Tag: paris

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Diary From the Attic

Cinquième Element

Last night was bad, I slept at six in the morning.  Force myself to get up at midday but I failed (once again).  Lucky the room service called at three and I managed to get out the room at four.  Did some shopping and headed off to Paris centre immediately.

Knowing that the show “Cinquième Element” or in English, “Fifth Element”, is so popular, I bought the ticket in advance.  Once again, thanks to Aurore’s Card, I bought the ticket in special rate.

Just before I left the room, I have noticed a magazine at my study room.  It tells me all the good restaurants around Paris.  I took a look and selected some of them near Chatelet.  It was an Italian restaurant and the food was fine.

That show “Cinquième Element” was really good.  Especially, I love the part about the fifth element, which was a heroine.  I just love heroine.  A lot of special effects with great sound quality.  What more do I want?  I still contemplating whether to watch “Romeo and Juliet” again or this one as I still have one credit left.

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Diary From the Attic

Good Time Bad Time

Ridicules as it seems, I called up JP at three last night.  She sound very cheerful and oh, how much I miss her sweet voice.  Been talking about work here and there and her ex-ex, J, called just before we broke up and returned all her photo albums to her.  Also, she got herself a mobile phone.  So, life seems to work out really good for her.  As for mine, it is just a mess.  God, how can I ever get out of this?

I ended up not being able to sleep for the whole night and went to sleep at 7 am.  Obviously, I couldn’t get up.  Eventually, I walked into the office at 10:30 am.  Sophie was “concerned” and I quickly went up and apologised.

The office was very empty today.  Guess a lot of them took Friday off and have 4 consecutive days of holiday.  Other than Aurore and Claude, all of us were in the office.

At five, everybody started to leave and I left at 5:30 pm.  Usually early.

Laurent has invited me for a party tonight and therefore, he picked me up from my hotel.  More and more people joined in and in the end, I have lost count of the total number of people.  I guess that was around fifteen.

We went to this Chinese restaurant with Karaoke.  Started from 7:30 pm and we all stayed up to 2 am.  Kind of crazy but I was having a great time.  Laurent’s girlfriend is a Vietnamese and is actually very pretty.  The songs varied from Cantonese to Mandarin to English to French to even Vietnamese.

It was a great party and when Laurant drove me back to the hotel, we shared a lot of our personal life.  He is a great guy.

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Diary From the Attic

I Will Survive

Totally ridicules!  If not for Francis’s phone call and the room service phone call, I would have slept until God knows when.  Finally I woke up at seven pm.  Had a long hot shower and rushed off to my favourite Japanese restaurant.  One thing good about going to the same restaurant all the time is that they treat you really good.  Extra sushi and free cup of tea.

And the next thing was rush to watch a movie.  Wanted to watch the “5th Element” by Bruce Willis but it was full. So I watched “Shine”.  Very touching movie.  With the ticket voucher given (lent) by Aurore, I’ve got a really cheap bargain.

Annie’s email is always so practical and always reminds me of the cruel reality.  She even suggested that I shall stay in YMCA instead.  Alright, this is when the reality bites.  I shall survive.  I will survive.

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Diary From the Attic

Home Sweet Home (at a Hotel in Paris)

First day of work after a long holiday.  I was in general a very jolly mood although the weather was very bad.  Not much heavy work and in the name of “knowledge transfer”, I am not suppose to work on any SIRs.  Great, isn’t it?

Confirm that JP didn’t send me letter, nor did she send me an email and there is no Octel message from her.  Hence confirm that she has gone from my life.

Grace called and told me that there will be something exciting happening tonight.  First four of the BNP team members (plus one client) arrived at the Irish Pub (and Restaurant) twenty-five minutes late.  Of course, I waited for a while and started siting down and order my food.

Grace they all arrived well past nine and we all had a great time.

The hotel management has moved all my stuffs back into my old room and spent a while unpacking most of my stuffs.  Home sweet home.

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Diary From the Attic

Flying Back from American to Paris

With the time difference (9 hr), it is kind of hard to say what is yesterday.  But technically, it was last morning when we have to get up early and drove to the airport.  Colin has been quiet since – May 4 – and he didn’t try to make any conversation at all.  It is very strange to me and I kept on thinking that maybe it’s me who has done something wrong.  On the other hand, maybe it is his personal reason.  Just that what a pity that the holiday ended that way.

Quite a long and adventurous travel for me as I have to fly from LA to Chicago and from Chicago to Paris.  Really surprised that my luggage can be automatically transferred through as the first trip was American Airline and the second one is Air France.  (Although at the end, the Air France part got confused and my luggage was the last one to come out.)  Watched Pulp Fiction a few times on board.  And the air hostess was drop dead sweet with a very nice smile.

Got back to my beloved hotel and my old room will not be ready until tomorrow.  Went for a haircut and my favourite barber was not around and I ended up with the one who can’t speak English at all.  Lucky Eric came out at last and it wasn’t too late.

Called up Sophie and she even wanted me to come to work in the late afternoon.  Crazy.

Called up Mohamed and we had an Indian food.

Tomorrow – back to work!!

Before I stop, I do receive 74 new mails today.  Wow!

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Flying to America

Saturday, woke up early in order to pack up for my US trip.  Stepped out of the hotel after midday and took a taxi to CDG airport.  And there I go, I have to fly again.  Called up my family at the business lounge.  Always nice to talk to family.

The flight was about eight hours.  I still think that Singapore Airline is the best so far.  As for the Air France business class, it was not at all that fantastic.  Kind of a bit disappointed.

Today was pretty cloudy in US.  So not a very nice day indeed.  It was just as depressing as Europe.  The funny thing is that I don’t really feel that much as compare to what I have imagined.  This really puzzled me.  Guess when one travel too frequent, everywhere is just the same.

Colin left me a message and when I knocked onto his room, he was not in.  Kind of disappointed and as I have missed the dinner hour, I have to go to the Social Centre and had my pizza.  By the way, the American beer – Honey Brown – is pretty good.

Left a message in Colin’s room and we met at the Social Centre.  Throughout the night, he was very tired and we didn’t get to talk much.

Feeling kind of lonely.  I miss JP again.

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Diary From the Attic

Let There Be … War?

Spent the whole day composing my status report.  This time I am sure I will start a war between the Technical and Functional Team.  Knowing that there will be a big meeting between the bosses of the two teams, I don’t want to know the result.

Just too much tension between the team.  And Michel is a truly racist.  Look at Claude, I feel heartbroken.  That guy was suffering with the report.  What have I done?  I never mean to cause anyone unhappiness.  And just today, everybody wanted to work with me for a few hours.  But I just didn’t have the time.  Shame.

I dined with Claude tonight.  He took me for a very long walk and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  He has shared a lot of his thinking with me and has truly enlightened my life.  The French restaurant was a very family type and the food was okay (although Claude really enjoyed it).  I will miss him for I will only be able to see him one day when I will be back in May and he will be heading to Cairo.

We smiled, shook hands, I stepped out of the Metro at Concord.  I looked back, smiled at him and gave him a final wave. Friends …

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Diary From the Attic

So You Love My Poems?

Aurore was not in the office today (and tomorrow as well) so I walked into the office pretty late.  Anyway I had nothing better to do.  Not exactly right, I need to pass the ticket number to Ginger and tomorrow will be a public holiday in Singapore.

And I have got my business class ticket to US.  Wow!

Tonight, they have arranged a birthday party (dinner) for Grace, our AC project manager and Oliver, the BNP project manager.  Coincidentally, their birthdays fall onto the same day which is tomorrow.

The dinner was at 8:30 pm.  I left the office at six and returned to the hotel in order to download the SWIFT stuffs for Alvin.  Took me quite a while.  And planned to go the WH Smith and get some English books or/and magazine.  Reached there after seven, thinking that it will still be opened but it was closed at seven. Shame, could have made it.

Took a nice walk and sat somewhere near to the restaurant.  Waited for more than an hour and the BNP project manager arrived first.

The food was nice (French food) and I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner.  Grace told me that she loves my poems.  I was speechless.  There was ten of us altogether. What a crowd!

Still thinking of the show “Romeo + Juliet” the whole day.  See, what kind of impact has it done to me ?!

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Diary From the Attic

The Movie Romeo and Juliet Moves Me

Spent half a day doing an evaluation on the Technical Team.  Another half a day having MUE meeting with Sophie and discussing the matter with Michel.  That guy has a temper problem.  Personally I don’t think he can handle the design at all.  Mohamed was very curious on what I wrote on the evaluation but of course, that is confidential.  For the eye of Aurore only.

Romeo and Juliet was on today, therefore I called up the BNP team.  In the end, Karin, Puyee (?) and Munchie came along.  All the literature was there.  At first it was kind of strange to mix the modern setting with the old literature but as the story went along, you kind of get use to it.

Romeo was very cute (and handsome) and Juliet was very sweet.  A very sad ending.  Indeed, just too sad.  It has such an impact on me!

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Diary From the Attic

Kids, More Kids

Called up Annie this morning and I think that her personally life is not a lot better than mine.  Think about all the loneliness.  She commented that the new friends she made in Singapore is nothing compare to the old ones.  Yes, I agree.  In that case, doubt if I can get a girlfriend better than … oh no!  Not again!

The people around me in the office, so many of them are having kids.  Small kids.  That makes me really long for a family of my own.

As for the new guy Federick, don’t think I know him well yet.  Maybe one day.  And today, I can feel that Aurore may dislike me.  Probably because of the result of the status report.

Come to think of it, it could have been very nice if JP and I actually work out.  My house.  My house.  And that’s lost.  Think about the physical separation.  With her, we are complete.  Without her, well …

Today, I have received the study version of Revelation from Athena.  She is really nice.  Really nice.