Paris II

I never thought that I suffered from jet lag before, however I think I am still in the process of sorting it out now, three days into my trip. Unbeknownst to me, the two weeks of only getting 6hrs a sleep a night has altered my body clock so that I currently wake up naturally after around 7hrs. For the first night, I became dead tired at 5pm meaning that I then woke up at 12am. Second night, I slept at 7pm and woke at 2am and last night (at the time of writing this post) I went to bed at 10pm and woke up at 4am. When I wake up, I feel completely refreshed albeit a little sore from the walking done on the previous day.

29th November
It was stated to be a relatively clear day so we decided to head up over to the Sacré Cœur. Last time I went, Sunbear and I parted with 5 Euros due to the African men and their string bracelets. This time I was a little more vigilant and walked super fast past them, although to be fair they were also occupied with their tourists already. This one guy was surrounded by 4 men, the poor guy. The view from the top was amazing although visibility was a little affected by the fog.










It was a Saturday so the area in Printemps and Galeries Lafayette was jam packed with people. A crazily amount of people. I hate crowds and I don't understand how anyone can shop in such conditions.


The upside down Christmas tree.






The day ended at Jardin des Luxembourg. French children are dressed so nicely and are so so adorable.






I ordered soup of the day, although I had no idea what it was (and no one actually told me). Nonetheless, it was delicious.

Paris I

This was my second time in Paris and to be quite frank, I didn't remember a whole lot from my first time. In some respects, it was similar to my first impressions of NYC; everything was so cool since I had always wanted to see those places and do those things. But I didn't really walk away with either a positive or particularly negative experience. It may well have also been due to the fact that, at the time, I was completely laissez faire about everything. This time, I came armed with more research, more knowledge and more awareness about the things that I wanted to see in the city.

28th November 2014


Last time, I stayed near Nation metro in the 19th arr. This time, I am staying outside the ring circle in Pantin.
It only cost 4 Euros to climb the stairs to the second level of the Eiffel Tower (as opposed to 7,50 for the elevator) and it was a nice walk up, nothing too scary or difficult. Luckily, the skies cleared up a little and the view from the second floor was amazing. I already knew that Paris was a very big city, but to see it from that vantage point just reaffirmed what I already knew.














I stumbled upon the Christmas market on Avenue des Champs-Elysees. It was a bit random to be honest especially with the English Christmas songs playing alongside with the noises from the busy street too. Ate some pretty awful chips (frites) and had some mulled wine (vin chaud). There was this amazing ham and melted raclette cheese baguette at this stall, but it was just a little pricy for my liking. But now in hindsight, maybe it was worth trying. (I love cheese).


The chairs at Jardin des Tuileries were so relaxing especially after a very long day of walking.

Around the World Blog Hop

I've seen this tag floating around the blogsphere for a while and I was recently tagged by the lovely Rosa Dyn from Avec Rosa. Check out her blog if you haven't: she's quirky, she's crazily creative and also incredibly bold with not only her lip colour choices, but also her hair colour!

1. What am I working on?
I am currently working on setting up my travel journal for my Grad Trip. Last time I went on my major trip, I had originally intended on keeping a diary however it soon turned into an electronic diary and slowly but surely, I completely forgot about it. This time around, I definitely want to keep track of what happens everyday, to document my experiences and my feelings, the good and the bad. Well, I'll try.

2. How does your work differ from others of its genre?
Not entirely sure what my 'work' is; actually not entirely sure what this question is asking. I guess the 'work' that I've been keeping up with for the longest has been this blog. It's not in a genre in my honest opinion. Actually, it's more a mismatch of everything. I write about my travels, my personal thoughts, places where I've eaten. Just a bit of everything.

3. Why do you write/create what you do?
I write for myself and that is why my blog is kind of all over the place with no niche or theme. I write about my life because I like to document things (I've had a private diary since I was 14). I also enjoy taking photos and blogging allows me to use those photos in a meaningful way, otherwise they would just sit in my folders on my harddrive "collecting dust". I think that is the downside of the digital photography era.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?
When I used to make graphics, I always kept an eye out for interesting angles during tv shows that I could screencap to subsequently make icons. These days, I am aware of things that are happening around me that may inspire a post on my blog. I don't mean to say that I write for the sake of having something on my blog, but it forces me to look at life with a different angle, usually a more positive angle since I don't want to be Debbie Downer on here. I edit my photos first (usually when I am watching a tv show) and then write afterwards. It's usually a pretty quick process.

Keeping with the title, "Around the World", I have tried to select a few blogs that are from different locations. People I am tagging:
Eena - California | Eva - Sydney, Australia | Laila - Munich, Germany (although currently on a gap year in South East Asia)

The Tea Cosy

I have been busy meeting up with friends over the past week before I leave for my two month trip overseas. My two closest university friends and I met up at The Tea Cosy for some afternoon tea.





I ordered the Devonshire Tea which consisted of two scones, jam and a drink of my choice. The scones vary daily and on the occasion that I visited, there was the choice of: plain, currant, apple crumble or cheese and thyme. I picked apple crumble and cheese and thyme with paw paw, lime & passion fruit jam and Turkish Apple tea.







A few months ago, Owl Girl mentioned that there were two ways to eat a scone which I had never realised before. Devonshire method is where the cream is placed on the scone first followed by the jam. The Cornwall method is jam first, followed by the cream. I used to eat it the Devonshire way however I tried the Cornwall way and I think I actually prefer the latter!


Devonshire. Excuse the chipped nail.


Cornwall.
How do you eat your scones?

Spring

I used to say that my favourite season was autumn, however I think it is a tie between autumn and spring. Autumn makes me feel very nostalgic (moreso than any other season) however I am also in love with spring. Flowers are blooming and the heat and humidity associated with summer hasn't arrived yet. However, there are times where my hayfever kicks in or my asthma is triggered due to bushfires/ backburning.

One of my favourite things to do is walk around my/ a neighbourhood whilst listening to my American country music playlist. The photos below are from plants I stumbled across on my walk to my sister's house. I am also in love with lantanas and morning glories, however they are both invasive weeds but they are just so pretty!










The one thing I have learnt from packing thus far: compression sacks are awesome.

The Burger Shed

Last Friday I went to The Burger Shed in Mosman with my sister and my super super adorable little niece! The burgers were pretty good however I ate it hastily because I had to switch baby-holding duties with my sister (which I didn't mind at all).

I leave for my Grad trip in just over a week which is crazy and I am trying to cram in as many catch ups with friends and my niece before I leave. I have already packed (well planned) what I am bringing and have been slowly culling my items so that I don't overpack. Everyone tells me how lucky I am, and I guess I am, but at the same time I'm not super excited which is weird.

A Farewell at Sea Bar

When I worked at my first job, I met this quiet, but lovely Filipino couple who come to Australia to earn some money and have a comfortable life when they returned to the Philippines. At the time, they had left their 4 year old daughter with family. I was 17 at the time and it was when I first really understood the sacrifices that people make to better the lives of their loved ones. They were originally meant to stay for 2 years however after 5 years, they are now returning home.

Originally, cultural differences created a slight rift between us, however we also worked 6-7 hour shifts together in a small space which meant that we eventually bonded. I have so many wonderful and hilarious memories with them, including the time that they sneakily roasted a chicken in the industrial oven for their dinner (I'm sure that the owner would have been very, very unhappy). The wife actually helped me to get my current job where she and her husband also worked at.

For our farewell, we had lunch at Sea Bar (next to Seachange).




My Cajun spiced chicken salad


Lamb cutlets with kumara mash.


Fish and Chips

Like Seachange, there was attentive service and the food was really good. I actually didn't even finish my salad which is a rarity. I was very impressed that there were two pieces of chicken (I was expecting slivers of chicken) and chunks of avocado. I may have also eaten a third of my friend's chips since they were so crispy!

I was originally a little apprehensive of meeting since we hadn't talked properly for nearly 4 years now; we would say hi and bye when we saw each other at work. But conversation flowed really easily and I just remembered why I loved talking to them before. They are so down to earth and genuine people which I find a rarity unfortunately. We just talked about children, partners and just about how to live a fulfilling life. I'm a little sad to see them go because it is change (and I'm not the fondest of that). But maybe I will see them again one day when I visit the Philippines. Whenever that is.


A very cool looking tree due to the winds. I am sure a quote about adapting to change and obstacles would be fitting here. Sadly, I can think of none.

Seachange

The cooler weather in Sydney has been much appreciated, although it seems to be heating up again by the end of this week. A. and I went to Seachange for brunch the other day at Dee Why Beach. We had never been there before but was attracted to the place due to the popularity by the locals.




  Portuguese Chicken on turkish pide

'The Local'
Although it was somewhat expensive, the food was quite good and portions were generous. They actually served me the wrong burger (I wanted the chicken and bacon one) but I wasn't fussed and still enjoyed it. There is something absolutely awesome about Turkish bread and I could eat it all day long (but I really shouldn't). The barista also made lovely coffee art - an elephant- for the next table which was very cute too.  Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is in Sydney, especially the beaches.