weekend at chamrousse

Hello everyone,

I spent the last weekend skiing or to be more exact, trying to ski while those silly kids whizz pass me.

Humph, humph. Thhhhoouuu shalt not bow to them. Humph Humph.

Fine, Im still sulking..

I mean after two days, i was still working on the bunny slopes andd trying not to fall. And it's not the falling down that make things impossible, it's the getting up. I must have defied all laws in trying to get up. Imagine me wearing thermal and jeans, which made it impossible to bend my knees, together with the terrifying power of my big butt, I must have been quite a sight. Humph Humph.

And at the age of 21, i now fully understand the meaning of acceleration. Once, I started moving but a mm but ended up flying. Vroom vroom past those silly kids. Aha. They must have thought I was a pro *grin* ..if only they knew. I didnt know how to stop.










Our dinner which we obviously had no idea how to eat.



Chen Jing bought a gateau des Rois (King's Cake). found the toy below (last pic) and had to wear the crown. Found the pic quite cute. Wahah.i better siam now.




fatlady

PS. Are all ski resorts that big? The freaking apartment was fully equipped. I want to go stay there le.

gallop gallop...

Bonjour tout le monde,

I have got a small announcement to make..

I ATE CUP NOODLES TODAY.

Haha. Sure enough, Lyon, a gastronomical city, sure offers wonderful food but nothing beats home cooked food! Okay fine, closely resembled home cooked food. Haha.

Slurp Slurp…

Haha, that was the lunch I had before heading down to Croix Rousse to visit the Silk-workers’ House. The rest were not very keen in following the commented visit priced at 5 euro, so we only visited a small part of the place that was open to the public for free. But, it’s really not bad la. There were many ancient types of machinery that looked very complicating but to me, that’s the beauty of it. =P



After coming out of the work-house, we walked towards the river and found this! A panoramic view of the city


Oh my, thank goodness, we decided to visit the Silk Worker’s house first before heading down toward the river. We were freaking high up. So it was down for us instead of up. Grinz.. Down down down we go..=)


On our way down, we stopped by this church?? that isn’t famous but has a little interesting story to tell. The entire thing was built above ground level and a staircase was supposed to be built but it wasn’t because the army barrack was right in front of it and of course they couldn’t demolish it. So it’s still there without a staircase to bring people up. Haha..


Further down we go..



The lesser known ancient roman site in France. The time of construction was 19 BC…super old right! And it was here in 177AD, the first Christian martyrs in Lyon was thown to the lions…slurp slurp..=(


And we went into this store and I couldn’t resist taking a few photos….

Say hello to the frogs..!


And the cats…


We finally reached the river and they were selling ancient/old books by the river. I like the idea terribly. Strolling by the river, flipping through those yellow, dusty pages..Ahhh…now if only I understand half what is written in there…=(



A mural on the wall of a building..


5pm and night came. We were now in the shopping district. We were window shopping when we saw this..It’s the Hansel and Gretel House..made entirely out of bread..Wahah..so pretty!


Okay I have no idea what’s this..some fountain..does it have a history to tell!?!!?


And finally to Place de Bellecour..It’s one of the biggest public square in Europe…that person on the horse..that’s Louis XIV..ghee ha..


Okay Okay..that’s all folks…
Come here, come here ma..and I’ll bring you around..!

La grosse femme

im laying on the grass..basking in the sun..dreaming..

20th January 2007

Dear all,

How’s everyone?

I visited lala land today in class…was drifting in and out because the outside world was beckoning me..to be out in the sun instead of the stuffy classroom. Dreamt that I was laying on the grass outside, arms spread wide apart, smelling in the fresh morning air…

The view that summoned me..



It was so hard trying to concentrate with such a wonderful view in front of me. Finally, I understand why the French must have a humongous window in every single room.

Late afternoon, I finally got free…and as the beautiful sun set, I must say..

Bon week-end, everyone!

Muaks all,
The falady

P.S. Leaving you with a picture of the view outside now..Enjoy..!

8 a huit

Hello,

The supermarket, Champion, is but 5 mins away on foot from where I stay but as usual, being so lazy cj and I decided to search for a shorter route. Never mind we ended up walking for about half an hour, when we got there it was closed. Aha, so we decided to visit the convenience store, 8 a huit, which was even nearer to my place. When we got there, we almost died from laughter. The store was open, but because it was late, we could no longer go in. We had to tell the black man seated behind the window what we wanted…and we were there to buy the monthly thing.

Je suis wanna peng toh peng,
La grosse femme

mr dumpty is feeling happy..

Hello all,

Hey hey all, hows everyone?

Today the koreans came over to my room and we had a little celebration. They gave me a bottle of red wine..which made me rather embarrassed because i think its rather expensive and i didnt have much to offer them. Im a bad host..=(..haha...We drank a little and talked about 3-4 hours...talked about korean movies..culture etc..they were so shocked to learn that I watch korean dramas..Wahah..Haha..I think JS and KU got a little tipsy?!?..look at the photos..they looked super red, right?? Haha..

Yup, I had fun chatting to them although we only knew each other for about a week..and i really hope to know them better..bless me ..

Cheers!
Fatlady

P.S. Muaks for all the birthday greetings..=)))Thankssss!

When you are 21 years old and cannot open a wine bottle by yourself..its sooo embarrassing..i remember learning how to open one at home..but darn..ahah..but i did it in the end..with some help..=P


CJ bought this for me from a cafe..really pretty right..and its tasty too!


The cake..i think they bought it form carrefour..but it like super duper good..everyone wanted a second helping..drools...


Ahah..trying to be silly here..CJ decided to peel the pomelo she bought for the koreans to try..


EJ,bora, me and cj..EJ was wearing shorts and boots in the middle of winter...i bow to her man..brrrr...=P


js, yp, me and pi..

i'm 21 =(

Hello all,

Oh yes, its my birthday today. What do you do when you turn 21? Watch a RA movie? Hee..Hmmz..let me think..the first thing I did this morning was my French essay? Ehh.. what a way to start the day. Boo…

Ehh…I must have the most boring 21st birthday ever. I had intention to join this crepes party after dinner today but silly us, no one bothered to check where it was. So, in the end, here I am! Im so bored…so let me continue to entertain myself.

Hmmz, ahah….my dearest family called me earlier and sang me a birthday song. Eheh, the very first birthday song that I heard live this year! Muakz muakz muakz..! EHhh..dun run away mah..slurp slurp..Haha.. talked for quite a while and they all said my chinese has improved! Ahah…I’m so pleased with myself. But my mama say I got un petit peu Beijing accent. I dun wan ma…Everytime I hear Singaporeans with all the funny foreign accents, I will start laughing. Lol..

And, French is terribly boring these days, partially because I currently have this extremely talkative teacher who always interrupts you when you are talking. Language classes and you don’t get to talk?!?!? Ehhh…had this very typical argument in class today because the guys insist that females are the one that cause marriage to fail. *roll eyes*

[Incomplete, must have fallen asleep..Waha..]

Fatlady

Happy birthday to me..

16^th January 2007

Hello all,

Eh..one more day before I turn 21! But being so far away from home, I’m feeling kind of sad, that I went to sleep just now…only woke up because I haven done my French homework. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I will be high. 16 more hours till I turn 21…

Im still 20 right now

20 years old..a young adult!

Oh my, this is so scary.

Haiz, but seriously…..

On a 21^st birthday, the last thing you want is to be away from home. I want to be at home, with all my crazy sisters and parents. It doesn’t have to be grand, only for my love ones to be around. I know, I have had the pre celebrations, but it’s really different. You cannot help thinking about how nice it would be if you were back at home. Having just reached here, knowing just a handful of people whom you have just met for the shortest bit of time makes it even harder…..

Haiz, but oh well..

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday to me

Happy birthday to MEeeeee….

Happy birthday to me.

Night to all lovely ones,

The fatlady

14 January 2007

Bonjour all,

Aha, I’m terribly bored because it’s Sunday. That means most shops are closed here. This morning we wanted to visit some street market but alas, sleeping rules, yeah? When we got there at 11am?, no stalls were in sight. How lazy can I get?

Anyway, I was kpo-ing around just now and I found these pictures in the miss-es blog. Ahaha..let me grab them and put it here.

See below>>>>

Hmm, I just remembered I never blogged about the Vietnam trip? But it’s been so long, I can’t remember much. Hmm..let me think..

1. The roads
Ahah…it takes skill to cross the road. First, close your eyes. Secondly, cross the road at a steady pace. I’m serious! You don’t have to watch out for cars. Just walk slowly across the road and all the motorcycles and cars will go around you. Ahah….it sounds easy right? But, I pretty much freak out every time I crossed the road and would grab whoever that is near me. Yeah, I’m like a kid, but oh well…..the horns and motorcycles just inches away from you is eh….yah..it takes time to get use to it yeah.

2. The food
Haiz, lets just say I’m totally not a veggie person. Every dish comprises of half a plate of veggie and I never ever touch it. Vietnamese use lemongrass a lot a lot in their food and I don’t like lemongrass! Eh, so I don’t find any of their dish nice! But if you like lemongrass, then Vietnamese cuisine will appeal to you very much!

3. Mekong river.
Actually, I was quite reluctant to go for the Mekong river tour because I thought all I would see is a river. Luckily I went because it was a whole new experience for me. Apart from taking a boat down the Mekong river, I also went to this kampung? I think its commercialized but still, it’s a whole new experience for me. The road etc…

thinking of crepes on a cold night

13th January 2007
20h 50 (France)

Hey all,

Ca va ?

I woke up at 11 today when the phone rang at 200 decibels. Eh, it was chen jing’s boyfriend. Luckily, I was ready to wake up or I would have sat on her. Oh and she is already so thin. Hee hee..Ahah..

Feeling bored, we decided to make a trip down to the Lyon’s Museum of Fine Art. Aha! My favourite! So we took the tram and metro to the city centre. When we were on the platform we met this very friendly and helpful Sudanese? who was working there. After helping us, he asked if we were Chinese and we nodded. Ever since I got here, I have been asked this question so many times, but I never knew what to answer. I am a Singaporean and my race is Chinese. Chen Jing is a Chinese (Nationality) and her race is Chinese. Are they asking me about my nationality or race? Ahahah..c’est tres bizarre….What would you have answered?

Anyway, Miss Chen Jing made me walked from one end of the shopping district to the other in the Hotel Ville area? in search of a fast food restaurant. And alas, when we got there, I almost fainted. There is a similar fast food restaurant in Part Dieu, right at the entrance. I paid 12 sing for a meal. Boo hoo. But it’s much cheaper than eating at a restaurant la. And I presume I lost weight while walking there. Hee..Waha..

Oh my, I love visiting museums in France. The other time I went to Musee d’orsay, I didn’t have to pay for the entrance fee because I was under 21 and tics were 14? Euro. And this time, I didn’t have to pay again because I’m a student. And I love visiting museums! We got there quite late in the afternoon, at about 3pm because the museum is partially closed from 12-2 for lunch. Argh, and in the end we didn’t have enough time to finish our tour around the place.

On the ground floor, there was a sculpture garden and a chapel featuring 19th and 20th century sculptures. Here is a photo of the inside of the chapel:



On the first floor, they had antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Iran, the Roman Empire. I was fascinated by the Egyptian artifacts-the sarcophagus, amulets, the stones etc… Yup, but the rest were pretty boring. I’m sure if I knew a little more about those artifacts it would be much more interesting, but there was just too much French.


The upper galleries on the third floor mostly held 15th -20th century paintings. Oh freak it, but I didn’t have time, so in the end I only visited about 1/3 of the galleries, but I saw a painting that I love very much there. It’s by Monet. I stood there for like 10 minutes, but I could have stood there forever. I still can’t figure why I’m so attracted to the painting….



After leaving the museum at 6, we decided to stroll around, on the streets, along the river. The area is very pretty. I think Lyon was once a roman colony? There’s something about the renaissance also? Argh..I don’t know. Will read more first before I write in here. Anyway, yup, it’s a pretty place. I love the narrow passageways and medieval structures. Brr..but the weather was very cold this evening. Ah…but there were people selling hot crepes and waffles on the street, cotton candy and I saw this very beautiful merry-go-round. All in all, it’s nice.


The museum..


The entrance of the museum...


Egyptian artifacts..


At Place de Terreaux..


The streets..

beer and wine.

13 January 2007

1:37 (France) 8:37(Singapore)

Bonjour all…..

I was so bored just now that when my friend asked me if I wanted to go to a party, I agreed immediately. Eh..can I say it’s a wrong decision? 30 people cramming in a 4m by 3m room, add 2 cartons of beer and like 20 bottles of wine..oh lala… A few of them became drunk and there were a lot of swearing and jokes. They started talking very loudly and you had to shout to get yourself heard. Beer and wine were spilled everywhere, on the floor, on the bed. Oh my, it’s so totally not my idea of having fun.

Eheh, but this is the first time I have been to such party? The typical kind of party that college students have overseas? I guess I really went there because I wanted the experience. I knew I wouldn’t enjoy myself because I’m just so shy but I still went anyway. Ahah..but as Ade says, we should always try everything. It was very hard to mix in because they kept speaking French, tres vite and I couldn’t understand of course. They were mostly from the better-in-french class. There were 2? From my class? I talked a little, but mostly I listened to the others..yeah.

I drank a grand total of ahem 1 beer and a little white and red wine? I was totally clear headed but I didn’t want to drink more. The thought of the headaches that I will get after that really makes me cautious. Hmmz, but I really wonder if the people really enjoy drinking or drink only because its cool to drink. There’s this American who insist only on drinking coke. Ah…It’s real rare to still be able to see such guys around right-guys with their own 主见, who don’t just follow the crowd.

So far, I have met Singaporeans of course, Koreans, Finnish, Germans, Chinese, French, Mexicans, Brazilians, Chileans, and Americans. Ah and you know what, it s not the Europeans that I cannot differentiate it’s the Latin Americans that look the same. You know they are Latin Americans but where are they from exactly, it’s so hard to tell! On several occasion it was pretty embarrassing because I would ask questions like oh..In brazil, is Spanish the only official language? Then the person would say, ‘I’m Mexican.’ Ah….But then again, those places are so far from here. Likewise, they knew nuts about asia. I have heard that Singaporeans speak singaporish? That Japan is as big as Singapore etc etc….But that’s the purpose of the exchange. To learn more about others!

Okay Okay. Time for bed!

Je me couche parce que je dois me reveille tot demain pour aller au musee de beaux art!

A tout a l’heure

Muaks all,

The fatlady

Some of the peeps..


My classmate

I am bored. com

12 January 2007

Hello...

It’s finally Friday evening! This means no school for 2 days. Yipee..! French was fun today. We played pictionary and my group won! Haha, but it wasn’t really fair because there were 5 people in my group and 4 in the other. I drew the word for tidy (ranger) and hmm…budgeting? (faires des economies). Yeah, and as usual, the guys were talking rubbish. Tsk tsk. Not that I mind la. Lessons seem less boring with them around. Aha! And did I tell you that I find one of the guy quite charismatic. He is okay looking and he has the 内涵. Very approachable and friendly. Wahah. I shall go and demand a photo to show you guys…

I’m so bored.

I’m so bored.

I’m so bored.

I’m so bored. It’s Friday evening and here I am! What a boring thing to do. But, I really don’t want to go down to Part Dieu again. I have been there like 5 times ever since I reached here and I still don’t know where else is interesting in Lyon apart from that place. I read that there is a big fine art museum here that I really want to go but oh yes. IT’S ALWAYS BREAK TIME IN FRANCE. They work from 8 to 12 and then they have a 2 hours break and they stop at 5? 6? So when you are studying, working, they are too. When you are not, they are not too. Does that explain why I am always bored? Ah..

We were planning to cycle around town this weekend but the weather forecasts show that it’s gonna rain heavily this weekend! And on Sunday, it’s even worse. Most shops don’t open on Sunday, even the major ones like Carrefour! Ahh…I’m gonna study on Sunday eh? Ya right.

Okay Okay..I’m going..oh…but before I forget..

Hp number in france: 33 06 79 60 01 01

Tel number in france: 33 04 37 48 16 74

Address in France: INSA. Residence D. Chambre n 107. 20 Avenue Albert Einstein. 69621 Villeurbanne Cedex.France

Muaks all,

The lovely fatlady

to lynnette

4th January 2006 (Evening-France)
Bonjour all..

I’m totally lost for words now. Give me a moment…

Thank you, Lynnette (and sisters!) for the wonderful, wonderful video. I was feeling a little lonely, a little sad as I was unpacking my stuffs, thinking of what’s happening in Singapore, if everyone was fine when I saw the green package wrapped a silver ribbon. I took my time to unwrap it, because I wanted to reuse the scotch-tape (forgot to buy a roll earlier). Although you told me earlier what it was, I wasn’t prepared. The photos appeared one after another and I couldn’t even get pass the second photo before tears begin falling. Eh..I sobbed real badly and is still sobbing really badly because it was just so beautiful. The grainy black and white photos, the music you wrote….thank you very much for giving me this wonderful moment. I couldn’t have ask for more…what you have given me is priceless, thank you my dear friend…Let’s pray that our friendship will always be strong and that it will never end. See you back in Singapore in 7 months…!


Hugs,
fatlady

paris

4th January 2007
1100am-
Bonjour,
Hello everyone! How are things at home? I’m currently in the TGV (High -speed train) heading towards Lyon. It will take about two hours to get there, so here I am!

Haha, I arrived in Paris on 2nd January at around 1300h., but only arrived at the hotel at around 1700. Pourquoi? It was very difficult to find our way around because there weren’t many signs and Paris, being such an old city was rather chaotic. The first thing that struck me while I was on my way to the hotel was the stark bareness of the city. It sounds lame, but the landscape of Paris is very different from Singapore because there aren’t leaves. Everywhere! Just imagine Singapore without leaves. You get the idea? That’s the weird feeling that you will get. However, the city itself was a pretty sight. Old fashioned buildings lay around untidily, cobbled stone pavements juxtaposing with women in long coats walking their dogs (Very amusing!) When you are along the Seine river, the sight is even prettier. You have the Musee du Louvre, Musee d’orsay, Palais Royal, Eiffel Tower on the banks of the river.很有味道.

La cathedrale the Notre Dame
It was good, it was good. Very gothic and in a very beautiful way.

Musee D’Orsay
I wanted to go to the Musee du Louvre but there wasn’t enough time. Musee D’Orsay mainly exhibits Impressionist paintings and some post and pre Impressionist paintings. Thanks to the Art in the age of colonialism course that I took last semester, I knew a few of the painters that had their works exhibited there. Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Matisse, Renoir, Ingres, Degas, Delacroix, Whistler, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin…It definitely made things more interesting. For once, I knew a little about their art, their style of painting, their reasons, the external influences etc. Yay! I love going to museums.


Here I am at the metro station..on my way to the hotel...


Outside my room at the hotel. There's a little pretty garden outside. Very cosy. And yes, I did slept on a double bed with that guy. faint. Did I mention that their breakfast was superb? Try this. baguette with butter and strawberry jam. Yum Yum...


the roads of Paris...no leaves...very bare.....


La cathedrale de Notre-Dame. Isn't it very gothic?


Inside the cathedrale...


Across the Seine River...


Inside Mussee d'orsay


Lorshit..Look at this..! Familiar...? Matisse's work!


This came out for my Art in the age of colonialism exam!! And the painting is very very big...


The tower is indeed very very pretty.

Okay..the pills are making me drowsy again..

Muaks
Fatlady