I know what you did last night

Hum…it’s 5:57am and instead of sleeping I’m writing this. Why? You might wonder. Well, I’m about to tell you.

It all started last evening. I was invited for a dinner at some friends place. Their house is really close to my office so I went there directly from work. We ate tartiflette (man that was good!). At about 11:30 people went home. I ended up having a nice chat with two people. And that until 4am! How did we keep talking that long? I don’t know.
Anyways, I decided to go home. I thought I’ll take the night bus. 20 meters from the bus stop I saw the damn bus passing by. I waved at the driver. He either didn’t see me or chose to ignore me. Either way, I was stuck another half hour at this bus stop. So I decided to walk to the next bus stop. And before realizing it I was walking home…yes, walking! I know that sounds a bit stupid and it actually is quite silly but nevertheless I was on my way. It took me the most of 1½ hour but I made it.
At that point I thought about throwing myself directly into bed but decided against it. I looked around to find some food in the drawer. I made myself some eggs and toasts and of course coffee. Now, I’m watching TV and in about an hour I’ll be going to work. It’s going to be a very long day...

Moving on

I arrived in this country 2 years ago. It is quite a long time but when I think about it, time just went by. Anyways, I thought it was time for a change. I was getting a bit tired of my current job and wanted to try something a bit different …and that’s just what I did! Starting next month, I am going to work for a financial company doing software development. This, actually, is quite a challenge as I join a business I’m not familiar with and with more responsibilities. But it is very exiting. I am really looking forward to showing what I am capable of.

Since I am going to work in London, I will also move away from this beautiful suburb I live in, and that’s the best part of it! I found a flat share in Canada Water. It’s really nice and just by the Thames. A very relaxing place...so it seems.

This is quite a strange feeling to change both job and home at the same time. To be honest, I cannot wait to be settled in my new routine because it is too much change at once.

Shall we camp?

Last weekend we decided to go camping. We left early Saturday morning and headed towards Oxford. The camping was situated right next to the White Horse Hill - some 30 miles outside Oxford. We got a bit lost on the way but eventually reached it. It was quite rudimentary - farm land - but exactly what we wanted.

Then came the moment to assemble the tent - a big 9 person tent :-) -. We, of course, didn't even think about looking at the explanations, no, not for us! So obviously we didn't assemble it correctly the first time, or the second. With all our brainpower combined - a lot of it, I'm telling you :-) - we finally managed to have our tent erected...VICTORY!

It was almost dinnertime, so we started to prepare the bbq. We had a proper bbq as well as a real fire, that was really cool. We ate some good food and drunk a bit - read a lot - around the fire, listening to the music. The evening went on just like that. Some of us went to bed while the others just stayed by the fire....

The next day, the weather was just gorgeous. We woke up quite early and went for a walk on this White Horse Hill. This was really nice, very relaxing. Unfortunately it was already time to pack. We dismantled the tent in no time - that's much easier that way - and packed everything in the car, it was about 2pm. We headed back to London and stopped for a couple of hours in Oxford. We ate and went to a park, enjoying the weather.

We were back in London early evening, quite tired but all happy, at least I think :-)

The beginning of the end

Yes, from today I am not considered a young person anymore. I'm turning 26. Ok, it's not that old but it's a corner stone of life.
I think it's a good time to seat down and look back at what my life has been so far:

I was born on the 26th of July 1979, a great day for humanity! Or so I believe :-)
Anyways, I was a quiet baby, always smiling - so I've been told. I grew up in the North of France in a small town. It was really nice because there was the forest and for a kid it's a great playground.

Then we moved to Brittany (North West). I was 11 years old. It was on the coast, really beautiful. As a teenager, I was still really calm. Well, shy would describe me better. Very lonesome to be honest. I went through adolescent like this. Nothing exiting happening. Overall not much to relate.

On the 23rd of March 2002, my life took an unexpected turn. It was a big slap in the face. The kind that makes you reconsider a lot of things.

Since then I've been trying enjoy my life. Not sure I've been successful. Today, I have good friends, a nice family, a job that is ok most of the time. I'm in good health. So I guess you cannot ask for much more than that.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring but I can at least say that: so far, so good!

Picts from Sicily

I thought I'll share some pictures from my recent trip to Sicily

First, the gang or I should say "The Family":

From left to right and top to bottom: Idris, Cem, Roger, Tiziano, Giovany, Aaron and myself.




Then, the view from our terrace:

Great to weak up with this kind of view.






This one's taken on top (or nearly) of the Etna:

This is one of my favorites

Happy Bastille Day

Today is the French national holiday so I thought I'll give some info about it:

Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

Life is (was) beautiful

Yes, life was beautiful, up to Saturday evening. This is when we landed in London, back from holidays in Sicily.

But let's forget about that and concentrate on the good stuff:

First of all it's beautiful. We rode by train along the north coast for 3 hours between Palermo and Gioisa Marea. It was a very good way to get a taste of the Sicilian landscape. From our so-called "villa" - just a flat in reality - we had a breathtaking view of the surrounding. This is the first thing you get to see when you wake up in the morning....well.....almost. The first thing I got to see was the two other people I was sharing the bed with. Yep, not quite the same :-)

The people. Well, no doubt we are in Italy. When you ask a question you get the information you were seeking and more...much more. Italians love to talk. And quite frankly, this is very enjoyable. The second thing we noticed is how people are hospitable....and business wise at the same time. We were living up the hill so every time we were going to the beach we had to walk down and of course up on our way back. Many times we found charitable souls to give us a lift. It turned out that these friendly people were also local business owners and were trying to attract us to their restaurants or shops. In the end, it's fair enough: they were helping us and we were doing the same by contributing to the local businesses. One day, we even got a restaurant open just for the seven of us at 23h00. We ate too much for a very reasonable price. It was really nice.

The food. Although the restaurant's menus weren't extensive, it was of very good quality. As you would guess, a lot of pasta and pizzas. One thing though: the red wine. They drink the red wine chilly. It's sacrilege for a Frenchman!! Anyways, we ate and drunk a lot :-)

The weather: sunny, hot, and a bit humid. It was great, all I needed. It's good to wake in the morning already knowing that it's going to be a nice day. Something you don't get much on this side of the British Channel.

And of course, my good friends: Aaron, Idris, Cem, Roger, Giovani and Tiziano. We had a lot of fun :-)

Overall, it was a great trip. Very relaxing. So guys, what's next?

I love England

Blue sky, sun shine, 30 degrees...in England? No way.
Well, that was the weather last weekend. Just perfect. It was a beautifull time to be in London my friends. Just perfect. But let's start from the beginning

We are Friday evening. I'm meeting with my holiday comrades to sort out the last details for our trip to Sicily next week (YES!!!!). We meet up in a pub in Sheperd's Bush , the Gold Hawk. After a few drinks we decide to go to a club nearby. After another round of drinks, my head starts spinning around. The atmosphere is good, the music exhilarating. That's really cool....Cem is happy, smiling generously. Everything is good. Later that night, Idris disappears to go to the toilets but does not come back. What's happening? Where is he? In fact, he has collapsed on a sofa nearby. It wasn't his finest hour to say the least. At 1:00 am the club closes so we have to go home. The trouble is that Idris was supposed to give me a lift back but wasn't able to do so. We improvise and all go at Cem's place. It is a long way! Somehow we finally reach his place that will be our final destination for the night. Imagine, 4 people sharing one bed! The worst was that it was very hot in there. Before we sleep we speak of various topics including death, anger, and some others I can't recall. We end up sleeping 2-3 hours before we get off bed. Too hot to sleep. The weather is very nice, sunny as hell! Perfect for a day resting in the shade of a tree, and that's what we are going to do.

After a good breakfast, we gather our stuff and head to a park close by. It's around 10am and we are all tired. Idris is still "resting" at Cem's place, not feeling like doing anything else than sleep. When we arrive at the park we find a nice spot and collapse on the grass. What a nice feeling. The sun is shining. For once, the sun is really the star of the day. We stay there all day. Aaron joines us for lunch and brings along all the necessary for a nice picnic. Well done Aaron! The hours passing by, it's now time to say goodbye to each other. It was a fine but tiring night out.

Weekend in Paris

Last weekend I was in Paris to visit two old buddies from school in St Brieuc (France). We had a very good time.

On Saturday we went skating. The weather was gorgeous. Fred is a beginner, as am I, but he thinks that the brake is for little girls. Surprisingly, he didn't fall as much as you'd expect but he eventually came to agree that the brake was indeed usefull! Anthony is the most experienced of us. So no falls head first in grass .... try to make an effort next time... As for me, countless times I was extremely close to humiliate myself but somehow managed to stay on my feet.

In the evening we went out to the Buddha Bar in the 8th district (http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/paris/buddha-bar-paris.htm). It's a very nice place, unusual atmosphere but very pricey and too packed. After one drink, we decided to leave and wander around in Paris: Champs Elysées, Tour Eiffel, ... I forgot how beautifull it was.

On Sunday, we didn't do much: woke up at 12:00 and play game the rest of the day. We got hooked up to http://www.yetisports.org. It's a couple of great flash games. Check it out!

Then came the time to say goodbye and head back to England. Not the best part of the journey to say the least. Anyway I had a good time and I look forward to our next meeting guys.