Berlin

05/09/06
I went to Berlin last week to attend the IFA exhibition. I unfortunately did not see much of the reputedly beautiful capital. The exhibition was impressive, I was working at the stand most of the time but in two days I only managed to see half of the exhibition halls.

The best part was the chance to hang out with Elena, she's also in marketing but in charge of the markets of Russia and Eastern Europe. We get along great. I don't know if it is because we have matching names or because we both lived all over the world, but we have so much to talk about, work, hobbies and our experiences, it's excellent.

I also met the manager of the Spanish office Luis, who speaks French fluently because he spent many summer holidays in my home town! What a small world. Brilliant man, very interesting, he shared some of his work experience, nothing I can apply in my work, but worth knowing and remembering.

I've got it back!

Remember when I was feeling down a few weeks ago? Well, it didn't really go away, then I caught a cold, but today the cold is gone and it washed away my blues, I feel like myself again, I feel happy again. I have no idea how that could have been gone and be back again so suddenly but what matters is that I am back singing along the radio driving to/from work and smiling at those gloomy faces in cars on the highway, or the friendly 60-something biker with a cowboy moustache on his Harley Davidson. That was a good day. It's great feeling light-hearted again and simply... happy.

Ron noticed and asked me to be more in control of my emotions, he said "when you are a manager you have to be gender neutre, you cannot let your woman's emotion take over you". For one thing, just because I did not smile as much, did not in any way affect my work, but hey! wait a minute here, did he say 'manager'!!!??? lol. Actually he did, he's a brilliant boss, he said I was a very clever woman with a fantastic potential and that he had great expectations of me, I've got so much to learn from him, I was happy just working for him and now he gives me ambition. I know my short-comings, but I don't really know how to overcome them, that will make conversations with dad.

Long weekend

28/08/06
For the rest of the weekend, we got working in the flat, which besides the bedroom, is still
a camping site. So we went to Ikea to get bookshelves, because for me, to display my books
and sort our CD collection is one very important item of feeling at home. So on Monday I fixed the shelves and started displaying the books. The Terry Pratchett were the first up on shelves, and that's all it took to transform the place into home. The drawers can hold 300 CDs of our 400 pieces collection, so I will take out our favorites of the moment, and sort the others by alphabetical order. I think I will give away my singles collection, because singles take up too much space and it's great when it's a favorite of the moment, but I haven't listened to them in 12 years. The bedroom could use a chest of drawers and I don't like the bedside tables left by the landlord, but it can wait a while, I want look for antiques in KL.

The papasan chair and floor cushions are great, and now I can't wait for the deep-seating sofa to be delivered to complete the living room. The sofa is in the colour of the cushion from the papasan chair.

Popoh's side tables and Kuan Yin have not quite found their places yet in the room, so I
will keep moving them until I am satisfied.

Reading Festival

26/08/06
Today is Ron's birthday so I made sure I gave him a call before starting the day; his horse Magic Rush is running at New Market, so I put a tenner on the horse for an each way (unfortunately, it did not win).

Since we had the car, we drove up to Reading, it was real easy finding our way there. The car is very smooth and easy to navigate and the enterior is comfortable. A brilliant car. I cannot believe it, I feel like I'm going to be returning the car to the garage, as if it's a rented car. but it's mine!!! It's got my name on the papers :))

The festival was far from being as good as the one in Hyde Park. The place was absolutely filthy and we were put off by the smell of spilled beer and other unindentified smells which could have been pee and puke. Furthermore, there was no bands playing that was of any interest to us, so we took refuge in the comedy tent, which was very fun, as comedians were making parodies of famous songs.

Most of the bands on the main stage were pussy rock/indie pop, I found it boring. The festival truly started with The Like, the rock chicks from Las Vegas, whom I discovered at the Festival in Hyde Park, followed by more comedy, then Jet, the Australian pop rock band, I liked them back in 2004. I ever only sung one song, and it was Jet's 'Look what you've done'. I really enjoyed that gig. Then we waited patiently and excitedly for Muse! They were absolutely amazing, brilliant, thrilling. He's got a fantastic voice and vocal range. The show was as good as Radiohead's, now we will have to source tickets for their gig in London in November, that's gonna be expensive but definitely worth it.

Oh, and I almost forgot... I got hit on by a very cute 20-year old. Alex isn't all that pleased. The kid, Chris, refused to beleive that I was either 29 or married, until Alex came back. Ha! ha! Come' on you can't blame a girl for being flattered.

Night out @ Bar One

24/08/06
Thursday, I met up with Orla, Sarah and Alison. It was great seeing them again. Sarah was lucky enough to go the Kasabian gig the week before; Alison is looking for a new flat to rent with Nikki (her sister), probably in Balham or Clapham South; and Orla has
been busy beeing a party girl and leaving John home alone every night (she said in-between
two giggles); I'd say she isn't feeling too guilty ;)

Later, we were joined by Michelle, a college friend of Sarah's. Michelle is very cool and got some very exciting stories about her relationships. Being in a new relationship, she wanted to play it cool with her new man, so we moved up from Bar One to Islington, the Kind's Head, so that we'd be in the 'neighbourhood' from where he should have been. However, her plan did not quite turn out that way, since he texted her that he was in Maroush at Marble Arch (that's the Lebanese restaurant with the creepy waiter from last saturday). Anyways, there was a cool live band playing, the "Joe Haves Band" was into 50's and 60's rock'n'roll and gave a great ambience. However by 12.30, with no dinner, the white wine was making me ill, so I called it a night.

Fool for Love

23/08/06
On Wednesday night we went to watch Fool for Love at the Apollo Theatre in Piccadilly Circus; The play is from Sam Shepard, with Juliette Lewis in the lead. (I always liked Juliette since Kalifornia). She looked great on stage, and her co-star Henderson gave a good performance too. The play was very dramatic, it’s about those kind of very passionate love that is too hot to handle and where there is a thin line between love and hate. I remember feeling like that once upon a time. Except the story is a bit more messed up as it turns out they are half-brother and sister. Very sad ending, when he walks out of her life as abruptly as he came back in it.

For a full update, please check my blog next Thursday.

Updates will include pictures of the new ‘still messy’ flat and the new va-va-voom car. Upcoming reports will include Fool For Love, the play by Sam Shepard (with the very cool Juliette Lewis), a night out with the girls in London, the Carling festival in Reading (Muse is the star performance) and possibly a day at the famous Notting Hill Festival (on Sunday, if I am brave enough to do two festivals in a row). Oh yeah, and if I keep it up on track, another drinking, pampering session with Sarah on Tuesday evening (gonna get some highlights to liven up my head this autumn).

See ya all soon. Bisous!

Maman… I promise I’ll put loads of pictures. ;)

Crash

20/08/06

It is Sunday afternoon, Alex has gone to watch Chelsea play the first game of the season against Manchester City at Stanford bridge in Fulham. I stayed home to take care of the chores and tackle the pile of shirts that need ironing while watching the V Festival on tele, it's good to see they have so sunshine up North. I hope we'll have a fair weather next weekend at the Carling Festival in Reading. Then, I sat down watching Crash again. This movie is just so intense. It's the third time I am watching it, and it still leaves me on the edge of my seat, holding back tears a silent cry in my throat, and sometimes I let out a desperate "No!!!" even though I know exactly what's going to happen and that obviously shouting at the TV is not going to change the scene. There are no words to describe how brilliant that film is. It has got all the Thank God's and injustice of life. And it ends with one song that always make me cry anyway, (Stereophonic's Maybe tomorrow), so there!

Maroush

19/08/06
We later met with more of Alex ex-colleagues from Chooi&Co. We had dinner in a Lebanese restaurant, Maroush at Marble Arch. The food was good but the service needs to be revised. The maitre d'hotel was a real prick. Firstly as we were being served the first course, some people walked in and he asked us to move table. I opened my mouth to tell him to FO, (if I had to get up I would have walked out), but his colleague rushed over to apologise and dismiss the statement. Then later, the cute waitress was serving us our main courses when the same guy started scolding her at our table, something to do with the other guests. I don't care who the heck those people are, it is just plain rude and unpleasant when a bloody arrogant maitre d'hotel scolds a waitress at my table, I gave him a despising look, and he winked at me!!! What the hell, the prick, he's disgusting. It really annoyed me that he treated us like we were not as important as the other guests, true, I am not important, but there is a thing called humility and I believe strongly that we are all born equal, now if someone has higher status, good for them, but that status does not make them any better or any more respectable than the janitor at Marble Arch Tube station. The three of them could have spoken in Chinese the whole dinner it would have made no difference. Gosh, when lawyers get started on their legal jargon, it gets real boring. Even Alex admitted the conversation was very lame to have over dinner. So, I spent most of the dinner day dreaming about what dress I was going to wear at Ascot and playing with the kid seating behind me.

Reunited with Agathe

I met up with my cousin Agathe, who was over with her boyfriend visiting the boyfriend's sister in Reigate. It was lovely seeing her again, she's such a sweetie and has grown very beautifully too. I bought them lunch at La Tasca in Kingston, overseeing the Thames river. Then we walked along the Thames with an ice cream back to my place, so she could have a look at the flat and report to mom and mamie. her boyfriend Pierre-Louis is cute and interesting, they make a nice couple. Alex and I bid them goodbye at Waterloo station and headed off to Oxford street for shopping. I got a nice autumn outfit for the office, it's gonna be a emerald green season; I was primarily looking for a dress but I did not find anything I liked enough.