I was really looking forward to going to Paris again. It was definetely a highlight of my 1997 Leysin experience.
We arrived to Paris on train and had to make our way to our hostel on the metro lugging our luggage the entire time.
For those of you wondering if I did a typo, no, I really did type hostel. More about that later.
I really love the metro system in Paris. It's so great. And I actually find it really easy to use! I also loved that as soon as I got to the metro, I immediately saw someone hopping the barrier and going in without paying. Sigh, memories of '97. A common occurence in Paris.
We make our way to our final destination after a little confusion (our metro map that we were provided wasn't quite accurate - it was quickly replaced upon arrival - and so some people were a little confused and worried because they had no idea where they were going) and creating quite a scene by parading down small streets towing our luggage and obviously not speaking French.
The hostel was really cute. It looked really nice. The rooms weren't bad either. Common toilets, but sinks and showers in our room. There was no door to the shower area...but luckily we were provided with a curtain. Still, it was a little weird. Seems like the room I was sharing was the only one lacking a device with a knob and hinges. All other rooms we visited looked pretty good. The pillows were pretty useless though. One person on the trip even bought his own pillow because he thought the one provided wasn't sufficient. It was pretty bad. It didn't remind me of a homeless shelter though, so I guess my preconception of hostels has been squashed.
The first night we were there, we ate dinner at Somo, the restaurant that a friend's son is the chef at. Delish with a great vibe.
After dinner, we wandered around the Marais, where we were staying. What a great little area with so many chic boutiques. A great cup of hot chocolate later, and time to call it a night. We were so exhausted.
Saturday morning, and a visit to the Musee d'Orsay. I'd been there before, but I really like impressionist stuff, so I didn't mind going again. Highlight of the trip: seeing an artist painting a Monet on site. Very Amelie-esque. At first I thought it was the same painting as from the movie, but after a quick look, nope. The Amelie painting isn't even in that gallery. I was pretty impressed with the artist. He has a huge canvas, and he was doing a really good job. It looked pretty much like the original, only 2 ft away. What a sight.
After lunch was free time. That could only mean one thing: SHOPPING!!! As I've mentioned before, last time I was in Paris, I didn't shop at all. I spent all my time zipping from tourist attraction to tourist attraction. It was crazy. Hop on the metro, come up for air and see the Eiffel Tower. Down underground again and come up to see the Sacre-Coeur, etc etc. I came to Paris this time armed with Euros and ready to spend! Before shopping, a quick stop to the Opera House (check one thing off my list of things to do - see a previous post) which was actually on the way to a mall. I hit up La Fayette and Samaritaine, both of which were pretty overwhelming. I'd compare it to a Holt's...on steroids! Rue du Rivoli and darn it, we ran out of time. Drat! If only we didn't have to meet for dinner!
After dinner and a short walk, we crash again. Exhaustion.
The next morning was a trip to Versailles. This I wasn't too excited about. I mean, I'd gone on the tour already, seen the Hall of Mirrors and walked the gardens...alas. I'm glad I was there though, because we were shown the Opera Hall. It was absolutely fab-u-lous! The king (not the original one) had run out of money by then, so instead of everything being made out of marble, it was made of wood and painted. It gave a really warm effect. I wished I could have gone on the stage and looked out at the audience. Apparently concerts are still held there. I'd love to attend one. It's weird, when I see a stage, I wish I could perform. I'm never sure if I'd rather play the piano of dance, but I was to be on that stage. I wonder what that means. I was a little sad for everyone else who was there for the first time. The Hall of Mirrors was basically closed for renovations, and we'd picked a pretty shoddy time of year to go, because the gardens weren't coiffed.
Oh yeah, highlight of the bus ride there and back was seeing the soccer/rugby stadium and a billboard for the Eric Bompard Cachemire ISU Grand Prix event (of skating, of course).
That afternoon was free time again, and instead of shopping, we (well I - and luckily there wasn't a protest) decided to Amelie it up. I HAD to find the Cafe des Deux Moulins. Quick snaps of the Moulin Rouge, and then we wander Montmarte for the place. Didn't have to look too far! WHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so excited. A little obsessed, maybe, but for some reason, this movie really gets me. Snaps outside, and in we go! So weird...darn it! His table's occupied...sit at another...wait...we're sitting where Gorgette's tabac counter...should be (but isn't there in real life)...facing the back of the cafe...and...the toilette...lit in green...glass window in the door...augh! It's all too much! Order some food...laugh with the waiter (who was super nice and laughed with us about my giddiness)...I giggle. I can't stop! Funniest was when part of our group who was actually on a tour of the town walked by when we were eating and half of them couldn't believe we were actually eating...there! Eeek! Whee! Boing! And a friend who knows Paris really well had heard me rant on and on about how determined I was to find the place turned into a punching bag because I couldn't help hitting him in my excitement to tell him that I was actually there! He quickly left the scene and rejoined the tour. I got a lot of excitement seeing the bartenders clean their glasses with the fountain-thingy that's built into the counter (the one you put the glass upside down on and press down...). Food was actually really tasty and quite reasonably priced. Creme brulee for dessert. Trip to the washroom (I really did have to go) but also a prime opportunity to check it out, and (sheepish look) take a snap. I would have taken more during the meal, but I got a little embarassed in my excitement. I was relieved to see that other people were also taking snaps the whole time we were there, and lots of people just walked in to take a snap and then walk out again. At least I was a paying customer. I was really jealous of the people sitting in His seat. Bah! Some more snaps, some more embarassement, some more laughs with the waiter, some more apologies for my behaviour, and we're off. It was the perfect time to leave, the sky was dark enough that the restaurant looked perfect. The neon lights against a dark grey/blue sky. Similar to the movie I'd say. Check more items off the list. I've already added some things to the list for my next trip to Paris. Still, I'm content.
A little bit of shopping and dinner before a trip to the Eiffel Tower. Spectacular. It's so beautiful at night. And the addition of the tower sparkling on the hour doesn't hurt. Fab. I want to live in this city. Dreamy. On the way back to the hotel, some stops for snaps, pretty much the end of a wonderful day. Smile.
The last day in Paris. I'm sad...and not looking forward to having to go to the Louvre. Honestly, all I need to see at the Louvre is the Mona Lisa, and it's already been done. Still, I soldier on and have lunch at the food court in the building. Great variety of food at quite reasonable prices! Highlight of the morning: buying a bottle of Perrier. Fluo. Does this exist in Canada? One's pink...so I bought it. I was going to keep it and not drink it, but on the train ride home, the lunch was apparently more salty that I'd thought, so I needed to quench my thirst (even after going through a whole bottle of Parisian tap water). Darn it. I haven't found it in Neuch.
We had a little free time before leaving to catch the train, and this is when I mad my extravagant purchase (I've left out all the details of the lead up to this purchase, because I will devote an entire post to this momentous occassion).
Last time on the metro and we're at Gare de Lyon. And my last chance to Amelie it up. On word: Photomaton. A trashcan worth photo (on purpose!), but a little too embarrassed to rip one up on the spot, so I decide to put my stuff on board (we were running a little tight on time) and then hop out to toss one photo in a garbage nearby. Ack! Almost time to go! And a look around on the platform...pas de poubelle! Mon Dieu! Qu'est-ce qu'on pourrait faire? C'est pas grave. Je pense que je peux...ah forget it. Basically, I've got all four of the pictures still...one is ripped off, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Maybe toss it in the Neuch gare? Who knows.
We TGVed it all the way home. You can really feel the speed when you try walking. Arrival to Neuch and the busride to Hauterive gave way to utter exhaustion, and a very satisfied Miss Jao.
It was a fabulous trip, and it just made me want to return yet again. It's lovely to be me.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Creatures in the rain
I'm used to seeing earthworms come out from the ground and wander helplessly on the sidewalk and roads when it's raining, but I've noticed that here in Neuch, it's not earthworms that I see saving themselves from suffocating, but slugs. That's right, slugs. The 10cm long kind. Nice.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Two more...
************************
"The Power Rule" to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb
The Power Rule is very cool, very cool, very cool,
The Power Rule is very cool, it finds derivatives.
It only works if n is real, n is real, n is real,
It only works if n is real, now you can do it too.
So now just take the n value, the n value, the n value,
So now just take the n value, and multiply with x.
Now here is the tricky part, the tricky part, the tricky part,
Now here is the tricky part, just subtract one from n.
There you go you’ve done just fine, done just fine, done just fine,
There you go you’ve done just fine, you’ve used the Power Rule.
************************
"Product Law Poem"
How do we find the prime?
Just follow this little rhyme.
First find the multiple
And prove that they’re differentiable
Find the prime of the first part
Leave the second true at heart
Multiply them out
Do the reverse without a doubt
In the end you have the derivative
Of the first function in its definitive!
************************
"The Power Rule" to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb
The Power Rule is very cool, very cool, very cool,
The Power Rule is very cool, it finds derivatives.
It only works if n is real, n is real, n is real,
It only works if n is real, now you can do it too.
So now just take the n value, the n value, the n value,
So now just take the n value, and multiply with x.
Now here is the tricky part, the tricky part, the tricky part,
Now here is the tricky part, just subtract one from n.
There you go you’ve done just fine, done just fine, done just fine,
There you go you’ve done just fine, you’ve used the Power Rule.
************************
"Product Law Poem"
How do we find the prime?
Just follow this little rhyme.
First find the multiple
And prove that they’re differentiable
Find the prime of the first part
Leave the second true at heart
Multiply them out
Do the reverse without a doubt
In the end you have the derivative
Of the first function in its definitive!
************************
Belgium
Our Belgium trip consisted of mainly three parts.
1. Brussels
2. Ypres
3. Bruges
Part 1:
We arrived to Brussels and went on a tour of the centre of town. It was rainy and we'd left Switzerland at 6am, so most of us weren't really into the tour. We'd actually travelled by bus, plane and train (in that order) that morning. And of course being the last minute packer I am, I didn't get much sleep.
The town square was quite grand and it seems (as my adventures in Europe so far have shown) that every European city has it's own grand square. This one was quite impressive.
Highlights of the tour included standing in the main square in awe, the Mannekin-Pis (the pee-ing boy), smelling the wafting waffle goodness, drooling over chocolates displayed in windows, a really big clock that's sort of hidden and gives a history lesson with it, and walking through a narrow street lined with stores and restaurants displaying their selection of seafood. Yum! I loved how each restaurant had a host, all dressed to impress who would haggle you to take a seat and eat at their restaurant. That was kind if interesting.
After the tour we had a little free time and I dutifully went on my way purchasing extreme amounts of Belgian chocolate. So busy was I making purchases for loved ones, that I never sampled the local yum yums myself. Waffle or moules. I did manage a piece of chocolate only because after blowing substantial Euros in one store, the sales lady (whom I had an interesting conversation about the little differences in French sayings depending on if you're in France, Switzerland or Belgium) offered me a truffle that I had just purchased. Super rich...definetely needed a glass of milk to go with it.
All told, we only spent an hour and a half or so in Brussels, but of course I'd like to return on my own at some point.
Part 2:
November 11th, was a day in Ieper (local name). I wasn't sure how the day would pan out, but I was interested to experience it. Remembrance Day has never really effected me very much. My personality (perhaps a flaw, depending on how you look at it) is very flighty (can't think of a better word) in terms of world issues and ancestral facts. I take an interest when someone tells me a story, but I don't seem to retain. And often, even if related to me somehow, I never really take any of it to mean something to me presonally. My memories of Remembrance Day is standing in the gym of CHPS and listening to two people play "The Last Stand" and listening for mistakes as it is hard for an amateur musician to have the right embouchure and switch from 1st to 5th and 8ve with ease. During the moment of silence, I always thought about what it was that I was "supposed" to be thinking about, or feeling, but it's still pretty emotionless. I hope you don't find it disrespectful of me, as I don't mean it as such. I do understand what it means, and what happened in our past, but it's just who I am. I was wondering if being at the source would create different emotions.
Menin Gate was quite impressive. There was a huge crowd and so I couldn't really see most of the ceremony, but of course I heard it all. The speeches, the commands by the commanding officers and most importantly, the music. Music seems to touch me most often. One French speaking gentleman beside me who was on a bleacher was nice enough to take some pictures of the ceremony for me and sometimes I would catch a glimpse of what was happening. I was surrounded by many British people, and I spoke with some men who were I'd guess at least 50 who said that they came to the ceremony every year. Another elderly couple echoed the same sentiment, and the group was nice enough to explain what I would have seen as it happened had I been at a better vantage point.
There were many different people from many different places. Many cars lined the street as well as tour buses.
Highlights of my time at Menin gate include: talking with the friendly people around me, hearing the choir sing, noticing a large media contingent filming the ceremony and realising that it must be a big deal, watching "poppy petals" being dropped from the top of the gate, feeling like I was at something important, the playing of "The Last Stand", noticing the extreme amount of names that were carved into the walls of the gate signifying the soldiers who's bodies were never found, seeing blood red wreaths and breathing in the crisp air.
After the ceremony and exploring the Gate we were taken to a variety of sites. Some highlights follow. Mass cemetaries of British and Commonwealth countries as well as a mass cemetary of German soldiers. We listened to a reading of "In Flander's Fields" by a descendant of John McCrae. Reading tombstones. Imagining now farmlands and industrial areas being sites for war. Walking through original trenches. Observing large craters formed by explosives and realising that small curvatures in the terrain could be due do past events. Listening to an informal ceremony at the largest mass cemetary (name escapes me right now) which consisted of many hymns/songs and short words in between.
One stop stands out. The Canadian Memorial at Vancouver Corner. The Mourning Soldier itself was I believe the most moving monument of the day. Our group layed a wreath at its feet and a hushed rendition of "O Canada" was sung impromptu. It was elegant.
Part 3:
Throughout our time in Belgium, we were staying in Bruges. It was quite lovely. Again, a large square and beautiful old buildings were in our midst. Canals snaked through the town and wonderful restaurants and stores to explore. I did have a dinner of Moules and Frites (lovely), but did not have room in my stomach to sample waffles. I did have a hot chocolate which was far superior to any other I've had previous (not including the white chocolate variety). It was like they took a piece of gourmet chocolate and melted it down. On a completely unrelated note, while in Bruges, H&M launched it's Karl Lagerfeld line, and I must say I wasn't too impressed. It was pretty generic I thought, but I'm sure the store in Bruges only had a small sample of the line. Bruges did have a nice line of boutiques to wander through. Yet another place I would like to return to. Our hotel had a great variety of tv stations to choose from, and I have learned that Flemish is completely foreign. Oh, and hotel had a fat cat that didn't like to be picked up. I know this because it slapped me (sans claws) in the head. Cats who slap are hilarious. My cat at home (whom I miss bunches) slaps vacuum cleaners. That's some crazy fast twitch muscles in effect.
All in all a wonderful trip. A good first exposure to Belgium and as mentioned before, I'd like to return. Also some experiences that I wouldn't otherwise get to experience or even have thought of participating in. Fab.
1. Brussels
2. Ypres
3. Bruges
Part 1:
We arrived to Brussels and went on a tour of the centre of town. It was rainy and we'd left Switzerland at 6am, so most of us weren't really into the tour. We'd actually travelled by bus, plane and train (in that order) that morning. And of course being the last minute packer I am, I didn't get much sleep.
The town square was quite grand and it seems (as my adventures in Europe so far have shown) that every European city has it's own grand square. This one was quite impressive.
Highlights of the tour included standing in the main square in awe, the Mannekin-Pis (the pee-ing boy), smelling the wafting waffle goodness, drooling over chocolates displayed in windows, a really big clock that's sort of hidden and gives a history lesson with it, and walking through a narrow street lined with stores and restaurants displaying their selection of seafood. Yum! I loved how each restaurant had a host, all dressed to impress who would haggle you to take a seat and eat at their restaurant. That was kind if interesting.
After the tour we had a little free time and I dutifully went on my way purchasing extreme amounts of Belgian chocolate. So busy was I making purchases for loved ones, that I never sampled the local yum yums myself. Waffle or moules. I did manage a piece of chocolate only because after blowing substantial Euros in one store, the sales lady (whom I had an interesting conversation about the little differences in French sayings depending on if you're in France, Switzerland or Belgium) offered me a truffle that I had just purchased. Super rich...definetely needed a glass of milk to go with it.
All told, we only spent an hour and a half or so in Brussels, but of course I'd like to return on my own at some point.
Part 2:
November 11th, was a day in Ieper (local name). I wasn't sure how the day would pan out, but I was interested to experience it. Remembrance Day has never really effected me very much. My personality (perhaps a flaw, depending on how you look at it) is very flighty (can't think of a better word) in terms of world issues and ancestral facts. I take an interest when someone tells me a story, but I don't seem to retain. And often, even if related to me somehow, I never really take any of it to mean something to me presonally. My memories of Remembrance Day is standing in the gym of CHPS and listening to two people play "The Last Stand" and listening for mistakes as it is hard for an amateur musician to have the right embouchure and switch from 1st to 5th and 8ve with ease. During the moment of silence, I always thought about what it was that I was "supposed" to be thinking about, or feeling, but it's still pretty emotionless. I hope you don't find it disrespectful of me, as I don't mean it as such. I do understand what it means, and what happened in our past, but it's just who I am. I was wondering if being at the source would create different emotions.
Menin Gate was quite impressive. There was a huge crowd and so I couldn't really see most of the ceremony, but of course I heard it all. The speeches, the commands by the commanding officers and most importantly, the music. Music seems to touch me most often. One French speaking gentleman beside me who was on a bleacher was nice enough to take some pictures of the ceremony for me and sometimes I would catch a glimpse of what was happening. I was surrounded by many British people, and I spoke with some men who were I'd guess at least 50 who said that they came to the ceremony every year. Another elderly couple echoed the same sentiment, and the group was nice enough to explain what I would have seen as it happened had I been at a better vantage point.
There were many different people from many different places. Many cars lined the street as well as tour buses.
Highlights of my time at Menin gate include: talking with the friendly people around me, hearing the choir sing, noticing a large media contingent filming the ceremony and realising that it must be a big deal, watching "poppy petals" being dropped from the top of the gate, feeling like I was at something important, the playing of "The Last Stand", noticing the extreme amount of names that were carved into the walls of the gate signifying the soldiers who's bodies were never found, seeing blood red wreaths and breathing in the crisp air.
After the ceremony and exploring the Gate we were taken to a variety of sites. Some highlights follow. Mass cemetaries of British and Commonwealth countries as well as a mass cemetary of German soldiers. We listened to a reading of "In Flander's Fields" by a descendant of John McCrae. Reading tombstones. Imagining now farmlands and industrial areas being sites for war. Walking through original trenches. Observing large craters formed by explosives and realising that small curvatures in the terrain could be due do past events. Listening to an informal ceremony at the largest mass cemetary (name escapes me right now) which consisted of many hymns/songs and short words in between.
One stop stands out. The Canadian Memorial at Vancouver Corner. The Mourning Soldier itself was I believe the most moving monument of the day. Our group layed a wreath at its feet and a hushed rendition of "O Canada" was sung impromptu. It was elegant.
Part 3:
Throughout our time in Belgium, we were staying in Bruges. It was quite lovely. Again, a large square and beautiful old buildings were in our midst. Canals snaked through the town and wonderful restaurants and stores to explore. I did have a dinner of Moules and Frites (lovely), but did not have room in my stomach to sample waffles. I did have a hot chocolate which was far superior to any other I've had previous (not including the white chocolate variety). It was like they took a piece of gourmet chocolate and melted it down. On a completely unrelated note, while in Bruges, H&M launched it's Karl Lagerfeld line, and I must say I wasn't too impressed. It was pretty generic I thought, but I'm sure the store in Bruges only had a small sample of the line. Bruges did have a nice line of boutiques to wander through. Yet another place I would like to return to. Our hotel had a great variety of tv stations to choose from, and I have learned that Flemish is completely foreign. Oh, and hotel had a fat cat that didn't like to be picked up. I know this because it slapped me (sans claws) in the head. Cats who slap are hilarious. My cat at home (whom I miss bunches) slaps vacuum cleaners. That's some crazy fast twitch muscles in effect.
All in all a wonderful trip. A good first exposure to Belgium and as mentioned before, I'd like to return. Also some experiences that I wouldn't otherwise get to experience or even have thought of participating in. Fab.
Friday, November 26, 2004
Weather update
I forgot to mention this but it snowed for the first time in Neuch exactly one week ago.
I'd heard from someone that we were so expect 6cm of snow, and didnm't really think anything of it. It was kind of exciting actually. The first snowfall in Toronto's usually really pretty. Fluffy flakes onto a green sea of vegetation. Even while flakes landing on black asphalt is so contrasting an beautiful.
It's when the snow stays on the ground and becomes slushy that it's not so nice. And then there's that whole mystery substance that lasts until April. You know what I'm talking about. The ice/salt/dirt mixture that never seems to melt from the edges of the roads. Yum.
I'd actually vaguely remembered hearing something about snow on the radio that morning, but I'm never sure if I'm tuned into a French or Swiss station. And even if it was Swiss, the climate's so different depending on where you are.
I also thought I hallucinated little white flakes walking to the bus stop that morning. They just looked like squares rather than flakes, so I dismissed the idea that it was snow.
The day carried on, and when I was leaving a friend's house late that night to go for crepes (a standard practice as of late) I noticed the ground was wet. It'd been yuckily raining for the past little while, so my heart sank knowing that it had been raining yet again. But wait...what did I see?!? White clumps in corners and on cars?!? Snow!
So I didnm't see it falling, but the evidence remained. It was fabulous. I noticed though that the snow seemed more clumpy than in Toronto. Perhaps due to being near the lake and the air being more damp, flakes tend to clump together more and melt more readily, but then semi-freeze in clumps as well.
I hasn't snowed since that night, but I guess it's a sign that winter is coming. Apparently it's snowing pretty regularly a little higher up, but here in Neuch so haven't gotten anything again since.
In general, the weather varies. It's still quite cold early morning and late at night, but in the middle of the day, depending on the cloud coverage, if the rays of sun can get through it warms up a lot. It's really really really foggy today, but it's hasn't been too bad otherwise.
I'm still wearing my fall coat, but wearing thick sweaters underneath. I'm always wearing my special homemade mittens which I love, and have gotten many compliments with. Oh yeah, and of course, one of my made scarves too!
I'd heard from someone that we were so expect 6cm of snow, and didnm't really think anything of it. It was kind of exciting actually. The first snowfall in Toronto's usually really pretty. Fluffy flakes onto a green sea of vegetation. Even while flakes landing on black asphalt is so contrasting an beautiful.
It's when the snow stays on the ground and becomes slushy that it's not so nice. And then there's that whole mystery substance that lasts until April. You know what I'm talking about. The ice/salt/dirt mixture that never seems to melt from the edges of the roads. Yum.
I'd actually vaguely remembered hearing something about snow on the radio that morning, but I'm never sure if I'm tuned into a French or Swiss station. And even if it was Swiss, the climate's so different depending on where you are.
I also thought I hallucinated little white flakes walking to the bus stop that morning. They just looked like squares rather than flakes, so I dismissed the idea that it was snow.
The day carried on, and when I was leaving a friend's house late that night to go for crepes (a standard practice as of late) I noticed the ground was wet. It'd been yuckily raining for the past little while, so my heart sank knowing that it had been raining yet again. But wait...what did I see?!? White clumps in corners and on cars?!? Snow!
So I didnm't see it falling, but the evidence remained. It was fabulous. I noticed though that the snow seemed more clumpy than in Toronto. Perhaps due to being near the lake and the air being more damp, flakes tend to clump together more and melt more readily, but then semi-freeze in clumps as well.
I hasn't snowed since that night, but I guess it's a sign that winter is coming. Apparently it's snowing pretty regularly a little higher up, but here in Neuch so haven't gotten anything again since.
In general, the weather varies. It's still quite cold early morning and late at night, but in the middle of the day, depending on the cloud coverage, if the rays of sun can get through it warms up a lot. It's really really really foggy today, but it's hasn't been too bad otherwise.
I'm still wearing my fall coat, but wearing thick sweaters underneath. I'm always wearing my special homemade mittens which I love, and have gotten many compliments with. Oh yeah, and of course, one of my made scarves too!
Thursday, November 25, 2004
This makes me happy...
I didn't ask permission, but:
*********************
"The Product Rule" to the tune of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before the Calc test, and all through my brain,
Flew images of equations both good and lame;
There was one equation so hard not to forget,
So I read it and read to ingrain it in my head;
I repeated h to the prime of the variable x,
Equals f prime times g, hold on what comes next?
Oh yes, now I add f times the prime of g,
Then solve by expanding, that was easy…
Dong, Dong clangs the clock 12 times in a row,
My comfortable bed is calling me, this much I know;
So, off to bed with a skip and a jump,
I feel relaxed for my throat has no lump;
Now all nestled all snug in my bed,
The equation of the Product Rule danced in my head;
I was ready, so ready for that Calculus test,
I knew, I just knew, I could do best.
*********************
Sometimes the smallest task produces masterpieces.
*********************
"The Product Rule" to the tune of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before the Calc test, and all through my brain,
Flew images of equations both good and lame;
There was one equation so hard not to forget,
So I read it and read to ingrain it in my head;
I repeated h to the prime of the variable x,
Equals f prime times g, hold on what comes next?
Oh yes, now I add f times the prime of g,
Then solve by expanding, that was easy…
Dong, Dong clangs the clock 12 times in a row,
My comfortable bed is calling me, this much I know;
So, off to bed with a skip and a jump,
I feel relaxed for my throat has no lump;
Now all nestled all snug in my bed,
The equation of the Product Rule danced in my head;
I was ready, so ready for that Calculus test,
I knew, I just knew, I could do best.
*********************
Sometimes the smallest task produces masterpieces.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Crutches
Something I noticed awhile back...
Swiss don't have crutches like we usually have. You know, when you break your leg and they give you those things that kill your armpits?!? They don't have them here.
Instead they have those ones that you stick your arm through and sort of prop yourself up on cane/walking stick thingys. Ok...bad description. Forgive me if I'm politically incorrect, but I associate this type of crutch to those who are crippled.
So when I first arrived here, I thought it was odd that there seemed to be so many "cripples" in town, but then I came to figure out that some of these "cripples" have just sprained their ankle or broken their leg or something.
Ooops.
Swiss don't have crutches like we usually have. You know, when you break your leg and they give you those things that kill your armpits?!? They don't have them here.
Instead they have those ones that you stick your arm through and sort of prop yourself up on cane/walking stick thingys. Ok...bad description. Forgive me if I'm politically incorrect, but I associate this type of crutch to those who are crippled.
So when I first arrived here, I thought it was odd that there seemed to be so many "cripples" in town, but then I came to figure out that some of these "cripples" have just sprained their ankle or broken their leg or something.
Ooops.
Improving by diffusion
Hmmm...can you improve by diffusion?
My spins tonight were FAB. I don't know what it is. I mean I haven't been working on them more than usual or anything. I think it's the ice. Or maybe it's the "first-time-back-on-the-ice" after being one and half weeks off syndrome.
My camel spins were bang on. It was weird. I suck at camel spins!
P.S. Not all Swiss spin well...so maybe diffusion doesn't make much sense afterall.
My spins tonight were FAB. I don't know what it is. I mean I haven't been working on them more than usual or anything. I think it's the ice. Or maybe it's the "first-time-back-on-the-ice" after being one and half weeks off syndrome.
My camel spins were bang on. It was weird. I suck at camel spins!
P.S. Not all Swiss spin well...so maybe diffusion doesn't make much sense afterall.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Step in the right direction
So I'm back from the Belgium/Paris trip. It was, of course, FAB.
I will write a separate entry at some point telling all about it, but for now, I'm in recouperation mode until further notice.
Two quick things:
1. I Amelie-d it up this weekend
2. I made my first extravagant purchase. (Yes, yes I did.) Une etole. Cashmere. There's a long winded story behind this one...but I'm very happy.
I like being happy.
I will write a separate entry at some point telling all about it, but for now, I'm in recouperation mode until further notice.
Two quick things:
1. I Amelie-d it up this weekend
2. I made my first extravagant purchase. (Yes, yes I did.) Une etole. Cashmere. There's a long winded story behind this one...but I'm very happy.
I like being happy.
Gotta love a "b"-girl
Thanks go out to a special "b"-girl who sent me some good Canadian warm fuzzies recently. I usually leave the "white hot chocolate, skim milk, no whip" to the professionals, but I will try to fend for myself this time.
Hmmm...b should become a b-girl.
Hmmm...b should become a b-girl.
Monday, November 08, 2004
La Boheme
I went to see my first opera last night. La Boheme by Puccini.
Sure it wasn't at La Scala or the Paris Opera, but it was still enjoyable. For a small town like Neuchatel, it's got quite a nice theatre and a good selection of concerts/events to attend. Much like Kingston. Small town, but with great performances. I really liked taking off on my own to go to the Grand Theatre and listen to the KSO.
I've got a lot of brochures for Swiss companies, so I hope to carry that on while I'm here.
Anyway, so a couple of us went to the opera. It was pretty good. Not really fancy, but nice nontheless. I mean, I don't have anything to compare it to, so maybe it was really crappy, but I enjoyed it. The opera itself is in Italian (which I only know some words from piano scores) but the French cheat notes were projected above the stage. That helped a little, but I obvious didn't understand every word. Opera (and any theatre I guess) is pretty easy to figure out even if you don't know the language. You can basically follow along to facial expressions and physical interactions. Or you can know that there's going to be two people falling in love, or some miscommunication about who loves who and someone's gotta die. The rest is just extra filler.
After the opera, moules and frites! Yum!
Sure it wasn't at La Scala or the Paris Opera, but it was still enjoyable. For a small town like Neuchatel, it's got quite a nice theatre and a good selection of concerts/events to attend. Much like Kingston. Small town, but with great performances. I really liked taking off on my own to go to the Grand Theatre and listen to the KSO.
I've got a lot of brochures for Swiss companies, so I hope to carry that on while I'm here.
Anyway, so a couple of us went to the opera. It was pretty good. Not really fancy, but nice nontheless. I mean, I don't have anything to compare it to, so maybe it was really crappy, but I enjoyed it. The opera itself is in Italian (which I only know some words from piano scores) but the French cheat notes were projected above the stage. That helped a little, but I obvious didn't understand every word. Opera (and any theatre I guess) is pretty easy to figure out even if you don't know the language. You can basically follow along to facial expressions and physical interactions. Or you can know that there's going to be two people falling in love, or some miscommunication about who loves who and someone's gotta die. The rest is just extra filler.
After the opera, moules and frites! Yum!
Dancing
In an attempt to keep active, I've looked into taking dance classes here in Neuch. Last week, I finally attended one.
It's supposed to be a jazz class. Intermediate/Advanced level. It's pretty good. Different from what I expected. The class has been going on since the end of the summer so I just had to follow along to the exercises that the students were already used to doing. The teacher has a really good warm up. Pretty thorough. She seems to do sorta modern-jazz stuff. Lots of contractions, flexed feet, funky arms. I totally wasn't expecting it when the class broke out into a whole Capoeira thing, well I had to laugh. I was doing pretty well at following, but crazy flipping and rolling wasn't going to happen on the first day. It was really neat though. After about an hour of warming up, we did two exercises across the floor and then worked on a dance for about 20 minutes. The class was just an hour and a half long, so the warm-up seemed a little extreme. I would have liked more technique or more time to work on the dance. Although I WAS really warm. (It was a hot studio though, so you couldn't help but be warm.)
I had no desire to take a ballet class although I've done ballet since I was a little kid. It's one of those things that I need time away from, or am just going to put it behind me. I relaly like ballet, but somewhere down the line, the technique just made me not enjoy it as much. Whereas some people like the technique, and work to perfect it, I felt constricted by it. Like I couldn't just enjoy the dancing, all I could worry about was my turnout. I guess that's why I enjoyed "Free Movement" so much. I could just dance and not worry as much about the little things getting in the way. I could feel the music without worrying about my alignment. I also stopped dancing towards the end of high school, and while I danced a little bit in University, my technique is completely gone. In my head, I still see myself as the dancer that I used to be, and so I can't face myself in the mirror while I do ballet anymore. I'm just not satisfied with the reflection that I see. It's almost embarrasing. My mind also remembers what I want my body to do, and how I want it to act, but unfortunately my body's not quite cooperating. I think that for now, I'm only happy doing ballet in the privacy of my own room or surrounded by others who know nothing about me and are at a similar level as me, technically. Sort of like how I really enjoy skating with adults now.
This may all change in a couple years, but for now, I feel like I've completed my time as a ballet dancer. I want to do other styles of dance.
I'm happy that I'm still dancing though. I really do love to dance. Music just gets right inside of you.
It's supposed to be a jazz class. Intermediate/Advanced level. It's pretty good. Different from what I expected. The class has been going on since the end of the summer so I just had to follow along to the exercises that the students were already used to doing. The teacher has a really good warm up. Pretty thorough. She seems to do sorta modern-jazz stuff. Lots of contractions, flexed feet, funky arms. I totally wasn't expecting it when the class broke out into a whole Capoeira thing, well I had to laugh. I was doing pretty well at following, but crazy flipping and rolling wasn't going to happen on the first day. It was really neat though. After about an hour of warming up, we did two exercises across the floor and then worked on a dance for about 20 minutes. The class was just an hour and a half long, so the warm-up seemed a little extreme. I would have liked more technique or more time to work on the dance. Although I WAS really warm. (It was a hot studio though, so you couldn't help but be warm.)
I had no desire to take a ballet class although I've done ballet since I was a little kid. It's one of those things that I need time away from, or am just going to put it behind me. I relaly like ballet, but somewhere down the line, the technique just made me not enjoy it as much. Whereas some people like the technique, and work to perfect it, I felt constricted by it. Like I couldn't just enjoy the dancing, all I could worry about was my turnout. I guess that's why I enjoyed "Free Movement" so much. I could just dance and not worry as much about the little things getting in the way. I could feel the music without worrying about my alignment. I also stopped dancing towards the end of high school, and while I danced a little bit in University, my technique is completely gone. In my head, I still see myself as the dancer that I used to be, and so I can't face myself in the mirror while I do ballet anymore. I'm just not satisfied with the reflection that I see. It's almost embarrasing. My mind also remembers what I want my body to do, and how I want it to act, but unfortunately my body's not quite cooperating. I think that for now, I'm only happy doing ballet in the privacy of my own room or surrounded by others who know nothing about me and are at a similar level as me, technically. Sort of like how I really enjoy skating with adults now.
This may all change in a couple years, but for now, I feel like I've completed my time as a ballet dancer. I want to do other styles of dance.
I'm happy that I'm still dancing though. I really do love to dance. Music just gets right inside of you.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Accessories
I like accessories. I think it's my only way to spruce up my black outfits (becuase who am I kidding, as much as I "try" to branch out, it's not really working out too well).
I like looking at shoes, but always have a hard time finding ones that fit.
Bags are lov-er-ly. If I could have a new bag each day, it would be FAB.
Hats crept in during university...
and now the obsession is with scarves. Yes, you read right, s-c-a-r-v-e-s. Last spring I embarked on a frantic pashmina journey. Some may know of the desire to obtain a specific plaid scarf from a specific British company. I've wanted a touching-the-floor scarf for awhile (recently obtained on a *gasp* impulse buy). I'm looking for a wide (basically shawl-like) scarf. I'm also searching for this shawl/wrap thing that has sleeves (hard to explain - just trust me when I say it's cool).
I just can't seem to get enough of scarves right now...they're everywhere, and all so tempting!
But still, bags have a special place in my heart.
I like looking at shoes, but always have a hard time finding ones that fit.
Bags are lov-er-ly. If I could have a new bag each day, it would be FAB.
Hats crept in during university...
and now the obsession is with scarves. Yes, you read right, s-c-a-r-v-e-s. Last spring I embarked on a frantic pashmina journey. Some may know of the desire to obtain a specific plaid scarf from a specific British company. I've wanted a touching-the-floor scarf for awhile (recently obtained on a *gasp* impulse buy). I'm looking for a wide (basically shawl-like) scarf. I'm also searching for this shawl/wrap thing that has sleeves (hard to explain - just trust me when I say it's cool).
I just can't seem to get enough of scarves right now...they're everywhere, and all so tempting!
But still, bags have a special place in my heart.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Cell phones
Seems everyone here has the cell phones that you can take pictures with. I don't remember it being popular in Canada yet. Has that changed? Or is Switzerland ahead of Canada on cell phone technology?
Belgium and Paris
In exactly one week, I'll be arriving in Brussels.
I'm so exctied for this trip because I've never been to Belgium and I LOVED Paris.
We're flying in to Brussels, doing tourist things like walking tours and visiting the European Parliament, but the highlight of the Belgium part of the trip will be attending the Remembrance Day ceremony in Flanders Fields/Ypres. I'm thinking the experience will be Dachau-esque.
We take the train to Paris and hit up every single tourist go-see possible. I've bascially seen them all, so I'm not as excited about this, although as mentioned before I loved Paris SO much the first time around. I have a couple goals for the Paris portion of the trip:
1. Shop (last time, I spent my whole time visiting all of the monuments and Museums, that I didn't get to shop at all)
2. Find the Paris Opera House (the one tourist place I didn't get to last time)
3. Find the Amelie cafe
and
4. Have a drink at a cafe while watching the world go by. All by myself.
I'm proud to say that I actually like spending time alone. That's not to say that I don't like spending time with others as well, but sometimes you just want to be doing your own thing and not having to worry about anyone else. You know? (Insert one of zillions of "strong-independant-woman" songs here as Miss Jao walks, no wait, *struts* towards the horizon.)
I'm so exctied for this trip because I've never been to Belgium and I LOVED Paris.
We're flying in to Brussels, doing tourist things like walking tours and visiting the European Parliament, but the highlight of the Belgium part of the trip will be attending the Remembrance Day ceremony in Flanders Fields/Ypres. I'm thinking the experience will be Dachau-esque.
We take the train to Paris and hit up every single tourist go-see possible. I've bascially seen them all, so I'm not as excited about this, although as mentioned before I loved Paris SO much the first time around. I have a couple goals for the Paris portion of the trip:
1. Shop (last time, I spent my whole time visiting all of the monuments and Museums, that I didn't get to shop at all)
2. Find the Paris Opera House (the one tourist place I didn't get to last time)
3. Find the Amelie cafe
and
4. Have a drink at a cafe while watching the world go by. All by myself.
I'm proud to say that I actually like spending time alone. That's not to say that I don't like spending time with others as well, but sometimes you just want to be doing your own thing and not having to worry about anyone else. You know? (Insert one of zillions of "strong-independant-woman" songs here as Miss Jao walks, no wait, *struts* towards the horizon.)
Cassis
Cassis is a pretty popular flavour here. Cassis = black currant.
Word association time!
Cassis = roll of gummies found at cashier of Chinese supermarkets.
Someone tell me that they have this memory too?!? I'm positive the only reason I've heard of black currant is from reading the wrapper and eating those wine-gum-ish things.
Word association time!
Cassis = roll of gummies found at cashier of Chinese supermarkets.
Someone tell me that they have this memory too?!? I'm positive the only reason I've heard of black currant is from reading the wrapper and eating those wine-gum-ish things.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Clarification on Red Bull
To save the thoughts of Miss Jao becoming a rebel in her freedom, let me clarify a couple things:
- Red Bull's illegal in Canada because it's a caffeinated non-cola beverage
- I did NOT drink Vodka-Red Bull
I don't feel the need to drink it again...so I'm not addicted to the stuff! =)
In all seriousness though, click for more info on Red Bull.
A super BIG public sorry goes out to anyone who got really worried about me.
I only "experiment" with safe substances! =) Sinalco, Fanta, various brands of bubbly water...and don't even get me started on the weirdness that is Rivella.
Cronch, it's 1.50CHF per can here.
- Red Bull's illegal in Canada because it's a caffeinated non-cola beverage
- I did NOT drink Vodka-Red Bull
I don't feel the need to drink it again...so I'm not addicted to the stuff! =)
In all seriousness though, click for more info on Red Bull.
A super BIG public sorry goes out to anyone who got really worried about me.
I only "experiment" with safe substances! =) Sinalco, Fanta, various brands of bubbly water...and don't even get me started on the weirdness that is Rivella.
Cronch, it's 1.50CHF per can here.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Red Bull
Red Bull is an "energy drink" that is not sold in Canada. I believe it's actually illegal. My only exposure to it before coming to Europe was hearing that some pop stars from the States take it on the road with them and love the stuff.
Red Bull is very accessible here. I finally tried drinking the stuff last night. It's very medicinal tasting. Cough syrup-esque.
My favorite is the fact that on the can there is a warning that states that Red Bull must not be mixed with alcohol. Good thing that Vodka-Red Bull is one of the most popular drinks in the area.
I don't know how much of an effect it had on me. I felt pretty awake all night, but I also didn't wake up that day until 11:30am. I didn't necessarily feel more hyper or anything, but maybe I was and just couldn't tell.
It was ok though...I'd drink the stuff again.
Red Bull is very accessible here. I finally tried drinking the stuff last night. It's very medicinal tasting. Cough syrup-esque.
My favorite is the fact that on the can there is a warning that states that Red Bull must not be mixed with alcohol. Good thing that Vodka-Red Bull is one of the most popular drinks in the area.
I don't know how much of an effect it had on me. I felt pretty awake all night, but I also didn't wake up that day until 11:30am. I didn't necessarily feel more hyper or anything, but maybe I was and just couldn't tell.
It was ok though...I'd drink the stuff again.
Happy Halloween
I hope everyone's having a wonderful Halloween however you're spending it.
Here in Switzerland, they don't really do much. Only recently have businesses realized that it's yet another way they can make excessive amounts of money for almost no good of a reason. Right now they're at the "decorating" phase. That's the extent of how they celebrate Halloween. Trick or treating is basically unheard of.
I went to a Halloween party last night. So much fun. We ended the night out at a local extablishment and danced the night away. It was my first time out to a Neuch club. It was really small, but fun. A nice atmosphere with an older crowd. I guess that's what you get when you're not in a University town eh? Luckily one of the people I was out with had a car, because the bus I needed to get home stops running after a certain time, and cabs are very expensive here. Part of me wishes I lived closer to downtown (sort of like University days). Alas.
Here in Switzerland, they don't really do much. Only recently have businesses realized that it's yet another way they can make excessive amounts of money for almost no good of a reason. Right now they're at the "decorating" phase. That's the extent of how they celebrate Halloween. Trick or treating is basically unheard of.
I went to a Halloween party last night. So much fun. We ended the night out at a local extablishment and danced the night away. It was my first time out to a Neuch club. It was really small, but fun. A nice atmosphere with an older crowd. I guess that's what you get when you're not in a University town eh? Luckily one of the people I was out with had a car, because the bus I needed to get home stops running after a certain time, and cabs are very expensive here. Part of me wishes I lived closer to downtown (sort of like University days). Alas.
A fancy outing
Friday night, we were invited by some local collegues out to dinner. This was a 6 hour affair. That's right, a dinner party for 6 hours.
It started out as a visit to a museum, where we learned about the history of Neuchatel and were introduced to the archives of the city. I think it would have been more interesting if it wasn't friday, and I wasn't exhausted from a long week. My French is so-so, but it still takes effort to listen to someone talking at you for 2 hours. Effort wasn't something I had on a Friday evening. I tuned out rather quickly, because I decided it was worth the minimal effort that was left in my body to focus on staying upright because I could feel my body swaying from fatigue. Also, I'm not very good at standing still for long periods of time, so it took effort to ensure that I wouldn't break out in a song and dance from boredom. I tried though...I really did.
Next was a tour of the city wine cellar. And a 2 hour wine tasting session. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. You'd be proud, I did taste two wines. The first was some random white wine that they served us first. Tastes even worse than I remember wine being. I really felt like puking after a small sip. Luckily there was bread near by to get rid of the puking sensation. On the tour of the cellar, we were offered some 2004 white wine. I know nothing about wine, and how to appreciate it, so the next part will be expremely funny to those who actually know what they're talking about. I like young wine better. Let me explain. First, I was thrown off by the fact the wine was so cloudy, but was told that it just hadn't been filtered yet. I prepared myself with a Tic Tac for afterwards, and took the smallest sip you could imagine. I was darn scared that I'd puke in the middle of our fancy affair. I was prewarned that it would taste acidic. Whatever. So it wasn't as bad as the other wine...I think this is because my brain registered sour (which it can stand) before the aftershock of wine flavour. So my body could accept this wine a little bit more because there was a first sensation that it was willing to deal with. I'm still very thankful that I had that Tic Tac handy. After two hours of small talk and being amazed at the amount of wine consumed, we finally got some dinner.
This is the fanciest restaurant in town aparently. Hotel du Payrou. Does it strike you as odd that the meal only cost 35CHF (taken care of) and a bottle of water with the meal cost 10CHF (not included)? All courses were absolutely delicous. If it was served 4 hours earlier, I'm sure I would have appreciated it that much more. It was still a nice evening and a good chance to work on my French listening and speaking ability.
It was also yet another day that I didn't have to cook dinner, but along with that, not get home until the wee hours of the next day. Being an adult is tiring.
It started out as a visit to a museum, where we learned about the history of Neuchatel and were introduced to the archives of the city. I think it would have been more interesting if it wasn't friday, and I wasn't exhausted from a long week. My French is so-so, but it still takes effort to listen to someone talking at you for 2 hours. Effort wasn't something I had on a Friday evening. I tuned out rather quickly, because I decided it was worth the minimal effort that was left in my body to focus on staying upright because I could feel my body swaying from fatigue. Also, I'm not very good at standing still for long periods of time, so it took effort to ensure that I wouldn't break out in a song and dance from boredom. I tried though...I really did.
Next was a tour of the city wine cellar. And a 2 hour wine tasting session. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. You'd be proud, I did taste two wines. The first was some random white wine that they served us first. Tastes even worse than I remember wine being. I really felt like puking after a small sip. Luckily there was bread near by to get rid of the puking sensation. On the tour of the cellar, we were offered some 2004 white wine. I know nothing about wine, and how to appreciate it, so the next part will be expremely funny to those who actually know what they're talking about. I like young wine better. Let me explain. First, I was thrown off by the fact the wine was so cloudy, but was told that it just hadn't been filtered yet. I prepared myself with a Tic Tac for afterwards, and took the smallest sip you could imagine. I was darn scared that I'd puke in the middle of our fancy affair. I was prewarned that it would taste acidic. Whatever. So it wasn't as bad as the other wine...I think this is because my brain registered sour (which it can stand) before the aftershock of wine flavour. So my body could accept this wine a little bit more because there was a first sensation that it was willing to deal with. I'm still very thankful that I had that Tic Tac handy. After two hours of small talk and being amazed at the amount of wine consumed, we finally got some dinner.
This is the fanciest restaurant in town aparently. Hotel du Payrou. Does it strike you as odd that the meal only cost 35CHF (taken care of) and a bottle of water with the meal cost 10CHF (not included)? All courses were absolutely delicous. If it was served 4 hours earlier, I'm sure I would have appreciated it that much more. It was still a nice evening and a good chance to work on my French listening and speaking ability.
It was also yet another day that I didn't have to cook dinner, but along with that, not get home until the wee hours of the next day. Being an adult is tiring.
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