the food is that good, combined with the beautiful and ingenious ambience of the restaurant - it feels like you're being transported to a different place altogether!

So, you see - there are so many little treasures out there when discovered we will always hold dear to our hearts. It also gives us another reason as to why we love the place where we live and what makes it the way that it is.

Happy holidays one and all

Christmas is definitely looming. The craziness in the shops is getting beyond control! Everywhere you go, the race to get the perfect christmas presents (or NOT???) is definitely on! Imagine Oxford St on a Saturday or Sunday in any given week in the year - pure madness! But magnify that by a hundred!!! What you get is complete and utter chaos!!! To make things worse (or better - depending on which side of the fence you're sitting on) - every shop has started their christmas sale NOW! Gone are the days where anticipation of waiting for THE sale on Boxing day is the one thing that I actually look forward to during the holidays. This however comes with an exception - the ultimate Bond St only starts their sale on the 27th! The only time in the year where the creme de la creme of designer brands will be opening their doors to commoners like me. The plan is to start early on Wednesday the 27th to beat those hard core bargain hunters at their game. Armed with a couple of plastics (which hopefully still has some life in them), warm winter gear and sensible shoes (most definitely!!!) - Mulberry, Gucci, Prada here I come!!!! Am so looking forward to some serious retail therapy! Have been eyeing a pair of Choo's orange sandals with Swarovski crystals and a tan Roxy bag...Aaahhhhh....Bliss!!!



Then on to Picaddily to Fortnum & Mason for some gorgeous jams, preserves, biscuits and tea - to stock up the larder at home. Might also make a little visit to La Maison du Chocolat accross the road for that beautiful, silky soft pralines and divine truffles to take home for my beloved. To re-energize,will drop in to Patisserie Valerie for a cup of inviorating tea and some excellent French pastries... So that's my day planned out... All I have to do now is sit back, relax and roll on FRIDAY!!!

Tis' a season to be jolly...

Xmas is just round the corner... Everywhere you look there are tinsels, xmas tree, santa claus adorning the window displays in almost every shop. The nights are drawing in early and the temperature is slowly dropping as winter progresses. Restaurants everywhere is all booked up to cater for parties, dinners and lunches.Today we had ours. It was in this Italian joint near my place of work. Was quite looking forward to this lunch as it is always quite nice to have a rather relaxing day on a Friday. However, little did we anticipated that the lunch was going to drag on for more than 3 hours!!! This lunch was the amalgamation of 2 different departments in our office and it was quite nice to mix with people that you dont have time to talk to during the day. Had a funny conversation over lunch about men's chest hair! I blurted to those at my table that Chinese men are rather 'hair free' in the sense that they're quite lacking in the facial and body hair. There is a biological reason for this - so I've been told! This is due to the fact that they consume a lot of soya based products like soya milk and tofu which in turn produces oestrogen in our body. Oestrogen apparently helps men from having hair loss!!! How this works, I dont know. Must say that science and biology is not one of my strongest subjects in school. Anyway, I do find that fact quite fascinatin, as women produces oestrogen and men produces testosterone (is this spelt correctly?). Testosterone on the other hand, when there are too much of it aggravates or promotes hair loss in men!! Isn't that weird???

Now back to our Xmas topic and how it is a season of joy, hope and goodwill. There are just mad rush everywhere now as people are trying to cramp in as much shopping as they can at the very last minute before the day finally arives. The thing is, when shopping is done at the eleventh hour (unless you really know what you're getting..) the tendency of getting useless, grotty stuff is much higher than normal. Purely for the reason that the puchase was not thought out carefully. There is not much point of getting someone a gift which they don't quie appreciate or worse still demand for an exchange or a return! For me, buying gifts should always be planned in advance and researched into. Questions such as what does that person want? How can the gift enhance that person's quality of life? Will it bring a smile to their face or just utter horror? should all have the YES box ticked. Also,there is that issue of cashflow which when done at the last minute just burns an extra large hole in your pocket. However, if spread accross over a period of time, it can be quite gentle on the old wallet or purse!

Anyway, in the spirit of the season, here's wishing everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous 2006!

Too old for this kinda thing...

Yesterday a couple of my girlfriends and I went to see Coldplay in action at Earls Court. They were brilliant! If you have heard people fussed about how brilliant they are playing live then I kid you not, they are brilliant!The live show was absolutely superb. Chris Martin in his own sort of way is a hottie! That energy - bouncing of the wall on the stage pumping full of adenaline, is a spectacle in itself??? Anyway, a thoroughly enjoyable evening except for a few minor incidents committed by some thoughtless, iresponsible being!
I do wonder what kind of world are we living in today? There are certainly very few respects and good behaviour going to other fellow human being. Whilst standing in that crowded arena waiting for Chris & Co to grace the stage with the people around me either swaying to the deafening music blaring out of the Tannoy or talking (or shouting perhaps?) to the person standing next to them, came this huge push from behind almost knocking me off my feet and those people around me! No apologies,no nothing but keep on pushing under the guise of blind drunkenness. As I am having none of this pushing and shoving business, at the top of my lungs I shouted "where the hell are you going?" And this woman, again without any apology plainly answered "I dont know". Of course she bloody well does know cos the person that was actually pushing is her ugly, fat bastard of a boyfriend! I appreciate the fact that at a concert some form of pushing and shoving does happen but not the blatant rudeness that this couple endeavoured! I was completely knocked out of my fairly reasonable patience. Had the concert did not sart when it did - I would have happily walked away. There are just some things that are not worth the aggravation and this being one of it! I learnt my lesson though - I have to admit that it has come to that stage in my life that standing for hours on end just to watch your favourite band play is no longer something that I can embrace with gusto! When the concert ends, I honestly can say that I can no longer feel my feet (and I was wearing my comfortable boots!! Imagine standing in my killer heels???) and boy was I glad that people surrounding me are slowly walking away towards the exit. A surge of relief literally swept all over me and I thought to myself, another minute of this, I'd definitely collapsed in a heap at my feet! Definitely too old for this kinda thing anymore. Been there, done that and got the T-shirt! From now on I will just stick to those seated gigs - like the Simply Red gig in Royal Albert Hall back in October. I was definitely in my element there... as for this hugely crowded and highly cramped rock concerts, I have to admit defeat and hang my boots out to dry! Will leave these ones for the youngsters!
Despite all this whingeing and moaning - Coldplay is definitely one of the best bands around this century and if you get a chance to see them in action, I promise that it'll be awesome!


When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

High up above or down below
when you too in love to let it go
If you never try you'll never know
Just what your worth

Lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you


Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears streaming down your face and I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you