Paris - La Ville Lumière

2007-11-20T20:56:00.000+09:00

ISC Promotion 2007

My dear Eve & Amandine, it feels like it was just yesterday that we were sitting in Global HRM in APU together... Now you've graduated!!! Congratulations, my sempais and friends!

It was fun to see the President of ISC and some of my favourite professors giving speeches...

2007-10-09T19:27:00.000+09:00

Musée du Louvre

A trip to a museum can't be more fun than this...

2007-10-09T19:17:00.000+09:00

House Parties

The Korean way... Kimchi...

The German way... Beer...

2007-10-03T23:08:00.000+09:00

Issey Miyake

Yes, I got invited to Issey Miyake's fashion show. Thank you Amandine!!! It was such a great experience!!! I love the invitation letter so much I'll keep it forever!!! FYT Freya is the name of my magazine! Special guest of Creative Director Cinnamandine!

I love the entire collection! The idea is amazing! I picked out only two outfits I really like. Here they are... In the picture which you see two outfits, I love the pink one, the shoes and the fluffy pinky clothes are just too cute!!!

These are the videos of the opening and closing of the show. The in-between video is the part I loved the most in the show when the yellow tubes made the most significant movements. I really don't want to use too many words here, words sometimes ruin the natural beauty of an object, especially when the object is too beautiful for words... However, just one little notice for your attention, the yellow tubes grew out along the show and they blew in breezes which caused really nice effects. The name of the collection is called "Wind"

Amandine, with her "Staff" tag, and I were there!!! We were there!!! Meow! After the show, it was fun to walk in the white catwalk carpet with lights shining on you from everywhere. I felt like a super star. And it was fun to know that Kanye West was there, just right behind me BUT I couldn't see him!!!

2007-09-29T21:47:00.000+09:00

Mon Petit Appartement

Voilà! C'est mon petit apartment! I'm so very proud of my apartment because my room is red!!! J'aime beaucoup le rouge! And my landlord is super nice! She teaches my French anytime she is free. I'll speak fluent French in 5 months. Muahahaha!
I think I'm paranoid

Ok, let us start with my room first... Eve said it is very Parisen. If you look at the mirror, the fire place, the huge door leading to the small balcony,... it has always been like that for years. My neighborhood, according to what my landlord said, was built right after the Napoleon War. People from the war came to this area and they combined the architecture of France and other countries they've been to. The surrounding neighborhoods have smalls houses and apartments built closely to one another. From my window, I don't have a nice view but at least I have the beautiful sunlight... and... oh... poor my little flowerbed... I haven't done anything about it yet. Yellow Jasmine for the winter it will have, but it'll take a while...

Here are a few more pictures... I don't have much in my room but I feel pretty comfortable. Can't complain anything at all since I have such a nice bed and a nice relaxing chair! I don't put up pictures on the wall but I do have lots of pictures in the room

Below is the kitchen, the petit dinning table. I love the thick, concrete brick floor very much! Houses in Vietnam used to have this same kind of floor before; even now, they still do, but with different colors and designs. It might be rude to put a picture of the garbage "tube" here but I think it is so interesting and everytime I go throw my garbages, it is such a pleasure! You step on the pandle to open the trash "tube", throw your garbage inside and it will go to the garbage station downstairs. A piece of cake! It's so traditional, so Parisen and so "benri" (easy to use)!!! Here in France, they seperate pet bottles and carboards into one "recycle" category and the rest to "trash" category. I don't know what they do with the "trash", I've got to ask.

I miss my mother's cooking so much!!! I miss family dinners, too!!! But for family dinner, Motohiko will make it up for me this December, hihi, ne!

A bit off topic but... it feels so "natsukashii", sometimes I feel like I'm in Vietnam! The phones here have the same ringtones as they do in Vietnam. People cross the streets for red lights (yes, red, not green), just like they do in Vietnam. There are so many things in common! It might sound weird but I feel like Vietnam is closer to France than to Japan. Just so you know in Asia, each country is different. We're not all from China. Okay, back to my apartment... this window here, its lock, its white paint, its glass,... my grandfather's house used to have these kinds of windows. It's amazing to know that Vietnam has so many exterior and interior designs in common with France. The famous highschool near my apartment has an outlook that reminds me of some building in the center area of Saigon.

Well, since you all go to Japan and take pictures of the automatic toilets, I'm taking picture of this very Parisen restroom. In Vietnam, we used to have the same thing! Pulling the string is so much more fun than pressing a button. I'm serious

2007-09-23T18:38:00.000+09:00

The Second Best Nouille Ever

Amandine!!! You should have told me that your parents would be there at dinner!!! I could have at least have some mind preparation.

Oh! I seriously ate too much! I always wondered why I've been doing a lot of walking and I've been eating less but still have the same weight; now I know exactly why! Blame it on the good food! It was such a good dinner! And Amandine's parents are so sweet! I promised to bring natto to let them try next time I visit; I feel bad; they are just too sweet for me to ever make them try natto! But I did it once to Marco, in class ( Macro Economics, do you remember this Marco?), and he liked his first natto nigiri roll! Am I not brilliant! <- This is not a question. Besides all of the good conversations we had at the table, I discovered the cuttest nouille ever! Well, second cuttest, because in Vietnam, we have a tiny star shape instead of this traditional shape. Please look at the picture , he is just sleeping so cute in my hand! Meow!

Okay, and here are our happy family pictures. Amandine and I, well... We are from now on officially together because I met and had dinner with her parents. Ofcourse, with Eve, it was official for a long time ago, when I torn down her curtain. That's how I impress my friends' parents, you know. They'll remember me! Muahahahaha!

I miss Eve so much whenever I eat cheese, jambon or baguette. She was my first French cuisine teacher. I'm not going to put up any pictures of the fromage because it would be a seperate blog, for only FROMAGES. Yum! And, maybe you don't know why this picture is important, but it has a very special meaning. Ne, Mochi... I love my boyfriend! Muah!!!! And his mother, too!!!! Yeepie!!!!

I'm so lucky to have friends in a land I've never been to before! I'm really really lucky. I love my friends so much for always being there for me! And they even introduce me to their very close friends who are also as sweet. Oh... Isa... We gotta meet again!!!! And below are pictures we took at Queen, a long time ago already. Queen is one of the most famous clubs in Paris. They are so famous that they get to choose who can get in their club! Ahoyarou? But it was the best one I've ever been to! Please don't think that I came to Paris to party or to spend money, no, not at all, it was a ladies' night so it was free!!! Free entrance! Free drinks! Free ducks! Only for ladies!

Oh, by the way, it's Rugby season, je suis en mode rugby. Salut!!!

2007-09-21T18:46:00.000+09:00

ISC

This is my school in Paris, everyone!!!

One building where you have only one logo of the school is for all of the student associations and some offices. The cafeteria is the colorful space you see below. Then the other building where you have a huge poster along the glasses is for classes and some offices. The internet room (my Internet heaven everyday) is also in this building. The library has a modest size but the librarian helped me find many other free and resource-rich libraries in Paris. The finance book is my first book in ISC! Well, I really do need to review all of the basic things I took more than a year ago! I really don't know how I would be able to manage French, major courses, reading books and having fun... Classrooms are quite small compared to the classrooms in APU. Actually, can you expect a business school to have the same size as a university? I don't know...

And the school gave us a bus tour and a boat tour. I loved the bus tour! I could take pictures of everything from good positions. And for the boat tour, it was actually a party. I'll put up the pictures at another time. Some people in the party took videos and pictures of us to make "documentary" videos. Those are the dangerous people I'm putting up their pictures right here so you stay away from them - at parties in ISC, and their cameras! Especially their cameras!!! Well, ok, back to the bus tour, after the tour we went to eat Mexican food. Right, I didn't need any translation help! One year in Texas taught me everything I want to know about Tex-Mex and Mexican foods! Hah! Thank you AISEC for the good trip and the boat party

2007-09-15T18:14:00.000+09:00

L♥ve from Japan

Yay!!! It is my first package ever! And it's from Japan! From my sweetie! I love you, chu!

And my apartment mate has arrived. She is so cute and sweet. I'm so lucky that she is Japanese and she can speak French. So I won't forget my Japanese and I can practice French with her!! We walked around Saint-Lazare and ate some icecream... We found a small Japanese shop where we could find many Japanese foods and Japanese little things like natto or furikake. We made sushi and miso soup for our landlord Elisabeth last night. She seemed very pleased.

Pictures of my apartment will be uploaded next time!

2007-09-05T23:09:00.000+09:00

Touring Paris - Day Two

Day Two started out with croissant, chausson aux pommes (cute name), and pain au chocolat. We reviewed the first day at breakfast and I think it was so funny how I went "Oh! What is the statue of Liberty doing in Paris?". Oh, I really need some extra history courses, don't I?

We went straight from Versailles to Saint- Lazare. On the way there we could see ISC, the reason why I am here, but I couldn't keep up with the speed of the train so I missed it twice! From Saint- Lazare we took the Metro to Montmartre. Since Paris has a concave up curve ( like a bowl), although Montmartre is just a small hill, we can see the entire of Paris from this mountain. And if you ever watched "Amélie", the movie was filmed there.

The little town behind Basilique du Sacré-Coeur (Sacré-Coeur= sacred heart) is so cute! Eve explained that the town is a place of artists. I could really see that because there are paintings and painters everywhere. I've got some small souvernirs here; the shops are so nice! And now I understand why Amélie is so creative and sweet!

These are the famous clubs or bars in the area of Moulin Rouge. Second row is some restaurants for you to chill a bit... Below that is some different category. These pictures are just for entertainment. They do not represent the beliefs and characteristics of the blogger. (Sounds familiar? )

5 minutes after, we reached Moulin Rouge! It's so RED! It's my color! It's quite different from what it looks like in the movie Moulin Rouge though. Anyway, if you can see the club right next to it, La Loco, that's where the Welcome or Intergration Party of ISC is! The party is coming very soon in October! I hope Eve & Amandine can come!

And we walked to see the place where my apartment is. I'm not going to show you any pictures of my apartment right now because I'll make it another seperate post. What I can say, as a teaser right now, is that it's in a lovely neighborhood. It's close to a Mayor House and a sushi restaurant.

I went to the post office yesterday to send post cards and a package. Please be proud of me because I spoke in French!!! In the end there was a small problem where I need some translation help; the lady in line next to me was so nice and she can speak English. However, I did the main things in French. "Pour le Japon et Vietnam, s'il vous plait" and "J'aimerais un paquet pour envoyer... ceci!" and ofcourse "Bonjour" and "Merci". That's it for now! I've got to get ready for tonight! I'm staying over at Amandine's for one night!!! After some "happy hours", ofcourse!

2007-09-05T17:47:00.000+09:00

Touring Paris - Day One

Last weekend Eve took her whole two holidays to take me around Paris. With only about 10€ a day, we made a big trip to see every famous sightseeing in Paris! Here are the pictures...

Taking the trains in France in an experience! I was so surprised to see how people can carry their bicycles inside the train and there is seat most of the time for everyone. Their rush hour is still very comfortable for me because I used to take the trains in Tokyo for one week everyday at rush hour! They have screens to say when the next train is coming up if you miss one.

So there we are! Avenue des Champs Elysées! The most famous street in Paris where everyone would love to pay a visit at least once! I love the buildings here! And I think Swatch, as a normal brand, is totally pimped up to be so luxurious by taking the coat of the ancient buildings! It is more beautiful at night, trust me! The picture in the middle, why it's there, because Eve said there is a blend of modern and classic beauty. The two buildings have complete different architect and were built at different times. And this is the mother land of Louis Vuitton, so... Cheese! or Peace!

Charles de Gaulle, a very important person in French history. According to Eve, he seems to be a great leader. When the people don't agree with me anymore, I will retire - is more or less what he said. When my red butterfly is gone, I will buy another one. Yes, this was also the last day I had my butterfly. My last picture with her (or the bottle?)!!!

Next stop, we went to see L'Obélisque that Napoléon brought back from Egypt. It's the big pole you see right there. Then we went to see Le Grand Palais. The top of the building is made of steel and glass. I love the sculptures. They are so lively! So beautiful! So... ugh! I didn't major in literature, remember? But they are marverlously beautiful! And last but not least, the golden Les Invalides! Too bad the Sun wasn't shining for us but Eve said it'd be sparking and shining over the whole Paris because the top of the building is covered with gold.

Remember the movie "The Da Vinci Code"? I went to the Louvre! I went to where the guy was standing and saying the body of Christ was underneath (bullcrap ). But the museum is HUGE! I'd like to go inside and have a look some day. Maybe with my Mochi when he comes.

After taking a rest with some crêpes, ice-creams and tarte tatin, we continued the journey to Notre Dame. It's so cute that there is a small island in the middle of Seine river for Notre-Dame! From Notre Dame, we took the Metro to Tour Eiffel! There are so many American and Japanese tourists! But "Je suis Parisienne", not a tourist! ^^ From a distance, She might look a bit "snobbish" but Eiffel looks so friendly up close!

Phew! Such a good day we had. And it didn't end there yet, we got the movie "My Super Ex" to watch at night. We love dumb movies, even the actors are as great as Urman! They make us feel alive! Coming up soon would be the 2nd day of the tour! The Moulin Rouge! Montmartre! Sex Shops! Stay tuned! Oh, I sound so MTV!

2007-09-01T15:11:00.000+09:00

My Name Is...

Finally the weekend is here and now!!! It was so funny that Eve and I just sat infront of the TV for about 4 hours watching MTV and we had so much fun! TV is sometimes not that boring, you know, if you watch it with someone who likes to criticize along the show as much as you do! We were like "she's so bitchy!" or "I can understand why she's being like that" or "what a badstard!" or "I would never want my car to be pimped that way" or... ok, you got the picture!

Then Eve's friends called so we got out of the house for some drinks. Yay!!! My first alcohol intake in France!!! I've never had sweet beer before, it tasted so nice! It's called "Monaco" - pictures will be uploaded when... whenever! And her friends were just so nice! They asked me for my name. It was a bit unusual that I was showing my Int'l Student ID Card and went like "my real name is La^m Kha'nh Va^n..." as if I was confessing infront of a police, you know. However, to my biggest surprise, they pronounce it more correctly than any foreign friends I've had! Then I suddenly recalled that Vietnamese has similar pronunciation with French by nature! So maybe next time instead of Freya, I should use Kha'nh Va^n but for those who think it's difficult, Freya is ok. And they were also trying to pronounce my sweetie's name. They were like "Motohiko, Motohiko, Motohiko..." so passionately! I love them! And I'm so happy about this name thing!!!

So after five days being so lazy, the most I did was taking a walk around Versailles and buying some groceries, I finnally get to go out this weekend!!! Wooohooo!!! Actually, I watched some movies that I was never ready to watch. Like Kill Bill 1&2, Secretary... And I love Little Miss Sunshine!!! I giggled in my dreams after watching the movie! Anyway, I'll go around Paris with Eve using up the entire 2 weekend days. I promise I'll put up pictures! Someday! Oh... the camera thing!!!

Ok, let's talk about the camera thing! My boyfriend Motohiko found a camera about 200$ ( good deal!!! ) and he's sending it over. Oh... he is my hero! And would you not say he is sweet when we edited about 5 times his congratulations letter to my parents for their Silver Wedding... I love my sweetie!!! And today is also a special day for us, too... ne, Mochi...

To wrap up everything... Everyone, please always remember to resist to C.R.A.P !!! Please refer to the video below in some previous post on here if you don't understand. Have a nice day!!!

2007-08-29T17:45:00.000+09:00

I'm in Paris!

The two transits in Qatar and Austria made me really tired. However, 30 minutes before landing on Paris, I was fully awake. I could not hold my feelings because infront of my eyes through the window, the Effel Tower took all of my attention with her marvelous charm... She did not make a move and she stood so firm and elegant, ignoring whosever admiration surrounded her. "She's so high... high above me, she's so lovely..." (Tal B.) Effel Tower took my heart at first sight. And what is so charming is that her beauty speaks for Paris' pride and history...

CDG (forgive me, I forgot the spelling of its fullname) is the cuttest airport ever!! Little bunnies are everywhere and I was so scared to see one bunny waiting for the airplane to get as close as one inch to run away! Eve was right, they must all be hearing impared! And CDG were sooo toooo nice, they were so easy on the security when I checked out. Normally when I enter other countries, like Japan, there would be some short questions and they would even open my suitcases. Here, they don't even do anything!

The first French I met was Amandine!!! She is my "cherry-up" girl because the cherry pin she gave me is so cute it cheered me up. Amandine took my first picture in Paris and I'll put it up later. My first dine-out experience is at Hippo restaurant! Doesn't it sound so cute? Dearest Eve and dearest Marc-Antoine were there also. Eve gave me the essential maps and guidebooks while Marc-Antoine gave me the essential ... cow! Such a warm welcome I don' think I could ever be good enough to deserve! My friends are just so adorable!

Now you might be wondering why I don't have any pictures. It's the two biggest mistakes I've ever made. I can't believe I major in International Business!!! One: the summer here is chilly! Two: the cameras here are expensive! And what I had in mind was completely different!

Versailles is beautiful (Marc-Antoine, it's not a country side like you think!) When I have a camera and more time, I'll write more. The architect here is amazing! Eve is too kind. I feel really happy at the same time really bad. I wish I could be more helpful. But I'll use my Cute Magic to make her comfortable! We went to see the movie last night. "Hairspray" is going to history because it's my first cinema experience in Paris! And the movie theatre is in the most beautiful street of Paris. Hmmm... I'm going there this weekend hopefully so I'll get the name again.

I miss my boyfriend so much!!! Mochi, please come in Christmas and New Year! Two weeks then would be better than one week in February! I love you!!! Chu!!!!

2007-08-12T18:11:00.000+09:00

Pre-departure

Two more weeks and I will be in Paris, the city of lights! I cannot describe the feelings I have at this very moment in words. However, as much as words can express their own meanings, this is how I feel: excited , doubtful (whether it is a dream or not), happy, worried, sad, impatient, a little bit... lost!

Before going to France, I'm expecting another very important event... "Meet the Parents"!!! I don't wanna think about it now or else I'll get really nervous... I'm feeling so sick after eating two icecreams since last night... Do icecreams really release stress? Or they give you another few days lying uselessly in bed because of a cold!

I thought I've got a lot to write because it's about my feelings before my departure to France but it's actually not much. So I'll put up some videos that would always be useful at the right times!

This is for me to watch when "that question" comes up...

This is from my sweetie and as happy as I am so loved by him, should I ever be worried...

Paris... Are you ready for me? I need a new camera! And I will write a lot! Wooh! I've got so many plans! I hope to be able to do them all!

2006-11-04T23:32:00.000+09:00

Welcome!

This blog is for me to write about my coming six month experience in France.
My homepage is http://freyamyth.spaces.msn.com .
So if you would like to know anything about me, please visit the link above. If you'd like to know the events and activities in my life from August 2007 to February 2008, please stay tuned in this blog.