2 saturdays ago, I was feeling really lazy and grumpy and I just wanted to stay in bed for the whole weekend. But, by noon, I was done with the laundry and vacuuming of the the house, I decided to just drag myself out and hit up Le Marais.
Definitely did not regret doing so! That saturday ended up to be the most happening saturday yet ;)
After exiting the metro, I was walking towards Place des Vosges, and I saw so many interesting shops and art galleries. I was so pleasantly surprised.
It felt really weird to go in and just take photos of the artwork and leave since the shops seem to be selling these artwork, and there is no way in heck i'll ever be able to afford any of it. So, I just took pictures, gawked and admired the unique artwork themes from the shop windows.
This one really reminds me of the statue in Orchard Ion back in Singapore.
(IS IT EXACTLY THE SAME?! - my memory is failing)
This perfume store display their testers as such! It was so cool. The shopkeeper invited me in and sprayed a scent "with a lot of asian notes" on me. It was a really nice scent though. I didn't know if it was intentional or if I was being oversensitive, but I always feel awkward at the Asian references, I don't dislike it because I know I OBVIOUSLY Look extremely asian (even among asians, I'm super asian!) Hahaha but its awkward because I don't know how I should respond/react, not that I feel uncomfortable or anything.
Nevertheless, I was so tempted to buy it. But no, I don't need anymore perfume.
P.S. Im doing a really good job exercising self-control in terms of retail therapy - just saying.
JAM SHOP. Enough said.
Finally I reached Place des Vosges, gorgeous looking park with waterfalls, families having picnics, children running around and playing in the sand box, while couples make out under trees/ on benches nearby :) such a cute picture perfect sight!
Outside the park, there was a like string ensemble of about 20 people playing wonderful music to promote their CD (Unfortunately, the crowd made it hard to get a good picture).
While they were entertaining the public with melodious music, behind us a horse carriage just trotted by.
I was so excited when the horses rode by. Paris can never be boring!
After enjoying the music for a bit, it started raining, so I headed over to Victor Hugo's Mansion to look at the museum and temporarily hide out from the rain.
Victor Hugo - The man behind Les Misérables and Hunchback for Notre Dame.
The rooms were themed by the different stages of his life. He is one exceptionally talented man. Im no expert on the history of any of this, so just check Wikipedia :)
There was something about the Chinese inspired room decorations that he adopted for himself and his wife that I found quite haunting. Very intricate, very interesting, yet a little haunting.
His bedroom before he passed
Also went to view an exhibit on L'Homme Qui Rit - The man who smiles. Was not allowed to take any photos, but the exhibitions was really something special. Watched part of the play in black and white. It was such an interesting experience.
Went to Breizh Café for some crêpe and hot tea. I made the stupid decision of not buying and umbrella or bringing an extra jacket, so by this time I was literally freezing and my fingers were all purple from the cold.
After my meal, I was attempting to head back home when I walked right into the middle of the gay pride (equivalent of the Pink Dot movement in Singapore) parade, and decided to stay and watch.
The way they celebrate is so different from what we normally do in SG. They play music in the streets, carry rainbow coloured umbrellas and wear elaborate costumes while dancing and parading in the streets!
If you look closely, you'll see topless girls and guys in the pictures. Yeappp, liberal is what they are. I was so entertained by the parade. It was so much fun and way more interesting that all these was happened IN THE RAIN.
So special to see the cultural differences between a european city and an asian city in different, but i love it!
In the end, its a good thing I left the house. There is just so much to see and so much to do in Paris, it never gets boring :)
More updates:
After one month in Paris, I'm starting to feel really happy here. Taking all the experiences and making the best of every situation. I don't feel homesick, and I'm really glad I'm coping good in Paris. Glad for this opportunity to live alone, and grow. I'm actually really liking this "new life". I never expected it to be easy (or hard), but all in all, I would say I'm doing a lot better/its been a lot easier for me than many would expect.
Sometimes I think I'm pretty adaptable/have good survival instincts for a Singaporean. Typically, at 20+, we still live with their parents, some of us have never left the country or lived away from their parents for long periods of time. We are so sheltered back in Singapore and I'm really starting to realise that now that I'm here. Hearing about what youths in Singapore are complaining about, my only respond is: a lot of us need to do a little more growing up.
My whole life i've never been alone, be it in kindergarten, back home with my siblings, different cliques from primary school up till college, I sort of have planned my social circles such that even if i didn't have a bestfriend to run to when i have problems, I was never alone.
Looking back, even though I felt alone, dealing with the whole inferiority complex stuff, I was not as alone as I thought.
Even though I'm more alone now, its a good thing that I'm doing fine, I guess it shows that when we focus on the good things, and not make mountains out of the molehills that are our problems, we really are able to enjoy life to a greater extent.
In comparison, the youths here are really independent. The other interns have so much experience away from their hometown its enviable. I hope after this internship I can say that i've grown/matured and it would be noticeable in the way I behave.
Thankful that I'm no longer moping about things related to body image, self-confidence, feeling inadequate about my achievements, being inferior in comparison to people who achieve more in terms of academics, and the lack of friends in college etc. Those things pretty much consumed my life when I was in Singapore. But being alone here, I hope i can find myself and grow into my own individual, instead of just being another rat in the rat race trying to outrun everyone else.
Learning to be more positive as the days go by - Never thought I would be associated with the word "positive" hahaha but here's to new adventures and here's to growing up!
Oh, another thing I've noticed, people are really good looking here! Not all, but sometimes when I'm on the metro, or in the office I'll be like "Wow. thats person is really good looking." Initially I thought its probably because they look different from the type of people I'm used to looking at, but no, even after 1 month, I still think the interns in the office are really good looking. Somehow they just are. Its like they ALL have good genes or something, its kind of unfair lol!
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