Just my luck...

I was on the guest list for The Ivy on Saturday...but trust me to have a bout of food poisoning Friday night!

I felt better Saturday lunch time, and messaged a girlfriend that I found going to the same birthday that I would meet her before the party. 30 minutes later, the symptoms I was suffering all night had hit me again and again and again...

So, I called back to cancel.

Late in the evening another girlfriend calls...pity i'm fast asleep exhausted from the food poisoning. I call her back in the morning on Sunday and she tells me she was on the guest list for The Ivy for a Chanel party and was looking for someone to go with her.

I tell her that I had plans to go too but for a birthday...but my stoopid food poisoning prevented me! We make plans for the next party that is held there...

Its unbelievable that I get hit with this now. I saw my doctor today and i still feel really bad...

I can take today off, but tomorrow and the rest of the week is vital to my project. I am supposed to have an important meeting tomorrow at 1pm too and there is a heap of financials that needs to be completed tomorrow!!!

On the up side, my aunt from NYC has selected a date for her wedding, so I will be heading off to visit her and attend the special occasion. And thankfully enough, its within a 10 days of my friends wedding in Mauritius...

I get to spend time before the wedding in NY and I get to spend time after the wedding in Mauritius.

Tickets arrived today...

My Cirque tickets arrived today...and once again im happy!
hehehe...

*^_^*

I'm also going to the Jason Mraz concert on March 25...thanks to M for buying the tickets for us.

I've got Michael Buble tickets, which i'm still waiting for, to arrive in the mail...

I've got Phantom tickets in my hot little hands too.

I sooo can't wait!

Dralion in Sydney!

I just scored 3 front row seats to Cirque du Soleil in Sydney for Mum's birthday!!!

Her birthday this year is on a Monday, so I bought tix for the Sunday at 1pm. We'll do a brunch and then go watch the show. Bought a tix for Dad too...I have a tendency to do an all girls thing, but as he has never seen it either, it will be a good experience!

I can't believe it, seats 1-3 in row AA.

Its made me all giddy and i'm smiling ear to ear...

Bluetooth...

My older bro just swapped my 6 cd stacker car stereo to a newer model 6 cd stacker car stereo that has handsfree Bluetooth connectivity.

Reason: So, I can pick up my mobile phone calls while i'm driving.

I didn't realise it was such a big deal.

I just don't pick up my mobile if it rings while i drive. I'll ring back after I get to my destination. But obviously, I have missed one too many of my brother's calls that he has taken drastic measures. *LoL*

In some ways, its good...in case I get work calls while im driving...since my mobile has a way of ringing at least once every 10 mins when we've made some changes in the change window on Monday mornings.

***

My Cuz' 21st at World Bar, Kings Cross...oh what can I say...

We managed to get out to Kings Cross and find parking by 11:30pm. Since we were on the guest list, we were in by 11:45pm. Our other cousins who were there from 10pm got kicked out by 11:20pm because one of them was drunk and vomitted...so they were walked out by security.

When we were inside, I was about to buy my Cuz a drink...but there was this Mother Hen instinct that washed over me...I just witnessed her blatantly flirting with an unknown guy who was trying to buy a pack of cigarette at a vending machine...and she has a boyfriend...so, she must have been wasted to be acting that way.

The thing is, I never went out with my cousins before...for a drink or clubbing...so, I didn't know if they drunk alot or not. I think it was just a shock to the system. I'm the oldest of all the girls in my family and obviously I would feel as though I would want to protect each and every one of them.

Its funny...the more I hang around my cousins and my younger brother and his friends for their birthdays or special occasions...I understand a mother's concern for her children. Its completely different to when I get drunk...

Its pretty controlled around me when I drink. Its not in a predatory environment like World Bar where all of my friends are completely pissed off their face either. I'm glad that my friends are reliable. I didn't want to leave my Cuz' 21st, but the cousin I went with and her bf were really tired and were my ride home...so, when they wanted to leave at 1:00am I followed suit.

Did I dance? I barely managed 1/2 of Kylie's latest - Wow, Wow, Wow! remixed in a horrible way...

***

Chloe and I bond over "So You Think You Can Dance"...she use to watch the American series with me when my lil bro's gf downloaded it for me...and now we watch the Australian TV series together. Its quite cute of her...

We also bond over Simpsons, Barbie cartoon movies, Futurama, and wildlife documentaries...oh, and cute Studio Ghibli cartoons.

21st Birthdays...

I remember my 21st birthday...it was pretty big with 100 guests...50 people were friends...50 were relatives...the restaurant gave me a 3-tier birthday cake and we shared the restaurant with a couple who were having their wedding, but I had more guests.

I made a short "Thank you" speech, but no one else spoke about me.

I guess there are some things I wish I could change, but overall, I had a fun time. Especially at the Karaoke after the dinner...

There are a number of people I know who are celebrating their 21st this year. I went to one of my cousin's 21st the other week. It was at Emperor's Garden and because her uncle on the other side of the family is a photographer, it looked as though she was having her wedding. *LoL*

She had a book for everyone to sign it, it was a photo album with professional shots when she went out with the family to Watsons Bay...very similar to a wedding book for signatures...there were name cards for the tables and to top it off, she had a birthday cake that had proper icing!!! (Which I happened to miss out on, because I had to leave early!) =(

I spoke to her the next day and she had an absolute blast...she didn't intend on going out after the dinner, but her friends coaxed her and they did something afterwards.

Tonight I'm going to a club in Kings Cross for another cousin's 21st birthday. Why is she having her party there? I'm not sure...but i'll be there tonight to help her celebrate it! I just hope the rain stays away for the night.

Meanwhile, I asked her what the dress code was and she told me to wear a dress....I asked her what music was going to be played and she said "ugly dance music"...???...I had a complete blonde moment and asked her "is that a new genre that I don't know about because I haven't been clubbing in years?" *crickets in the background*

Then something clicked and I was like "ohhh...ugly, dance music"...*LoL*

And then she warned me that it was Mardi Gras tonight...but I checked online and because of the rain during the day, the Launch party has been moved to 5pm indoors at the Supper Club...I was worried that there would be road blocks, etc...

My younger brother is also turning 21 this year, but in October. Everyone has asked what he would be doing for his birthday...but since my older brother and I had our birthday at the same restaurant, I doubt Mum will organise anything different. Its all about being fair and even with my Mum. The question is, does he want to celebrate like that?

So, back to tonight...I'll be donning my dancing shoes and hopefully the music won't be so "ugly".

Resolutions for the Year of the Rat...

Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it! I wish you good health and immense joy for the new year.

I didn't make any resolutions for 2008 on the 1st of January, so I figured I would make some now.

Lately, I have been feeling as though my mind and heart are in a bitter battle. And I realise that I'm at a crossroad.

I have decided to push on with what I have...with the direction I have started with...and hope that it will all work out sooner or later. Its the same scenario with my degree. I struggled with it, and I battled with myself on whether I should change or just keep at it. And keeping at it ended up being the solution...because of it, I found my direction after all.

So, I'm hoping the same thing will happen here, again. I am hoping that if I continue with what I am doing now and continue to grow with it...then one day it will pan out and I will see something shine on the horizon and I will finally see that I have made the right choice...and realise that it has been the right choice all along.

Truth be told, as always...if I had to make another choice, I wouldn't know what else to choose.

But that bitter battle with myself, that I mentioned earlier, not sure if that one will pan out. And seeing that I am sticking to my guns, well the bitter battle will just have to struggle silently in the dark while I fight on - saving the world! Well, my world at least...

I have been slack with exercising since after being a bridesmaid. I think it took a toll on me. I still really enjoy running, but I just need to get my act together and actually put my running shoes on. So, I will ensure that I exercise at least 4 times a week.

I'm also going to learn how to be calm. I learnt patience while in Europe last year...its time to learn how to be calm in a stressful situation. Lately, I just vent...and venting isn't always healthy.

I'm also going to try and be 50% more of a "yes" person. I can't commit to being a 100% "yes" person...I know I will fail at that...so, I will try to say "yes" at least half of the time.

*^_^*

Paris je t'aime...part quatre...

Last full day in Paris before heading back to Sydney...

We were going to make the most of it. The weather was pleasant, so we walked around more and it was on this day when I realised that I was just seeing the true Paris...on my final full day.

=(

We started the day by visiting the Musee d'Orsay and then we walked through the Jardin des Tuileries. After the garden we went to see the Petite and Grand Palais and I fitted a spot of shoe shopping, before we headed back to the apartment to meet up with the owner to get our security bond back.

Musee d'Orsay was really big and it took up half of the day. We only left because we both got hungry. Its like one of the best galleries if you are interested in Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, et al. I was in awe and was busy taking photos of the paintings (without flash) and statues...as you do...

The most stand out feature I noticed when we walked through the Tuileries was a large tree with gold/orange/brown leaves, all ready to drop off the branches if some strong wind whipped by. It was the true symbol signifying Autumn was in full swing in Paris. It was what I wanted to see. Yes, I saw similar trees at the Luxemburg garden, but this tree was on its lonesome against a backdrop of green grass.

We walked through the garden and exited to Place de la Concorde to see the Obélisque de Luxor. Before we took our happy snaps we had lunch. I got a hot dog and my friend bought waffles...sorta weird to be eating such things in Paris...but thats what we had. *LoL* After stuffing our faces, we became trigger happy and took multiple pictures of the Obélisque.

After taking the photos, we walked down the Champs-Elysées towards the 2 palaces.

The Grand Palais wasn't opened to visitors, so we went to look at the Petite Palais...and we were reluctant to walk around thinking that we had to pay an entry fee, but it was free. We just needed to get a ticket to give it to security guard. I don't quite understand this, but it was free after all, so who am I to complain about their weird procedure?

After walking around the palace and admired in awe the beauty of simple things like the ceilings...we headed off back to the apartment to collect our bond...it was getting late.

We me up with Christophe and asked about places to go for dinner that was moderately priced and opened late on a Sunday night? He suggested Cafe Marley at the Lourve. So, we called and made a reservation and after scoring a table for two, we started to madly pack. We'll more "madly" for me, since I was the one who bought heaps of things.

After packing most things, we headed out to go to the Lourve for dinner. Since it was a clear night, we decided to walk to the Lourve. In total, it took us about 15-20 minutes to walk there. But you don't feel the time, you're too busy absorbing the beauty of the locality.

It was at this point that I noticed the cool stores that were in the area that I didn't get a chance to visit...thats what you miss by catching the Metro to get around. Mental note, have to shop in the stores in the area - next visit!

When we got to the Lourve and found the restaurant, we realised that we didn't even notice the restaurant on the night we came to take pictures of the pyramids. It was right along the courtyard beside the pyramids. We were given a seat facing the pyramids, which made both of us regret the fact that (1) I didn't bring my camera & (2) my friend didn't bring his DSLR.

Can I just recommend, if you ever get the chance to eat at Cafe Marley and feel like something delicious and utterly comforting, please order the risotto with prawns. You know how Americans feel about cheese and macaroni...? Well, this risotto was the best risotto I have tasted in a long time. Mind you I spent a week in Italy and I didn't taste a risotto this good, over there. The risotto was perfect. The right consistency of creaminess, chew and cheesiness. OMG! Really to die for!!! And they didnt scrimp on the prawns either. They were big and fresh and really sweet!

I think i cleaned the plate. The risotto really hit the spot and i was soo full after dinner, but every bite was worth it!

We walked back to the apartment after admiring the pyramids all night and catching the Eiffel glittering once in a while.

Last night in the apartment was pretty sad. Sad in the sense of my own grief...grief that my magnificent holiday was coming to an end. Its a real downer knowing that the next time you wake up from dreaming, you will have to rush to go to the airport.

The holiday was overall travelling at a good pace, but Paris was jam packed and went by in a blur...yet i remember it as decadent and colour...