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|  || Monday, October 02, 2006 || Paris Weekend (1)!I am fortunate. Not many people can say this but I spent my 21st weekend in Paris! It seems that with every birthday I take a strong, deliberate step towards the adult world. On my 20th birthday, Dawn-ie, Clare, Vans and I had a serious conversation about marriage and general adulthood; in marked contrast with our generally cheerful, happy but normally unserious banter. On my 21st birthday, Providence decided to introduce me to the vice of the world!! Day 1 of Weekend: Friday, otherwise Day 25 The day dawned bright and shiny and I woke up late for my 0749 train to Paris. So I missed it. Happily, France being the lovely country it is, allowed me to change the ticket to one for a later train (though I had to pay a little more cause the later train was a peak-hour train). Anyhow, I was innocently standing in front of the train schedules, when a nice-and-kind-looking old man came up to talk to me. As you all know, I have always had a soft spot for old men, so I smiled and started talking to him. We talked a bit and then the old man... what was he saying... why... he was offering me money for certain... services!!! I could have fainted! What on earth have the PRCs in France been doing that a guileless and innocuous third party like me should be so rudely propositioned at the train station!! Hélas! Ran away from him and took the train to Paris. Met a Frenchman who started talking to me in Chinese! What do you know!! Turned out that he was a Professor of Maths at Université de Poitiers (where I am studying by the way, ye of useless memory). Gave me a train ticket to meet Sin Yee, my host for the weekend. So kind! There is hope in the world afterall! Here's a picture of my pretty host and her guest:  Once settled at Sin's, we then went on to do the touristy stuff i.e. Tour Eiffel and the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élyseés.But first my 21st Birthday lunch at Chinatown:  [On the menu: Rice, plain rice; sweet-and-sour pork ribs; garlicky chilli fish; bamboo and broccoli and carrot vegetable dish thing]So simple is joy!  [From left to right - First row: Eiffel at an angle, Me, Lumpy and the Arc de Triomphe, A shot of Champs-Élyseés; Second row: More of Champs-Élyseés, The Eiffel normally, Lumpy and Champs-Élyseés; Third row: Lumpy and me outside Louis Vuitton, Still more of Champs-Élyseés, Eiffel sparkling]Anyway, it was at Champs-Élyseés that I encountered my second exposure to vice - I nearly illegally bought a LV bag and wallet!! You see a Chinese tourist had randomly accosted me and aske me to buy them for her since the French were nasty and wouldn't let her buy more. It sounded exciting and a perfectly naughty thing to do and so I did: I entered LV, walked around (and saw an adorable wallet. Were I a spendthrift or disgustingly rich I would have bought it, so much did it attract me.) then asked to buy the goods. The transaction was going through... then suddenly, a security officer came, spoke to the saleswoman, then they shuffled me to a corner... Alas! They knew. And I was truly cornered. And so I could not buy the bag and wallet. Too bad. Oh well it was an exciting experience. You should try it too!! *** Then at night, it was the Eiffel. Sin had brought a candle along so as to wish me a Happy 21st. She was sorry that she could not procure a cake but then what did that matter? The value of the cake would have been in its thought. And so the candle took the place of a cake and I made a wish as I blew it out. Then moments later, as if in celebration, the Eiffel Tower began sparkling! What a brilliant (ha ha) end to a happy day! So there you have it, the first of my 21st celebrations. Propositions, illegal activity and a birthday greeting by the Eiffel Tower as well as the gentle warmth of a special candle. Beat that!   *Though of course, this itself is a controversial point in the gastronimical world, but for the sake of explanation, that is the general idea. |