paris day 3

I want to go to Disneyland. I have absolutely no idea why. I just do. So just a minute ago, I took a look at the ticket prices online. HOLY MOLY. When did it get so expensive?!? $63! And that’s just for 1 day and 1 park. If you want to park hop or whatever, it’s $83 for 1 day. Oh well, I’d still love to go. Maybe when I’m in Southern CA for the holidays…

Had an okay weekend. I got a stomachache on Saturday so I spent a good part of the day in bed. Ugh. I caught up on The OC (really, really liking this season so far) and I watched The Break-Up. HATED IT. There were some funny moments and Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn were good but the whole storyline was… EH. I also went to see Borat today, which was pretty hilarious. I wouldn’t say I *liked* it, though. The highlight of my weekend was getting an iPod nano! Rob got me a 4gb red one as a belated birthday present. I’m going to use this one for the gym. 😀

More Paris…
Sun, October 15: Day 3
After our Parisian breakfast of croissants and coffee (I must have gained about 10 pounds from all the bread I ate!), we were off to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur. (Montmartre is the northern part of the city where many artists reside). We took the Metro (we’re total pros now) and got off at Anvers. I was actually hoping the Abesses stop would be open by now (it’s been closed for renovations). That was the Metro stop featured in the movie Amelie and I just wanted to see it! Maybe next time. 😀 We walked up a hill (huffing and puffing the whole time) that took us to the bottom of the steps leading to Sacre Coeur. We took a breather by the carousel and prepared ourselves for the stairs. I guess we could have taken the funicular up but we were feeling adventurous. As we headed over to the stairs, we were approached by the men who try and stop you to tie a bracelet around your wrist. If they happen to get you, you’re tied to them and have to give them money to be released. They try to convince you to take the bracelet by saying it’s free. We walked away from them quickly (though one of them totally grabbed Rob’s arm) and started the hike up the stairs. It took us a little while (we stopped every time there was a bit of platform) but it was worth it when we arrived at the top. The basilica is absolutely gorgeous and the view from up there was wonderful. We were overlooking all of Paris! We went inside and lit a candle for my mom and walked around admiring the statues and sculptures. As we exited, I noticed that they had those machines that make impressions on coins for souvenirs. Is it just me or is that the *last* thing you’d expect to see in a church? I’ve made them before but at an amusement park!



We walked down to Place du Tertre to check out the artists’ square. There were some absolutely gorgeous watercolor paintings of the Arc and the Eiffel Tower and I was incredibly tempted to purchase one but I decided against it since they were pricey (between 25-50 Euros) and I didn’t know how the heck I was going to take it with me on the plane. We continued our walk through Montmartre and into the Pigalle area (Red Light District) on the way to the Moulin Rouge. Since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed (so weird to me!) but we did find one sex shop that happened to be open. We went in but there was nothing exciting. LOL. Just a few more steps down was the Moulin Rouge! It was so fun to see the famous dance hall and its iconic windmill.



Our next stop for the day was the Marais. We made our way there via the Metro. As we walked up to the street level, we found ourselves at the Place de la Bastille. There’s nothing left of the prison at all so there’s nothing to see. Across the street, though, stood the Colonne de Juillet (memorial to commemorate the deaths in the street battles of 1830) and also the Opera National de Paris Bastille. The Opera completely stood out because it’s made of glass… I actually didn’t like it at all. We continued walking over to Place des Vosges. It’s a beautiful park that’s perfectly symmetrical (nine houses on each side of the square). I just loved all the parks/gardens in Paris. They’re so well-maintained, gorgeous and peaceful.



By this time, we were so hungry. We spotted a Quick fast food restaurant (like the McDonald’s of France) and ordered Supreme Cheese burgers meals. It wasn’t really a very good burger (my all time favorite fast food burger is from In-n-Out) but it came with Coke! And it didn’t cost us $5! Heh. After lunch, we walked along the Rue de Rivoli down to Ile de la Cite. We sat in the Square du Jean XIII, which is a beautiful garden behind Notre Dame. I think I love the back of Notre Dame even more than the front. The flying buttresses are spectacular. Guh.



I wanted to pick up a book to read for the plane ride home so we looked for the English bookstore Shakespeare & Co, which I knew was nearby. What a great little store! It’s TINY. It felt so homey and the employees are really friendly and give you recommendations on books and things to do in the area. I picked up The Time Traveler’s Wife, which a good friend had suggested to me. (I finished the book on the plane and didn’t like it :/).



By this time, we were absolutely exhausted from all the walking so we bought tickets for a 1 hr. sightseeing cruise on the Seine. We sat on top of the boat for a good vantage point of all the sights. The boat passed many of the monuments (D’Orsay, Conciergerie, Notre Dame, etc) but once we got to the Eiffel Tower, our camera battery died after just a few photos! GRRR. I was a bit surprised to see that the homeless population of Paris have tents set up all along the river banks. Some of them looked pretty permanent too. Looking back, though, I’m not sure why I was so shocked. Paris is a big city and all big cities have homeless problems. Still, it was a nice trip down the river and we got to rest our poor feet. After the cruise, we picked up gyros and banana/nutella crepes for dinner and headed back to the hotel for the night.

Up next: the Louvre!

ipod shuffle

I kinda want a new iPod. Damn Apple.

I was perfectly happy with my 30gb iPod until the other day, when they announced the new iPods. Longer battery life, a new search interface, movies/games capabilities and an 80gb model.

80GB! IWANTONESOBAD.

But I won’t. I need to save money… for Paris, for Christmas and maybe for a car (!). I *am* thinking of getting a Shuffle, though. It would be perfect for working out. My iPod can be a little bulky, especially when running, etc.

Speaking of money wasting items, the Nintendo DS Lite is now available in pink in the US. Love it. I’d be able to play Mario Kart! That might just be reason enough to get it. Hehe. Except… NO, I WON’T. I WILL STAY STRONG.

Anyway, it’s Friday night and you know what I’m doing (well, besides looking at things I can’t afford)? I’m sitting here playing with the new iTunes (which rocks, by the way)… going through all 1500 of my songs and downloading album artwork. My iPod screen is incomplete with out! I obviously… WIN AT LIFE. 😀

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

new iPod!!!

I GOT MY NEW IPOD.

!!!!!

OMG, I’m in LOVE. It’s so pretty. And shiny. And the screen is wider. And in COLOR. And it plays videos. And I finally have a click wheel (my previous iPod was old school and had the 4 buttons at the top).

It’s pretty sad how happy I am because of a new toy. I tried to take pictures of it to show it off (hehe) but let’s just say I’m a completely lousy photographer.

*hugs iPod*

Anyway, take a look at Rob’s website. That’s me! 😛

birthday stuff

Ahhh, this year’s birthday has been so awesome. I haven’t done anything extraordinarily special… I’ve just been really happy. And thanks to all of you for your wonderful birthday greetings! 🙂

On my birthday, I got to work and found my cubicle decorated with streamers, confetti, and NEMO balloons! Awww. And the presents! I got a few pairs of earrings from my managers (I’m an earrings freak), a Banana Republic gift card, a cute pink purse, and a pink hoodie (can you tell I love pink? :P). My office even threw me a little “party” that afternoon. 🙂 I was blushing like crazy (I hate the attention) but OMG, the CAKES! I had a Strawberry Shortcake from Neldam’s Bakery and a Chocolate Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. SO. YUMMY. I swear I’ve gained about 10 pounds this week just from all the birthday treats.

I also got a new iPod from Rob because I’ve been complaining about mine. Hehe. My current one is a second generation iPod that has the touch pad menu instead of the click wheel. But OF COURSE, the day *after* my birthday, freaking Apple decides to release the video iPod, which OF COURSE, has 10gb more space AND video capabilities for the SAME price as the 20gb iPod I just received. BOO. So Rob’s going to exchange it for me. WOOHOO. I AM SO EXCITED. I love new toys.

Anyway, my dad showed up last night. He came up here to visit some old friends from college so he calls me and is like “Surprise! I’m here for the weekend.” Uhhhh. I don’t like surprises. I mean, I love my dad but give me some notice! He came over this morning and we had a great dim sum lunch over at the Oakland Chinatown. I stuffed myself silly. I have seriously eaten my weight in food this past week.

So it’s been a good weekend so far (with the exception of the CAL football loss). I hope everyone is having a great weekend as well! 🙂

fall TV schedule

My fall TV schedule kinda sucks. It’s so heavily weighted on Thursdays. I guess the Tivo and VCR are going to get lots of exercise this year…

Sunday
09:00: Desperate Housewives (premieres 9/25)
I’m looking forward to the addition of Alfre Woodard. Not to mention her hottie son, played by Mehcad Brooks. He seriously made me do a double take in the finale last season. YUM.
10:00: Grey’s Anatomy (premieres 9/25)
I was going to put The West Wing on the schedule but I haven’t seen the last season and a half so it’ll probably be difficult for me to figure out what’s what. I follow TWW much better on DVD anyway.

Monday
08:30: Kitchen Confidential (premieres 9/19)
I’m not really a fan of sitcoms but I’ll make an exception for Bradley Cooper. *sigh* I’m a little worried about Bonnie Sommerville, though. She annoyed me to no end on both Friends and The O.C.. :/ Let’s hope she doesn’t make me want to claw my eyes out on this show.
09:00: Prison Break
So far, so good. If it doesn’t work out, I’m only watching for Wentworth Miller anyway.

Tuesday
08:00: Gilmore Girls (premieres 9/13)
Last season really turned this show around for me. I didn’t have high expectations for it considering the disappointment of season 4 (barring the Rory/Dean affair). But I found it to be one of the more engaging seasons. I can’t wait for Luke’s response to Lorelai’s proposal and despite the fact that I dislike Logan, I want to know if his relationship with Rory has continued and how it may be heightening her estrangement from Lorelai. It definitely looks to be a promising season.
08:00: America’s Next Top Model
My Wednesdays are overloaded so I’ll be watching/recording the Tuesday reruns. I hope this cycle isn’t as predictable as the last.
09:00: Supernatural (premieres 9/13)
Jensen Ackles. Should there be any other reason?!

Wednesday
08:00: One Tree Hill (premieres 10/5)
This one’s not definite yet. I still have to watch the finale (which has been sitting on my hard drive since May — that’s how motivated I am to watch it) and then I’ll decide. Last season really killed all the characters for me. Damn you, Mark Schwann.
08:00: The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (premieres 9/21)
So I like Martha Stewart.
09:00: Lost (premieres 9/21)
What happened to Walt? What’s inside the hatch? What do the numbers mean? I need answers.

Thursday
THURSDAYS SUCK. TOO MANY SHOWS, TOO LITTLE TIME.
08:00: Alias (premieres 9/29)
Vaughn better not be a double agent. Or I will be so pissed.
08:00: Smallville (premieres 9/29)
08:00: The O.C. (premieres 9/8)
I love this show so much. Please, please, please tell me it’s recovered from its sophomore slump.
08:00: Everybody Hates Chris (premieres 9/22)
Holy cow. This show looks freaking hilarious. I’ve seen the same promo many, many times this summer and it never fails to make me laugh.
09:00: CSI (premieres 9/22)
09:00: Everwood (premieres 9/29)
Ephram cut his hair!!!
09:00: Reunion (premieres 9/8)
The concept intrigues me. I’ll definitely be giving it a try.

Friday
I still don’t watch TV on Fridays. Not that there’s anything to watch anyway. I mean, Ghost Whisperer? No thanks.

Saturday
See above.
Huh. I just looked over my TV schedule. There’s a lot of shows… I may have to cut back. Damn.

OMG. I want this Harry Potter iPod. I would totally buy it if it wasn’t bundled with the audio books. GRR.

iPod mini

Look how cute!

I have just fallen in love with the iPod Mini. *sigh* Too bad I already have an iPod that I just bought about 6 months ago. It’s just TOO cute though — it’s so small and it comes in COLORS. I want the silver… or the pink… or the baby blue. They’re all so yummy. But *MY* iPod has 11 more GB. Humph. So there.

The O.C. was fun tonight. I think I have officially fallen in love with Luke. He was so cute — playing the guitar, singing, playing videogames, talking so loud. Hee. So adorable… just like the whole Seth/Anna/Summer thing. Hee. I normally don’t like love triangles (see: Dawson’s Creek) but this one is kinda fun. And I just love how Summer sat right between Seth and Anna at the Cohens’ house. She still loves Seth! As for the Marissa/Ryan relationship — I’m not really feeling it anymore. It seems like their story is being bogged down with all the Oliver stuff. Yawn.

my ipod has arrived

I got my iPod!!!

omg, I’m in love with it. It’s all white, and silver-y and just oh so pretty. I have 160 songs on it at the moment, which only brings me up to about 1 gb. 14 gb left to fill! That’s a whole lot of songs. I have to start ripping my CDs. Such fun. New toys rock.

I think I need to get myself to a movie theater immediately to watch Pirates of the Caribbean — if only to understand what the heck everyone else is raving about! I feel so out of the loop. Humph.

impulse shopping

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments on the layout! I really really appreciate it. And yes, the picture I used really is the US cover for OotP. 🙂

So I did it. I bought the Apple iPod (15gb, yay!). I’ve been lusting (hee) after it for quite some time so when I received an $85 coupon in the mail today from Dell, I decided I might as well put the coupon to good use. AND the Dell site was offering free shipping. I mean, with those discounts, it would have been a crime not to buy the iPod. Right?!? The only downside to ordering from Dell is that it takes about 2-3 weeks for delivery. (!!!) I seriously don’t think I can wait that long. I might break from the anticipation.

I just found out that season 1 of Smallville is being released on DVD in late September. Very very exciting — except that season 1 of Alias is coming out earlier that same month. Buying both of these DVD sets will cost me about $100. I definitely need a salary raise.

ps- Lauren, the lyrics are from John Hiatt’s Have A Little Faith In Me.

ipod

I want an iPod. It just looks so cool. Too bad I don’t have $300 to spare right now.

Can’t sleep even though it’s 3am. I guess it’s because I didn’t wake up until 3pm(!) today. Hee. Last night I went to bed around 4 am (hey! Saved by the Bell and Head of the Class were on TV!) and I woke up 11 hours later. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the clock. I give “bum” a whole new definition. So yeah, today was basically a waste. To make matter worse, I had to buy a birthday present and I went to the crappiest mall EVER (aka Hilltop Mall for those you in the Bay Area). I didn’t find anything. I ended up buying the present at Borders, whih unfortunately for me and my time-wasting ways, is a 2 minute walk from my apartment as opposed to the 20 minute drive to the crap mall. Guh.

Seven on Sunday:

Seven things you think you do pretty well
dance, write, listen, organize, waste time (hee!)… eh, that’s it

Six things you can’t do at all
drive, rollerblade, cook, whistle, draw, play an instrument

Five songs you heard recently
Sleeping to Dream – Jason Mraz, Stay – Lisa Loeb, I Miss You – Aaliyah, Nobody’s Fault – Phantom Planet, Comfortable – John Mayer

Four favorite things about spring/summer
warm(er) weather, getting to wear tank tops and flip flops instead of bulky sweaters, no rain (usually), the general laidback feeling of the season

Three celebrities people you’d consider switching sexual preferences for
Eliza Dushku, Natalie Portman, Kristin Kreuk

Two things you want to achieve before the end of this year
get my drivers license, learn how to use PhotoShop properly

One famous person you’d like to be for a day
Natalie Portman