the full, cinematic circle

UPDATED!: I added photos.They filmed on my street today. This time 1920s Paris I'm guessing, or at least late 19th-20th century Paris. Men in suits and hats; ladies in dresses, heels and their hair did. An old-timey wine truck was parked in front of my building. They put a facade over the Franprix and old shop signs are hanging in front of other stores. Down below, extras are sitting in the shade and smoking cigarettes. Absolute film loveliness. Went to do laundry and found them setting-up. The production assistant in front of my building was cute, almost stopped me but when I explained that I lived in this building he smiled and was cool.

I get so effing excited on film sets, you would not believe. I haven't been on one in the longest time, so I almost forgot what it felt like to be a part of the magic. Being on part of the set on my street brought me back to all those amazing times I've spent making films and helping my friends make their films. And I love how, in my first days moving in here I got to be a part of a film, and now, at the end of my days, another film is being created nearby. A full, cinematic circle.

Haha, omg, they're scrambling to get this shot with the noon church bells ringing and there's a buttload of people wanting to go up the street. Sorry, I'm writing this as it's happening. I'm going to go down and see what they're up to...

MUCH LATER



Okay. I found out the name of the film: Julie and Julia. A NORA EPHRON film!!! So cool. Sleepless in Seattle is one of my favorite romcoms. I looked up the cast in imdb--pretty huge. I didn't see Meryl Streep or Amy Adams walking around though. Maybe they're not in these scenes.

I'll post my amazing photos later. Anyway, it was really sweet to be surrounded by all the props and fake store fronts. To see crew waiting around with their walkie talkies and drinking water. It just brings a lot of memories for me. This could not have come at a better time. I haven't written about it much, at least not here, but I've been really struggling with this film path and constantly asking myself if I'm willing to go through this "life of pain and struggle" as my Cinema 202 professor once called it. "And when it's good," he said, "It's brief." He could not have put it in better words.

Life's funny. A couple days ago I was debating to myself, saying to myself, "I need something, I need to know for sure that I'm doing the right thing, that it's all going to be okay", and today God and the universe set up early 20th century Paris right outside my door. A successful female writer/director up the street. If that's not a sign, then I don't know what is. Signs don't get any better than that.

the mouffe'

I spent most of Saturday in my quartier or in my studio writing at my window seat with the windows wide open. It was really special since there was a brocante, or second-hand stuff/antique sale, going on outside in my quartier. Streets lined with people trying to sell their awesome antiques as well as their un-sellable (I know that's not a word) crap. I saw a lot of cool furniture, but nothing small that was cool. I was looking for something for Kuya's girl Kathy. This little girl wanted a stone sculpture of a rabbit. The kind of sculpture you'd put in your garden, but her Mom said no. The little girl replied, "Mais pourquoi? C'est mignon!" (But why? It's cute!)

Also saw a boy, around my age, admiring a wooden standing valet. Those old-timey free standing suit hangers that holds the pants and the suit jacket as well as a tray for stuffs. Just seeing him inspect it and think about buying it filled me with joy.

Today I spent even more time at the brocante. Yesterday was a run-through while today was a more detailed look. Met Lucia and Keisha by the fountain and we went around to all the vendors. Helped Keisha decide to get two leather belts and a snakeskin portfolio. Yesterday, Lucia bought a set of cups and saucers. I myself was looking for cups and saucers.Keisha found an incredible automatic Mont Blanc watch. Keisha knows her watches since she specialized in them at Louis Vuitton. The face was huge and unscratched since it was double crystal or something like that. All I remember her saying was that nothing would scratch it except for diamond. The guy wanted 150 euros, but we walked away.Then, at another vendor, Lucia found another set of cups and saucers that were made in the south of France. They were really amazing. Man, if I had seen them first, I would have got them, but c'est la vie. She saw them. It's like that unspoken rule of not dating a guy that your friend liked first. I think the vendor could tell that I liked them too because he said I looked "mignonne" (cute) when I saw them. They just really made me smile. I would have bought them if Lucia didn't. And she already bought cups and saucers!!! Dang. Maybe more luck at the Marche Aux Puces.

Went through the whole brocante. Keisha kept debating about the watch. We had a most delicious lunch at Cave La Bourgogne, a restaurant right in the square. My landlord told me it was really good when I moved in, but I've never had the chance to eat there. I am so glad I did though. Got the plat du jour, steak with a bordelaise sauce and vegetables. House wine as usual. It was DELICIOUS and not expensive for the portions (14.80 euros). I was so glad that I brought my appetite since I only had fruit and tea for breakfast. We sat on the terrace, inside-outside. Since the streets are closed off for the brocante, my landlord was playing his music by the fountain. Across the street, we saw a man propose to a girl at the Café Le Saint Médard. We caught the tail end of it, everyone clapping and the couple kissing.Ordered dessert and café. Lucia wanted flan, but the waiter didn't understand so I explained, "C'est comme crème brulée, mais c'est pas brulée." (It's like burnt cream, but not burnt." He laughed, saying to himself in French "That's good! That's good! Not burnt! Haahahah". It made me so happy to make this guy smile just because he seemed like he was in a nasty mood since it was so busy. It put him in good spirits. He said that it was called crème caramel. And I got a crème brulée.An older couple took a photo of us, and the husband correctly guessed that we were Californian students. How funny. He also said that he liked my earrings and did I get them in Santiago? How weird. Keisha was still debating the watch, so we went back again, and she got to negotiate the watch down to 90 euros. I was so happy for her and her big faced masculine automatic Mont Blanc watch. I liked that the back was clear, and you can see the mechanism at work.

During lunch, Keisha had asked me what I was going to miss the most about Paris. I didn't even have to think about it: my quartier. None of my previous living situations would come close to this neighborhood, this experience. And will I ever have it this good again? It's really hard to say. In the quiet words of Toby Flenderson: "I'm gonna chase that feeling." Sorry, obscure "The Office" quote. But it really sums up my sentiments.

Venezia: Day 14

Venezia: Day 14

Woke up late-ish. Traveling from city to city can do that to you, especially by Day 14 of our little trip. We didn't have much planned to see, no museums we were dying to wait in line for. Today was a really easy going day. Took the metro boat to the famous Piazza San Marco and had lunch at a lovely restaurant off the square where we were served by the Venetian Steve Buscemi. He really had his face. And he was super sweet and had a thing for Lucia. See, Lucia got this dish, and for some reason she wanted sliced tomatoes, so she asked him if he could arrange that for her, and he was really nice about it and said yes. He comes back and places by her plate a bowl of TOMATO SAUCE and walked away. We all stared at each other smiling. Keisha said, "Maybe he heard 'sauce' instead of 'sliced'?" Laughable. Afterwards, Keisha and I ordered an espresso as our digestif and Lucia didn't order anything, but Seniore Buscemi came by and put down a shot of limoncello in front of her. She turned, as if to say he was mistaken, but he only winked at her and smiled. Lucia has a Venetian boyfriend! We joked all day about it.We walked by the boat docking areas and sat there and had gelato and then we perused the many souvenir carts for Venetian masks. Keisha is planning a masquerade party for her birthday next year, and she wanted all of us to get masks. I got a simple white one that covered my eye area, Lucia one with feathers, and Keisha's was huge and goldish, and perfect for her since it's for her birthday masquerade.Walked some more along the canals with no real purpose. We did want to take a gondola ride though, so we talked to a guy who wanted 80 euros for the three of us for 30 minutes. No way. Keisha said that we'll be back because we need to find an ATM. We then got it down to 20 euros each and the guy said we'll stop by an ATM in the middle of the gondola ride, haha. Sweetness.

The gondola ride was pretty sweet. What I liked was that it was solemn and quiet. We didn't really go through touristy places or bump into other gondolas. Going along the canals was just so unreal. It felt like a Disneyland ride, almost, but way better. Because this wasn't a set, this was real. People lived here. When I was a kid, I wanted to live in New Orleans Square at Disneyland.

We stopped and our gondola guy told Keisha that the ATM was across the square. He spoke a little English. We docked right next to another Gondola guy that kind of looked like a young Jack Nicholson. He was funny and posed in some photos with us while smoking on his cigarette.
For dinner, took the metro boat to another part of Venice, the less touristy part. Got off at Accademia, and tried to look for this wine bar that I read about, but no luck. We went to a restaurant that faced the ocean and had some seafood instead. Real tasty. Then got some gelato and waited for the boat to take us home.It was still light out, but we were pretty tired. We took the long way back home though on the boat going through the shipping yards and passing the train station. The girls stayed inside the boat while I stood on the starboard side watching boats pass and the lovely scenery. I can't remember everything I was feeling at that moment, but I was definitely happy to be on this trip with good people and still have time to myself. You know you've found good people to be with when they let you be who you are and understand where you're coming from. I've never had to explain myself to them or be pressured to do stuff that I didn't feel like doing. And it's like they instinctively knew that I like my time alone. God, these girls are amazing.

I thought about friends back home with boyfriends, friends with kids, and girls I graduated with that are about to get married. I'm all happy for them, and I want the best for them. But I felt odd for not sharing what they wanted or at least being in the same situations as theirs. Graduating. In a relationship. Found a job. Moved into a new apartment.

Everything happens for a reason, I guess. If I hadn't made the choices I made, I wouldn't be standing here on this boat watching gondolas float by, feeling the cool salty wind brush my face and sensing that wherever I was, whether it be in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, or here on this boat, that wherever I was, I was home.

Firenze and Venezia: Day 13

Day 13
Woke up early to go to the Accademia for our scheduled visit to see the famous David. We checked out of our hostel since we're supposed to leave by 10:30am, but left our baggage in the office.

The David was really, really huge. Not allowed to take photos though. Grabbed a postcard on the way out. Also saw more religious paintings. By now, I'm kind of burnt out from all the art. There's just too much to see.

After the museum, we grabbed a cappuccino for breakfast then headed back to the Leather School. Lovely, lovely, they remembered us. Keisha was checking out the purses, Lucia the wallets, and I got my wallet monogrammed. It was so cool, just standing by the craftsman as he selected gold leaf papers, and fitted my initials into the stamp. He showed me the "E.G.F." and asked for my approval. I nodded and said, "Si."He stamped it, showed me the stamp and awaited my approval again, and then put the wallet back in its wrapping. Peeked in on Keisha as she tried out a green leather over-the-shoulder handbag. Absolutely gorgeous. I joined Lucia as we both looked presents for our family to get monogrammed. I chose things for Mom, Dad, and Kuya, and got them monogrammed. Then Keisha's salesman came over to give me storage bags for the presents. Awesome! When we were about to leave, the main guy who helped us asked, "How did you find us?" I mentioned my Lonely Planet guide. He smiled and said, "Come back again" before saying goodbye. As we left, we said thank you and goodbye to the craftsmen working.

I thought about our lovely things and how they would totally fit that "grow old with and pass it down" type stuff that I'm into. I thought about if I'd get to "come back again". Maybe by that time I'll be working. Maybe by the time I come back, I'll need a new wallet, with new initials in gold.

Walked to another area known for leather, Piazza San Lorenzo. Stand after stand of leather goods. Some specializing in just purses, or just belts, or pashmina scarves. Keisha wanted leather gladiator sandals, Lucia a purse, and I was good and totally done with shopping. Right until I found myself at a belt stand with Keisha. The vendor was really nice and funny. I picked up a green leather belt but found that it was too big. "I fix for you!!" the vendor said. He put the belt around me, saw how much he should cut off, and then disappeared with the belt. When he came back, the belt was shorter, and he put one more hole for the buckle so that I can cinch it tighter. So sweet! For Keisha, he shortened her snake skin belt, put in another hole and even made a little loop with the extra snake skin. Lucia was at another vendor one stand down and got a black leather purse.

Afterwards, we went to the train station to get our ticket to Venezia. Got tickets for 15H-ish which was in an hour. Picked up our baggage at the hostel and went back to the station and got Mcdonald's before boarding our train to Venezia. Slept for most of the train ride.

VeneziaGot into Venice around 18H. It was so surreal traveling by train over the ocean and pulling into the station. Like something out of Spirited Away.We exited the station, and all I could think was Dr. Indiana Jones exhaling, "Ahh...Venice" in The Last Crusade. We got a 2 day pass for the "metro" which is really a boat that goes from dock to dock all over the islands. How cool is that?!

On the boat, we watched gondolas, boat taxis, and people with their own boats pass us. Got off at Ponte di Rialto where it was busy with tourists dining by the canals. I had directions to the hostel which were more complicated than I thought. And we passed lots of stores selling Venetian glass and leather bound journals. After what seemed like forever, we found our hostel through a tiny alleyway where we saw a lovely circular lamplight pointing to the entrance.

Checked into the Locanda Poste Vecie, and our sweet hostel lady showed us to the Annex, which was a couple metres down from the hotel. The annex was the "hostel" part while the lobby was part of the hotel part. The buildings were converted from a palace. I guess where we were staying were the servants quarters. She was really sweet and helped with Keisha's luggage, but was out of breath on the third floor where our room was. She also showed us the two shared bathrooms on the second floor.
Our room was HUGE and cute with paintings of famous Venetian bridges on its walls. Originally for 4 people with 2 queen beds, we decided to book it anyway since it was cheaper than other three-person rooms we found, and this hotel was in a super-central area. I mean, 2 minutes from Ponte di Rialto. Come on!

We collapsed on the bed to rest for a couple of minutes, then started unpacking. For fun, we laid out all the leather goods that we bought in Firenze on the bed and took a picture. We really went to town there. While Keisha was napping, Lucia and I decided to see the area since it was only past 21H. We walked around the canal area and the bars and found a cafe by the Ponte where we got sandwiches, chips, and water to go. Came back to find Keisha awake and hungry, so we ate while sitting on our beds, amongst our leather goods. Unpacked some more and went to sleep in our comfy warm beds.

Giverny

Here are some photos from Giverny. But before I get to those, some pins and postcards from Senlis:
A view of the garden from the second story of Monet's lovely abode.
Me skipping for joy in such a lovely garden to the laughter of my friends.
The Japanese bridge in the distance
The quaint food stand.
Pouring on my lovely street.

Roma: Day 10. Our last day.

Roma: Day 10

Sunday. Our last day in Roma. The Vatican is free on the last Sunday of the month too. We were really lucky. We got there pretty early, but found the line to be really long. We couldn't even see where the entrance was. We were stopped by another tour guide guy. He wanted each of us to pay 20 euros for a guided tour, and we'd get to go to the front of the line. The bargaining went down something like this:

Vendor for Vatican tour: 60 euros for the tour. That's 20 each.
Lucia. 50 euros.
Vendor: 40 euros. I'll be right back. (He goes to talk to a couple who is interested in the tour.)
Lucia: Did he just say 40?
Me: I think I heard 15. Maybe he thought 15 each?
Lucia: LET'S TAKE THIS! (Vendor comes back.)
Vendor: 40 euros and she's (pointing to me) free.
Me: YES!

So I got in "free" again, but of course I reimbursed Keisha and Lucia. I love how I get the "free". I think it's because I'm like a child, very short.

Got to the front of our line. Our guide was an archaeological student from Serbia. I thought he was Italian because he spoke Italian well when he was trying to persuade the guards to let us pass through the short cut to the Sistine chapel (I semi-understand Italian with my French and Spanish background. Woot!). He was really, super cute and smart. He was very funny as well. He wasn't like those other tour guides that drone on and on. He'd ask us questions about stuff, and what we thought about a certain tapestry or sculpture. He was amazing. Me and Lucia shadowed him closely, haha. At one point, he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him to let a group of Germans pass by in a crowded hallway. It was lovely.We finally arrived at the Sistine chapel. It was super crowded, but we got hear a lot about parts of the fresco. When he ended the tour, he said we could ask him any questions, so Lucia asked him for his recommendations about Florence, our next city. He used my fountain pen and wrote down what we should see in Lucia's notebook. He said lastly, "In Florence, don't be afraid to get lost."After the Vatican, we went to St. Peter's Basilica, and then the Pantheon which was pretty cool. Then after that Bocca della Verita, or the Mouth of Truth. I really wanted to go there because of Roman Holiday. There, Andrea picked us up. He took us to this orange grove that had an amazing view of the city, and then, he parked in this empty lot, and said, pointing to a wooden door across the street, "Look in that keyhole. There is a little surprise!"

We had no idea what he meant, so we got out of the car and looked into the keyhole of the massive door. Framed perfectly through that keyhole was a tree lined path and the dome of St. Peter's right in the middle. It was magical. After we all got a peek, we looked at each other, speechless. We then turned towards the car, and Andrea was standing there, smiling. He's so full of little surprises.He then took us to the train station to get our tickets to Pisa the next day. I love how they have this schedule of trains always running to cities and that we didn't have to plan too much ahead. A ticket to Pisa was 17 euros. Afterwards, we got dinner.

He took us to this amazing meat place. We got fillets, sausages, a hunk of grilled meat, potatoes, bread, and this plate of hot cheese to share. All of it was really good. Then we got gelato down the street. We went home to rest up early since our train leaves 7 in the morning the next day, but it was a perfect end to our Roman holiday.I don't think I can thank Keisha enough for making all this possible. Without her and her connections, Sicilia would probably be too crazy and Rome too expensive. We really saved by staying with her friends. And our hosts were awesome. Adriano and his family treated us like, well, family, and Andrea was so fun and spontaneous. He'd lead us around the city at night and we'd end up at Fontana di Trevi or the Spanish Steps. And he wouldn't even tell us that we were going there. And he didn't coddle us. He didn't tell us how the metro worked or how to get to his house. I think he wanted us to be independent, for us to figure stuff out for ourselves. And it's nice, you know? He's definitely not like any other guy I've ever met. He wouldn't rave about how amazing something was or bring our hopes up. He'd say something was "good", and we'd find that it was actually amazing.

He's very...European. I like that. Anyway, more on this later, I have a post coming up dedicated to, you guessed it, European boys.

castle day

ATTENTION: This is a lengthy post. Grab a cup of tea and settle down. If not, look at the pretty pictures!

Great day yesterday. A "jour du château" or "castle day", one might say. I officially declare April 12th "Castle Day". So on every April 12th I must visit a castle (or in my case to make it easier for me when I'm back in California) a famous home. Or do a picnic. Maybe next year I can do Hearst Castle and picnic. I had an amazing day. That's why I want to commemorate it.

Topher and Nathalie, the cool kids at Micefa, organized the trip. They both came up to me, at different times, asking if I was making a short movie about this day trip to Chenonceau and Villandry. Sadly, I didn't bring my video camera. But it made me really happy that they asked me about it. It's the same feeling when I "established" myself as a filmmaker back in SF, and once I started showing my films people would come up to me and ask what the next project was, if I was writing anything or if I needed crew. It's the best feeling in the world that a small filmmaker can get. At least, it's the best feeling for me.

VillandryDrove 3 hours south to the château of Villandry, a two-story home complete with a keep, moat, and 10 acres of gardens (they had a hedge MAZE!). I loved it because there weren't many people around, and it really felt like someone's home rather than a museum. There were no velvet ropes or loads of signs saying "Don't touch". You just felt like you were transported to the 18th century. And you respected it, you know? You didn't touch anything. And if you did touch something, you only did it because you were so moved by the thing--for me it was this amazing bathtub in one of the main bedrooms. After, Keisha, Lucia, and I picked a bench to have a picnic on in the gardens. It was right in front of the lake (see pic below--this is the lake as seen from the keep). Only they didn't pack lunches like I did. So they went outside the castle to get food only to find out they couldn't bring food into the gardens. So I had a lovely picnic lunch by myself. It was amazing. I know a lot of people who have a problem being by themselves, but there are some of us who eat at restaurants alone, go to movies alone (Catherine!). It's interesting. Try it sometime.So I sat on a bench/leaned against a tree that was growing oh-so-perfectly next to the bench so that I can lean my back against it in the semi-sun semi-cloudiness in front of a lake. Heaven. For picnic I put this together:
1. roasted chicken sandwich
2. hot and spicy Pringles
3. one sweet clementine
4. an 1848 white chocolate bar with whole hazelnuts and nougat (my fave white chocolate bar, the 1848 brand is really good)
5. evian water

Loveliness. A castle garden picnic. I just want to have picnics all the time now when the weather's nice. I felt so at peace. With nature, with the beauty of this castle. And I thought about the centuries of families who lived here, who raised their kids here. Even though they grew up in a castle in the French countryside, and me in the suburbs of Los Angeles, I felt that, at base, we were the same. Me and these kids. Because we had parents who wanted the best for us...It was just this feeling I got.After picnic, I laid on the grass in front of the lake and did some writing. Birds were singing. I could hear Susie, Melissa, Topher, Alan, and Taylor joking and laughing nearby. And it made me so happy. Just knowing that people were having a good time. Taylor was being really silly and ridiculous, but lovely as always, haha...

It started to drizzle, so we headed to the bus. It was time to go anyway. I bought a pack of playing cards that have flowers on them with their species name and historical figures for the kings, queens, and jacks. They're pretty cool. Saw this in the guestbook, and it made me smile:ChenonceauThis castle was even better. Built across the river Le Cher. Incredible.

They had a wine cellar for wine tasting, gardens, and another hedge maze! We got to go in this time on our way back to the bus.There's more history to this one, but it was much harder to enjoy since it was pretty crowded. I still liked it though. There were fresh flowers in every room, and some of the fireplaces had real fires in them! It really kept the rooms warm. At one point while we were inside, it started raining then hailing, and then it cleared up again. Such temperamental weather.

Here, I got a fleur de lys pin that looks really cool on my jacket. Keisha got one too in gold but much bigger.

On the way back to the bus, we hiked through the foresty area to get to the hedge maze which wasn't that tall, but still cool and easier to get around in. I got out last. Typical.I think seeing a bunch of smaller castles is better than going to the larger ones like Versailles. I mean, I liked Versailles, but there were too many people, it wasn't as intimate as these castles, and it was just too much for one place. But it is Versailles, after all.

All my photos are uploaded to my Photobucket, just follow the link in the Mediatheque section. Enjoy your weekend!