you look devastated

History of Paris teacher is amazing, knowledgeable and passionate. Got an A on my paper today. Woo-hoo! She also doesn't seem to mind that I daydream. Once, during one of our visits, she was talking about something, I don't remember I wasn't listening because I was looking at the stained glass windows in the church St. Etienne. She comes up behind me, startling me by putting her arm around my shoulders saying, "C'est belle, non? Regarde..." (Isn't it beautiful? Look...). Super sweet lady. She kind of reminds me of a mother hen. She's kind of...hen-shaped. And I mean this in the most endearing way.

After class, ate at BIA with Melissa, Kathy, and Lucia. Good times. The waiter was funny. It was his first day. We sat outside in the cold for a bit, then he let us go inside when a table opened up. When he came out with our food he set it down, and then he said to me, "Do you need something? You look devastated." I thought his choice of the word "devastated" was hilarious, but he was quite astute, I did need something: mayonnaise. I like mayo with my fries. You're probably puking your guts out right now, but I find it quite tasty like most French do. Anyway, he was nice.

Oh I miss London so much! I love watching films about cities I know. It's especially nice to be able to shout in your head, "I've been there! I know where that is!" This happened when watching Run Fatboy Run. It happens when watching SF, LA, and Paris films as well.

All my computer settings online were in French, but I've changed them to English. "English (UK)" to be exact: Also found this cute when I deleted some emails:
The bin, hee hee.

So as you can tell, I'm having this love hate relationship with the French language. I can't even put a number to the many times I'd like to give up, please God can I just give up this one little thing? I'll give this up, pay my parents back for my year here, and then we can move on and I won't give up ever again. This can be that one big thing that I gave up on or changed my mind on, you know, like those kids who take up medicine and then decide they want to be interior designers.

There are little, tiny moments that give me hope, that move me to continue. Like when I understand completely what is being said. When people ask me for a translation and I can give it to them. The latest was when, after confiding my doubts to Lucia she said that at least I try to sound French and that I don't have an American or anglophone accent. That was nice. Oh how blessed I am to be surrounded with the positivity of people. All these things add up, but they're anthills to this behemoth of a mountain I'm facing.

Tonight: Darjeeling Limited. Very excited.

west end girls: london day 4.

Monday: Last Day

Woke up kind of early thinking we were going to go to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. Didn't happen. On the way to the Tube, we both felt hungry, so we stopped at a cute patisserie. The owner was definitely French. It felt like a movie set. Nothing is this cute!I got tea (rose petal, as suggested by the owner), an almond croissant, and orange juice. Lucia got coffee, almond croissant, and juice too. We sat at a big wooden table, the kind I'd like in my home one day. It was so good. Everything, from the plates to the teacups to the shop decor was dainty and girly. Loved it.It started to pour, and Lucia didn't want to be outside, so we decided to do what most girls do when they feel like doing something...We went shopping.

Took Lucia back to Covent Garden where there are loads of shops. Beeline straight to H&M because we're always wondering if the stuff is different in each country.

Being In Love Rule of Shopping

I've developed this a while back when trying to shop on my modest college budget that was funded by my part time job. When shopping, if I fell in love with an article of clothing, if it fit me well, if I needed it, if I couldn't walk away--I bought it. It was that simple. I mentioned this to Lucia while she was debating over a faux leather jacket at H&M that looked absolutely stunning on her, complimented her skin tone, and foresaw totally adding to her wardrobe with the pieces of clothing she already had without being some piece that she had to "build on". She still wasn't sure. I asked her if she was in love with it, if she couldn't walk away without totally regretting it.

She bought it.

I've added to my rules of shopping since college in particularly since coming to France. In particularly, quality goes a really, really long way. I think I'm more willing now to hold out on something if I know it's going to last a long time, especially for something important like a wool jacket. With basics, H&M is decent and not pricey. I bought 2 hoodies, one zippered another plain just because the 2 I brought here are already dying. I've had them for a while anyway. Also, pieces that have history or even just a story to them like the Johnstons scarf are nice because they're more than the article, they mean something, have sentimental value.

Lucia bought some other essentials to her wardrobe while I just replaced what was dying. We walked some more, peeking into shops and windows. Went to an accessories store where Lucia got sunglasses, and I got my own big umbrella which I love. It's black, white, and splashes of bright green flowers. It's easy to open and close as well, easier than my pocket umbrella. We got fish and chips and a pint at a pub--most tasty.

We then headed home to pack. Stopped at a Marks and Spencers to get some traditional British dessert to eat at home. I suggested sticky toffee pudding which I had last time. God, I love Marks and Spencers and their ready to eat meals. They're quality and really tasty. Got home and packed then ate our dessert. Maek and Loz got home right before we left, and Maek gave us a ride to the Tube station.

Before leaving, we told Maek about our next trip to Italy. He was really happy for us since he really loves Rome. He really stressed how important it was for us to travel while we're young and still here. There's still the stress about where's the money going to come from, how am I going to plan this? I really think it's worth it even if it means not eating out for a while or not buying anything unneeded. I mean, even that for a couple of weeks can mean a nice weekend somewhere like Greece or Amsterdam. We're all so close to everything; we have to take advantage. Once we're back in California, a plane ticket alone to Europe can be pricey. And where will we find the time when we're not working or going to school? It's hard.

I think I did good though, as far as traveling goes. I didn't do the whole "backpack across Europe" deal, but I got to live in Paris, visit family in London, do Amsterdam, and now two weeks traveling up Italy for spring break...That's pretty good.

The train ride back was nice. I kept thinking about my own bed and going back to living alone. I was coughing up a lung the whole time and annoying loads of passengers, and Lucia was nice and got me tea. Lovely girl. I didn't even ask her to, she just offered and did. She brought back tea and a sandwich to share with me. Oh the goodness of good people.

Got home late and beat, but I got to sleep in the next day.

west end girls: london day 3.

Sunday

Maek let me check my mail on his laptoppy, and Mom sent me an email saying how proud she was to see my essay on Why We Write. She printed it out for Dad and Grandma to read too. That made me happy. Sometimes I can get embarrassed about writing real personal stuff, even on this blog, but it ended up being a good thing. Mom also said that she bought my ticket for home. I officially go home July 3rd on a flight and airline different from my parents. I'm glad they got me a ticket different from theirs, and a ticket home in general. There will be a lot to think about on the flight back to the states.Went to the Columbia Road Flower market, which Maek and Loz suggested for a Sunday morning. It's always nice to do local things and really mingle with citizens of this amazing city. We basically followed people who where coming towards us with flowers. Maek and Loz also told us about this photographer, Seamus Ryan, who does these free themed photo sessions. They went with Jaiya and got the cutest photos. He posts them up on his website, and if you like them you can order them.

But first we went down the road walking through flower stall after stall and hearing the lovely Brits yelling, "Two for a tenner! Come spend your pocket money!" We ducked into little tiny shops that sold cute things. Both Lucia and I got these amazing Scottish scarves made by a company called Johnstons that's been making scarves since 1797. I have this thing for getting special things that have history, like my Frye boots and a story to it ("I got this Scottish scarf at a flower market in London!"). Plus, I just really liked the scarf a lot. It has a unique pattern.

After much wandering around, we found the studio. Today's theme was "The Signing". Seamus took photos of people walking to a white board, signing their name, posing in front of the board, and then walking off camera. He's going to make it into a film too. Lucia and I were really excited. Firstly--it's free. Secondly, how cool is this?!

I went first, then Lucia went, and I took pics of her going. Lucia signed her name "L. Angel"--with her last name, and Seamus said, "Is your name Angus?" Everyone in the room laughed, but not at Lucia, just regular laughing at the moment. Lucia laughed too, which I think helped her photo because she has this smile that remains after you laugh a bit. Very cute. You can see me and Lucia's photo on Seamus Ryan's site.After, Lucia and I took photos in their Photobooth that prints out amazing pictures. It also has a wind machine inside. That was fun.After the flower market, it started to rain a bit, so we decided to do something indoors. I suggested Harrods since Lucia mentioned wanting to buy an English umbrella, something well made to withstand harsh weather. I ended up getting a quintessential Harrods bag, something I always get on each trip to London. They're so cute, and durable since they're made with PVC and laminated. The umbrellas were pretty expensive so we walked down the street a bit and hopped into a luggage store where Lucia found the perfect umbrella: it's black and long with a wooden handle. Lucia also was looking at some luggage since the one she brought here was in bad shape. I too was looking at the carry-on bags that were on sale. Lucia got a duffel with wheels and a Samsonite carry-on in khaki. I got the same carry-on weekend bag in purple.

We figured, what the hell, why not? It was something that would last a long time, we could use it for Italy, and I definitely needed mine since I'm coming home with more than I brought. The luggage guy was super nice and took 20 pounds off the sale price. Nice!Then I did something really stupid that I'm just too embarrassed to even write about it: I left my wallet at the store.

I had no idea. We left the store and were walking towards the metro station, about a block away. The luggage guy comes running up behind us, holding my wallet. I was stunned. I never do this crap. He had this sort of mad face, kind of like the face your Dad makes when you do something really stupid and careless. I was so embarrassed. Lesson learned. I was just so stupidly excited about my new purchase that I didn't even think about the other stuff going on around me. Felt like an idiot for a couple hours afterward and rightly so.

Went home to drop off our purchases. We couldn't think of anything else to do, and I think Lucia was kind of getting tired of "touristy" things. You can only have so much of museums, Maek had said. So we decided to see a movie! I mentioned that Covent Garden as a lot of great cinemas, so I chose the Odeon at Covent Garden to see There Will Be Blood, which I wanted to see for a while.

It wasn't a full house or anything for There Will Be Blood, just a lot of kids our age, which is nice. Before the title credit showed up on the screen some guy said, "Gonorrhea!" which was pretty funny and stupid at the same time. The film itself was pretty good, and everyone laughed at all the right parts ("I drink your milkshake!"). It was a good time. Headed home around midnight pretty beat.

west end girls: london day 2

Saturday

Woke up a little late, guess we were pretty tired. Loz was nice enough to make us some toast even though Lucia and I previously agreed we would not bum food off my cousin's fam. They were letting us stay here for free after all. We gave them some French wine as a thank you beforehand. They gave us two thick slices of wheat toast, butter, and honey--delicious. Also some coffee to wake us up.

Lucia met Jaiya, who was totally enthusiastic about her new visitors. Showed us the backyard, her bike, Mr. Nicky (her stuffed monkey) all the while having a cookie stuck to her arm. So cute. Lucia bought tickets for us for the London Eye, which I have never done before in all my trips to London (totaling 4 now!).We copied down the "Millennium Walk" from my Let's Go book and decided to do only parts of it. We first went to the Globe Theatre and had the tour. There was a hot Brit guy on the stage rehearsing too so that was exciting. Wish we could have seen a play, but they start doing those in the spring and summer. Then walked down the Thames toward the London Eye. Unfortunately it started to drizzle so the pods were a bit wet. Saw a pretty awesome view of everything down the Thames: Big Ben, all the bridges, House of Parliament. For some weird reason I was more interested in the pod itself as well as the whole apparatus of the wheel and just kept staring at the other pods full of people in them.After the Eye, we were both pretty hungry, I mentioned that we passed this restaurant my cousin took us too when I first came to England except I went to the Covent Garden one. It's a noodle chain called Wagamama. I'm not usually pushy about where or what to eat, but I got a bit nostalgic and said, "Can we eat here? I haven't been here in a long time. It's really good." Lucia agreed.
Walk into this large room, almost like a mess hall. Very modern and minimalist. You sit right next to strangers and catch all their interesting conversations. Thankfully, Lucia and I got to sit at the end of a table so it's easier to talk. We got green tea, gyoza to start, and Lucia got spicy noodles, and I got ramen soup to battle my cold. I wrote down on the paper placemat with my Lamy what we did so far and we discussed what else to do in this part of town.

Lucia had remarked, while looking around the restaurant, "There are definitely some wows in this room." She meant the British guys. Lots of cute British guys everywhere we go. In Clapham too. Maek said that Clapham (where we were staying) has the largest concentration of under 30s in western Europe. If I could, I would just move there, buy Maek and Loz's house, and just hope to God I meet my next boyfriend/husband there. Heaven. Lucia spotted a blond guy ("And I don't even really like blonds!") that was super cute with a green shirt and jeans.

What I love about the guys here, more so than even the French guys, is that they dress more casual here and still look good. They know what size jeans to wear, they all have different and nice hair--they're like the middle ground between California casual and Parisian chic. And it's the same with the girls here too--more casual. I'm feeling that I'd be more at ease in London when I'm out and about in my jeans and hoodie than I am in Paris. I practically wished I chose to study Cinema in London than French in Paris, but c'est la vie.

Our food came, first the gyoza then the noodles, and boy was it DELICIOUS! I could go here once a week, I swear. If this was in SF or even in LA, it would totally take off. Lucia loved her spicy noodles--finally something spicy. Not a lot of spicy things in France. We ate slowly like we're accustomed to in France and then our table was totally empty, so I took this photo: Then we got ice cream, coconut with some citron sauce and coconut flakes. Tasty. Our lovely server came by and saw my camera on the table and actually asked us if we wanted our photo taken. How sweet. See how nice people are? After lovely late lunch, we went back to the Globe Theatre to see the exposition. Got a call from Keisha who was also in London with her mom asking us if we wanted to eat Indian food now instead of that night around 8. Lucia and I were both pretty full, so we had to decline which sucks. Then Lucia and I took a random bus around London and got off when it stopped at a Tube station near Tower Bridge. We walked across it--so beautiful at night!--and then took the Tube home.We were greeted by Maek who was working in front of the tv. Oh God, to have a job that allows you to sit in front of a tv on a comfy couch with a laptop on your lap--that's the life. He designs websites. We were a bit hungry so he gave us some delivery menus. We chose pizza. We ordered in and he also let us buy a movie through his satellite tv. He let us sit on the couch that he was sitting on that's "perfect for vegetating" and that he'd just passively sit and watch with us while working.

So for our second night in London, we ate pizza and watched the Edith Piaf movie with Marion Cotillard, which was very good, and I've always liked her anyway. Funny to watch this in England of all places.

west end girls: london day 1.

Another long weekend in London, how lovely! C. left at the same time as me. I literally watched her drive away in the taxi then headed straight off to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar train with Lucia.

Still felt sick and crappy, but I didn't really care, I was going to London. Boarded the train, no problem. We got into St. Pancras around 11, but neither Maek nor Lorraine would be home until 1pm to receive us. I got lunch at the station since I was hungry, but Lucia ate on the train. Got a tasty Caesar salad, and after could not stop coughing for the life of me. I couldn't even talk, either. It would just make me cough more and my throat all itchy.

While Lucia watched our stuff, I went to a tea and coffee place. Wrote down what I wanted in my Moleskine and showed it to the server. It read: "Peppermint tea, please. Sorry, I can't talk." The server was super nice, almost abnormally nice. Drank my tea and for an hour or so, Lucia and I sat at the station, which is super nice, by the by, and planned out our weekend. We brought my Let's Go book to help us. We wrote down possible itineraries, the metro stations for each place we planned to visit, and just all the things we wanted to do.

Afterwards, headed toward the Tube station. We talked to one of the Underground tube guys, and he was helping us decided whether we should get a week pass or 4 daily passes. He was super nice. He did the math all for us, and we ended up gatting 4 daily passes straightaway. From there, we headed towards Maek's, only changing trains once.

Got out of the station, and a nice newspaper vendor asked us if we needed help, "Don't be shy, girls! What street do you need?" He ended up not knowing where we should go, so we bought a map at a little corner market, the "A to Zed" map. To say the letter "Z", they say "zed", and not "zee". God love the Brits. The guy kept saying, "Ay to Zed? Ay to Zed?" And Lucia and I kept looking at each other with this same look like, "What the hell is this guy saying?!" And then when I saw the map, I finally understood.

We found Maek and Loz's easily, and Maek was home and we got to rest and he made some tea for us. Then we headed back into the city. Went to Trafalgar Square and into the National Gallery, which is free. Saw "Sunflowers" and some Saurat. Got some fish and chips at a small little restaurant. So good.Took the Tube Went to nearby the River Thames and walked across Millennium Bridge to go to the Tate Modern, also free. Passed some protesters in front of the Scientology building wearing V for Vendetta masks, and they were actually really nice, not threatening at all. Asked us if we wanted some propaganda, and we kindly declined although now I wish I took some of it. Saw some modern arts which I'm starting to appreciate.

We took lots of pics throughout the weekend, which is great, and not the stand in front of this monument and just smile kind, which I'm kind of getting tired of. I mean, we did take some of those, but not a lot. Luckily, Lucia didn't think me weird of asking her to take a certain kind of photo, to frame it in such a way or that I didn't look into the camera. Took lots of silly ones as well.

Went home totally beat. Slept like babies that night.

west end girls

Back from London!!! What a great long weekend. Thanks to Maek, Lorraine, and Jaiya for putting us up again for the second time this year!

Had a wonderful splendid time despite my sickness and coughing. Cheers to Lucia for putting up with this harbinger of disease. A real sport. We got to do touristy things as well as do what the locals do. Will re-cap each day like always. Maybe do a post on Catherine's week in between each London re-cap.

COMING SOON!

National Gallery. Hot British men saying funny things and asking questions. London Eye. 2 films watched. British food. Shopping. Free photography session with Seamus Ryan for his Sunday Shoots (thanks Maek!). Wagamama revisited. Super nice British peoples (compared to France). The "being in love" rule of shopping created by yours truly. Mr. Nicky (Jaiya's stuffed monkey).

too tired to write, too sick to write

I'm sick again: third time this year. Won't have a proper post until after London, and might even have to forgo the whole London re-cap for a while.

In summation: watching C. shopping at Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Goyard were most exciting. Would never walk into these stores. Holding purses and bags that cost more than an arm and a leg on the black market. Staying in a sweet hotel room that felt like a museum and costs more than one month's rent for my Parisian studio. Also stayed next door to where they filmed "Hotel Chevalier". Taking a bubble bath. Room service. Drinking champagne on the balcony, then dancing to the Beatles and Bloc Party among others.

Will definitely re-cap my fun week with C.--it was most interesting.

I am a liar

Okay, so I do have time to blog. Catherine's flight's been delayed maybe 5 hours.

Last night was loads of fun, Keisha's boys invited us bowling. What's nice is that they're working guys (Adriano, Yannu, and Laurent), so they paid for everything--woot. The game, shoes, and our first two drinks. I'm usually not okay with that stuff, I'd like to put in my share, but I'm poor in Paris so why the hell not? We had champagne and then I got a kir cassis and then during the game a demi pèche which is blonde beer (Heineken) and peach syrup. Tastiness. The whole bowling thing felt like America, except for drinking alcohol right on the lane. It was also cosmic bowling which I haven't done before, so that was cool, and under 16s not allowed so it's like going to a club. A bowling club. Weird thing is that Kuya got back to me from Grandma's funeral, and he said all the cousins went bowling afterward.

The guys made a wager. Whoever lost would have to make dinner next time. So us girls, Lucia, Kiesha, Laura, and I would taunt them whenever they threw gutter balls: "T'as d'espace chez toi?" (Do you have space at your house?) Laurent kept saying he'll make couscous and that's it. Lucia won with 121. I sucked in second to last place, and Adriano kept giving me tips while bowling which was nice. In the end, Laura has to cook. But we'll help her out.

Debating about skipping class on Tuesday. It's wrong, but what feels even more wrong is leaving my friend who came all the way out here to see me, to leave her wandering the city alone. I haven't seen her since my birthday. Will think about it. I'm already turning a paper in late and skipping Friday's class because I'm off to London. I think if I have a legitimate excuse for skipping class like traveling or being with an out-of-towner, that I should be off the hook. Last semester, there were a couple of classes I skipped because I was sad and genuinely didn't feel like going, but it's better now. I feel better now thank you God.

Italy and London (take 2)!

Why is it that whenever Lucia and I get together, some scheme comes into fruition? Lucia came over, and we had Chinese food from up the street. Went back to my place and started to plan Italy. We planned Italy before we left for Amsterdam, but our plans changed since we couldn't get out of Micefa classes. Italy was re-scheduled until Easter break rather than winter break. After we got all that hashed out, our flights and the hotel in Rome, we stopped there. It was all tentative, and we didn't want to go too far into detail if something changed.

Then Lucia brought up London. My cousin and his wife mentioned that I could visit again with a friend before they leave at the end of March, and I only slightly mentioned this offer to friends. Lucia took me up on it. We planned a long weekend in London, and hopefully my cousin will be cool with it. And this time I won't be bothering them, and they won't have to drive us anywhere. We just need a place to stay for three nights, and we're grown-ups (as Amsterdam has proved) and won't need them to chaperone. Cool! Hope this all works out. London is a wonderful city, and I don't mind going back as long as lodging is free! Also to go through London with someone who has never been will be really cool. I'll get to re-visit places that I've been to years ago. It'll be nice.

(Half an hour later)....Just got an email notice on my Firefox--Firefox has this cool function for Gmail users and it updates me whenever I get an email--and Maek said YES! Thanks Maek! I can't believe how cool this is! The message simply said, "That's cool. Your bed is ready." AAHH!! I love it. I read this out loud to Lucia, and we both burst into excitement and laughter. And then we high-fived. Booked the tickets, which were pretty cheap. 47.50 euros for Paris to London and 30 euros for the Eurostar back. The first one is more expensive since it's on a Friday. Plus, we'll be saving money since we've gots a place to stay. Yeah! London in March. Italy in April. Whoo! Yay for family abroad!

Martha Stewart

Did another strange amount of cleaning and rearranging. I don't know why, I didn't have to. I even grouped my carbs in the same place in the kitchen. Weird. Took care of school things that Rosalie suggested I do, and made a list of things to chuck out when I leave. Mostly clothes that are getting worn down already.

I guess I'm doing all this cleaning because my friend Catherine (the first of 4 friends coming--cool and yikes at the same time) is arriving in three weeks which is a long time from now but better now I guess than in a hurry the day before she comes. Cool girl. She grew up in Las Vegas but currently goes to Loyola Marymount. Met her while on a summer study abroad in Cambridge, England. I remember we met on the bus from Heathrow to Cambridge, and she was listening to Broken Social Scene on her ipod. I peeked when she wasn't looking. She's into film too, and we'd hang out on the day trips into London, Stonehenge, and the Roman baths in Bath.

It's strange, this desire to impress. It's like I need to show everyone how grown up I am. Blurg. Didn't think it'd come until later, when I was done with school and working (or finding work).

Speaking of Britain, watched a hilarious British tv show, as suggested from Lily (thanks Lily!). She said I'd like it, and I'm always wary about people telling me I'll like something, but right off when she said, "Simon Pegg" thunderbirds were go. I looked it up on youtube, and it was amazing. I love me that British humor. Immediately saw the references that Simon Pegg made in Shaun of the Dead to the former tv show he starred in. Great stuff. Just this clip alone merits at least one episode trial.

this is it kuya!

Hey Kuya, here's the cute sweatshirt I bought at Spitalfields market. It was in the men's section and slightly baggy, but I like wearing it with jeans or with pajamas.

london day 2 and 3

Went to Spitalfields Market, one of the open air markets I was interested in seeing. A lot of independent clothing designers and other cool things like jewelry and stuffs. I got a royal blue sweatshirt with a bird on it. It's really cute, and I love it. Maek showed me all these Banksy (graffiti artist) prints that are not real, just photographs, but he has a real print at home worth $4,000. And for Loz, we went to little antique shops on the way.Then walked along the Southbank, and they took me to the BFI! That's the British Film Institute. SO COOL. I spent almost half an hour perusing their film bookstore while Maek, Loz, and Jaiya were hanging out at their cafe. I absolutely went ape-shit over their books, especially the Faber and Faber books that are scripts with forewords written by the scriptwriter or director. I bought 6 books! And I don't feel badly at all about the purchase. I bought 4 scripts and 2 books. They were having a sale of the scripts, and I couldn't help it. I love reading scripts and using them as a reference to how to write my own. And they're cheaper here than in the States where I have to special order them sometimes. We had a coffee at the cafe afterwards, then walked back along the river Thames.

Before going home, Loz and I rented Blood Diamond and Death Sentence at Blockbuster. Watched Blood Diamond, which was amazing, while Maek cooked roast chicken and vegetables. It was tasty. Home cooked meals are so nice.

After dinner, Maek and Loz tol me all about all the traveling they'd done. They were together at my age and had done so much traveling. They told me to definitely visit Marrakech and Rome. That those should be my top two. They've been everywhere, their bookshelves and their home prove it. The proof is hanging and displayed in their home. It's definitely easier when you're living in England to be able to travel to so many places. And I felt, being surrounded by their pictures, and the beautiful mural of old keys that Loz and Maek bought in an open market in Marrakech (they found really large and small keys, and Maek hung them on a canvas), I felt like I have done absolutely nothing with my life. I mean, I'm lucky to have seen what I've seen and been able to travel to where I've been, but I still feel that I haven't seen enough, that I should have seen more by my age. And it makes me sad to know people who don't feel they need to travel and leave their comfort zone, who won't make sacrifices to see the world.

And at that moment, hearing their fascinating stories, I felt ready to make the sacrifices I needed to make to see things that I've never seen. They told me how they payed a driver in Marrakech to take them 3 hours through the desert to a beach that's supposedly a surfing haven. How in Colombia (of all places! and while the drug thing wasn't so huge) they slept in hammocks in a rain forest and when Loz wanted to pee during the night, the floor was covered in blue crabs. Exciting!

I felt very close to them, my wandering cousins, in that I have itchy feet too, I want to be on the move too (they've lived in Australia and are now on the move to Bangkok), and it's been very hard for me to be close with my cousins because there's a huge age gap between me and them. I'm the youngest of them all at 21 and there's at least a gap of 7 years. But this desire to travel bonded us, me with my older, wiser cousins.

I saw how important traveling meant to me, how it means as much to me now as writing or film. How I want to be friends and meet someone who cares just as much about traveling as I do. I don't have many friends back home who feel as strongly about traveling. They say they do, but they don't really. I don't see them saving their pennies for the next big trip or planning their month of backpacking across Europe. Some have never owned passports or been out of the country. They say that they'll do it, but I don't think they ever will until they realize it's too late. Until they have jobs, families, responsibilities.

Instead they work, work, work like all Americans, and I commend them for their hard work. They use their vacations to work on non-work things or relax where they are. I don't see their sense of adventure, and I know I'm generalizing but a lot of American are like this. I told Loz this, and she agrees with me.

But I felt so proud to be part of an American family who loves to travel. My Mom, Aunt, and Grandma once stayed at a spa resort in the Czech Republic. We've made family trips to the Philippines, Thailand, England, and Norway. My Dad was stationed in Spain way back when and rode his motorcycle through various European countries. My parents saw the Great Wall in China and the Coliseum in Rome.

It's genetic, this itchy feet thing.

DAY 3

The next day, Loz and I spent the morning with Jaiya going around to some shops while Maek worked. Maek designs websites and you can see his portfolio here. Loz runs a website that rents locations for filming, you can see her site here. Their house is under Heath House! You can see that Marrakech keys thing I was talking about. I love how their jobs can let them be anywhere. They work freelance. So cool.

I rode on the back of Maek's scooter back to St. Pancras station. It was amazing. I've always wanted to ride on the back of a scooter! I just wanted to keep riding all over the city, I didn't want to get off. I saw Parliament, Big Ben, the National Theatre, all on the scooter. Maek was totally careful, and I wore a helmet. When we first started off I had my hands wrapped tightly all around his waist, but 5 minutes in I was no longer scared, and just had my hands at his sides. So much fun. I want a scooter myself!We bid goodbye at the station, and Maek said I could come over anytime with a friend before they move to Bangkok in March. Cool! It's so awesome to have family all over the world. I'm very blessed for an amazing family and being able to travel.

london day 1

Hey all, I'm back from London! Arrived an hour or so ago. I had an amazing, really chill time with my cousin, his wife and the baby which was what I wanted. Not so much touristy things all crammed together. Just an easy weekend. See some sights and hang out.

DAY 1
Taking Eurostar is super easy and relatively cheap, I love it. And trains are pretty fun. I can see why Buster Keaton loves them so much. To me, they're the best form of land travel. Maek, my cousin, picked me up at St. Pancras Station in London. He drove with Lorraine, his wife, and the baby Jaiya. This is my first time meeting Jaiya.Went to Chinatown and had late lunch. So weird ordering in English. And eating REAL CHINESE FOOD. So good. Walked to National Portrait Gallery and saw a lot of cool paintings. Jaiya pointed at a painting of the Queen and said, "Poppa!" It was hilarious. Even an elderly British lady overhead and laughed. Then to the Somerset House to see their exhibit. Saw a lot of cool old snuff boxes. I picked these places because they were free to get into, but we also did see a photography exhibit at the NPG for 1 pound.

After, we headed home which is in south London called Clapham. They live in a three story house that they re-done, and it's absolutely GORGEOUS. Very modern. Loz (Lorraine) told me that they were actually contacted for a deco magazine, but it didn't pan out.

Chilled out at the house, and the sitter came to take care of Jaiya and we ate at The Sequel, this modern, fancy place that projected movies on the wall. Maek and Loz were happy to have a dinner out without the baby. I had steak, as did Loz, with potatoes and sticky toffee pudding with ice cream which was excellent.

After, Loz and Maek took me to their friend, Buffer's (that's his nickname) birthday barhopping thing, which was really cool. Their friends are super nice and funny. Someone asked Buffer what the plan was and he said, "First we'll find a bar then we're getting Punyo's (that's Maek's first name--Maek is his nickname) cousin SMASHED!" We met at The Pitcher and the Piano then moved to the bar Calvados. It was pretty hopping. Loz's friend Mikel was super smashed and kept talking to me, it was really funny. Her husband didn't drink much and was just watching after her. Then Mikel said, "I'm going to smoke a fag" and I said okay, and then I could hear her talking loudly to her husband saying, "TALK TO HER!" meaning me. It was funny. Her husband, Dave, came over and we chatted.

It's funny, I think British men are the most well dressed men EVER. They know how to put an outfit together just as French women know how to put an outfit together. British women as well. Yeah, I'm gaga for British guys and being in London sort of rejuvenated my love for them.

I don't remember who, but one of the guys gave me a shot, and Loz said I didn't have to drink it, but I drank it, and it wasn't that bad. We left early, around 12:30am, to get back to the sitter.

a long post to tide you over for the weekend: rule of 3, coen and burton, and hints of england

I never thought I'd have to use that "3 times" rule in France but, man, did I use it yesterday. I used it to get my museum card for D'Orsay. The rule is that if you ask a question and the answer is a loud, resounding NO when you need it to be a YES, you just got to keep on asking until the person says yes. That's how you get things in France. You keep on asking until you have it your way.

The D'Orsay lady is in this cramped little room that has no windows only the glass door that's around the corner so she can't even see outside. It went down like this. And in French.

Me: Hi. I'd like the museum card please. (ONE!)
Her: Okay. Are you a student?
Me: Yes.
Her: Well, you know it's free on Monday nights for you.
Me: Yeah I know (lying). [Either I heard wrong or she was lying, because this is not TRUE. I just checked it out.]
Her: It's free EVERY Monday night.
Me: Yeah, I know. I'd like to buy the card please. (TWO!)
Her: Are you an art student?
Me: No, just a student in Paris. (I show her my student id.)
Her: Why do you want the card?
Me: I'm gonna be here for a year (lying). So, do I pay here for the card? (THREE!)
Her: Yes. (She gets the form.)

I wanted to explain that I didn't want to come here just on Monday nights. That my visits to the museum with friends who are visiting (so far 5 are coming at 4 different times) would cost more if I didn't get the card. But I didn't get into it. I filled out the form, got an interim card for now since the real card is going to be mailed to me, and left.

See how stupefyingly painful easy tasks can be? Why was that so freaking difficult?! I'm contributing to your museum, lady! I freaking LOVE the arts. I am gaga over Impressionist paintings! Is it so hard to give me a form, print out a card and take my money?

When I left, I was mad. Then I felt sorry for her to work alone in a windowless room. Then I went straight to the Impressionist floor and looked at Degas's pastels and works from Monet, Van Gogh, and Whistler, and I felt better. This really weird occurrence also happened.

I was in the Van Gogh room, and they have chairs in the middle so you can sit and stare or whatever. Or draw. Anyway, there was an old Asian couple, and they were asleep on the chairs. And their son was with them and their daughter or maybe the son's wife sitting next to them sort of waiting for them to wake up. And I thought it was slightly funny, I might have smirked, but I didn't do what this douchebag did. This douchebag of a guy, rotund and disgusting, definitely a tourist, wearing SHORTS in an effing museum which is so wrong to me, this living breathing incarnation of the comic book store guy from "The Simpsons" takes a picture of the old, Asian sleeping couple. Fat bastard.

The son gets up and confronts him while the wife or sister looks on. This could have gone badly. Like from a tiff to an altercation involving museum security. But being in the presence of Van Gogh, his self portrait looking on disapprovingly, their voices didn't reach higher than normal speaking volume. Museums, art museums especially, are sort of quiet so normal talking sounds pretty loud to me. Young Asian man asks him what he thinks he's doing, Fatty says that he's just taking a picture.

It went on. And I wanted to watch, I really did, but the other polite half of me just turned around and walked away. I just couldn't bear to watch what could happen. The wife's face. The young guy's face. That fat guy's chubby fingers holding an expensive SLR. I wanted to be there, really. I wanted to know what would happen so that I can pass the story on, as I'm doing right now, but I had to walk away. It was just too much to watch. I'd be just as bad as comic book store guy taking a picture of sleeping Asians if I just stood there and watched. It's funny how I can watch gory scenes in films, I mean I did sit through Sweeney Todd, but I couldn't do this. That's a movie with fake blood. This is real life. Man, I can't get the sad look on the wife's face as she's watching her husband confront the guy, as she's sitting there next to her quiet, sleeping in-laws. That beautiful porcelain face tinted with sadness next to the reposed will forever haunt me.

So I walked into the other room, Monet. And I stared at a painting I can't even remember because I was thinking about what was happening in the other room. And I did it, I just had to do it, I turned around. The husband was gone, maybe to get some sort of weapon, and the lady was standing in front of Fat Beard. She was dressed in an immaculately clean and crisp white dress shirt tucked into a blacker than black skirt with black tights and lovely black pumps.

From about 10 feet away I heard her say, loudly, without hesitation, and in the sternest face I've ever seen, "I want you to erase that photo." The fat guy didn't say anything. He moved to walk around her, but she took step to the side and got in his way. She repeated herself, "I want you to erase that photo." The guy flipped his SLR on and did it. Flup yeah. Score one for the Asians. I continued on.

I also got some sweet postcards too from stuff I liked. The cashier pegged me as an American, which used to get me mad, but now I am impressed by their American pegging skills. Saw No Country For Old Men and Sweeney Todd.

The French love the Coen Brothers, no joke. It could be because they're modern auteurs, having final cut in their films. They don't have real gimmicks or moves to me, they just to me make the best possible film for a script. They really can't go wrong in my opinion. There's a quote that I can't remember correctly but will just butcher anyway. That there's a million places to put the camera, but only one right place. It's written in one of my film notebooks at home. Anyway, the Coen Brothers always put the camera in the right place to me. They're amazing. They have an amazing body of work and have worked with a lot of amazing actors that I have come to admire like John Turturro, John Goodman, Peter Stormare. And I am convinced that Javier Bardem is the Spanish Clive Owen. First a breakthrough role in an American film that'll get him noticed (for Owen it's The Bourne Identity), next he's advertising cologne or BMWs and fighting the ladies off with a stick. Good luck to the Coens this year at the Oscars.

Sweeney Todd was alright. I'm just not into musicals. Unless it's Newsies. Who can say no to a dancing, singing Christian Bale. No one can. I can't remember who said it among the crew before I saw it, but someone said this looked like Scissorhands 2. And that Corpse Bride was Nightmare Before Christmas 2. That was hilarious. Kudos.

Lately, I've been getting these weird hints of England. Yesterday on the way to the cinema, there was a British family on the bus. A mom, a little boy, and a girl. Too cute. And I passed some well dressed British men in St. Michel. I just can't wait to cross that channel, the barrier between complete and slight comprehension.

Lucky you, you get three or so days off from my blog. As always, I will record in my journal what I did to give you all the whole scoop. Pip pip cheerio!