A 7€ mango

学无止境 : There is no end to learning .

Years after in France, I still get myself into trouble because I didn't know the meaning of certain words, certain situations...

One day I saw some fruits being displayed at the entrance of a shop. My fruit supply was running low so I decided to step into the shop and look around. Besides fruits, it was selling cheeses, canned foods, local products. A woman was buying two mangos and a bunch of fruits. I looked at the price for a cucumber, 1.50€, and I thought it was quite reasonable. Without hesitation, I asked for a mango and went to the paying counter. The bill came out to be 8.50€. I was shocked but proceeded to pay. What the hell, I just bought a 7€ mango!

I got home and told hubby that I got cheated again. He looked at the receipt and pointed to me the words that explained all : "Epicerie fine". This kind of shops sell luxury groceries. Luxury grocery store? Located in the same area as a low cost grocery store? I didn't really understand, but I know I would not step into one in the future.

We were supposed to be away to visit family so I brought the mango and the story with me. Everyone had a good laugh. I secretly hope that the mango would taste heavenly, but no, it was just an ordinarily mango, it was not even organic. Hubby bought a 1.50€ mango the second day and according to him, his mango tasted better than mine. But there is still one question lingering in my mind : why would people shop at this kind of store when the product qualities are not superior to a normal one?

A house : Light at the end of the tunnel or still in an impasse?

In a relationship we always have to compromise. Hubby and I managed to find one on many things even though we come from completely different cultural backgrounds, but there is one thing that has been blocked for the longest time : finding a land to build our future house. There are two main reasons that push us into an impasse on this issue:

Location : Countryside vs suburban

Hubby wanted to live in the countryside, the ideal situation would be to live in a piece of big land, with his neighbor being cows and lambs. That seemed scary to me. I'm not a city girl but I simply couldn't foresee myself living in area surround by no one, especially during winter. What happens if hubby is not around and I'm left with kids, then something bad happened? Beside, living in a countryside means that we have to commute long hours to work, facing traffic jams everyday. I couldn't stand that idea either. What if my kid is sick at school and I have to rush back immediately? And, I hope my children would be able to play with kids in the neighborhood. Eventually I set my limit : no more than 30 minutes travel to work per way; the house has to be surrounded by neighbors. Hubby also set his limits: the land couldn't be less than certain meter squares; it needs to have exposition to the South so that it will have the maximum sunlight; there should be enough space between our house and the neighbors to have some privacy. 

Urban planning restrictions

In France every community has their own set of urban planning rules. For example, in some communities no flat roof is allowed. Hubby wants his house to have a center patio, so most likely the house won't have pitched roof as required by certain communities. We visited several lands, and had to give up because pitched roof was mandatory. Due to this rule we have to exclude a lot of areas, and each time we saw a land that was situated in a new community, we have to check if they accept flat roof / patio. Besides, lands in the city suburban areas have become scarce, the common trends these days are to sell smaller lands, while preserving agriculture lands or natural lands. In rare occasion when we did find one that was big enough, it cost an arm and a leg. 

Over the years, we must have visited over 20 - 30 piece of lands. We did find some that suited our requirements. We felt in love with the very first one we visited, but the whole project was put on hold due to many reasons. We were ready to move to another city for a land that fitted into our budget and requirements, but the community didn't allow a flat roof or center patio. At one point I finally lifted one of my limits, the land situated 45 minutes from my office, and I kind of like the idea of being neighbors with a bunch of cows, while still able to walk my daughter to school. But after verifying with the neighbors, the land was flooded from time to time. Then you have the perfect land but it was situated closed to a highway (too noisy); or close to a high voltage power line (might incur health issues). I was so discouraged that I completely gave up on searching land for years. It didn't help when I heard people buying houses within 1 month of searching, it sounded so easy! Why do we want to build a house instead of buying one then? I know of nobody in Malaysia building their own house. Then I remember, it is hubby's dream of building a house with patio. When it comes to realizing a dream, as a spouse, I could only give my support, I suppose?

Then one day I saw a piece of land close to where we live now, with the size that hubby wanted. He wasn't keen on it as it stretched our budget too far that we simply couldn't afford it. He kept on searching land on his own, and came back to this land. This time he felt that we could probably make it, but I had doubt, so it was on hold again. But then we keep seeing the land, and realized that it might be the right one : I'm 99% happy for the location, he is ok for the size. I'm satisfied as it is located in a new residential area which will be surrounded by houses, he is excited because houses built in the area came with different shape and roof. The only problem is PRICE!

We decided to try it out. We were so disappointed that somebody had put an option on it (reserved the right to buy the land but nothing was signed). We were patient, and managed to put an option on it weeks later. I was elated, so I immediately asked my FIL to draw us a house plan. We went researching on forums on all the construction related issues. I was overwhelmed, hubby was stressed out. Starting from 2013 new houses have to be complied with RT2012, rules that require a green energy installed in the house and good insulation. When the house is built, someone would come to control if the house meets the requirements. With this rule, houses cost around 15% more. We got a quotation from a builder, the masonry work already costed 3 times more than what my BIL had paid. Obviously we are discouraged.

Now the big question : Do we give up the project and go back to square one or we go ahead and reserve the land?

Food : How we show our love differently

Got inspiration to write this post after reading a blog. It was about a father kept giving fish meat to his son even though he himself loves fish. His wife told him to keep some for himself, he replied : " As long as my wife and my son are happy with their food and eat well, I'm a happy man."

This is so typical in my family. Growing up, whenever my mother prepared chicken, me and my brother, the two youngest in the family, would each get a drumstick (considered the best chicken part). Other siblings would share other good parts, my mother would finish the rest. When eating fish, children get the meat, my parents would clean the rest. I don't know if other siblings complained about not getting drumstick, everyone seemed to get used to it. Now that we are adults, we understand that this is a way of showing love to kids. Now the parents are being served the good parts.

Things are handled quite differently in my in laws family. Kids do not always get the good part, but they try to be fair as much as they can. Imagine my shock seeing my FIL quickly grabbed the last tomato and served it to him and his wife, while their children and me would just fill with what was left into our sandwiches. While eating shrimps or oysters, they would divide them by the number of person then place them directly in our plates. My FIL would always make sure that the tarts / cakes are cut equally before serving them. Over the years, I understand that they have to do this if not their kids would complain who's who got to eat a bigger tart / shrimps. And apparently the kids ate like a pig, they finished everything so the parents have to save some for themselves.

No one method is better than the other, it is simply the way you brought up. Now with my daughter, naturally I apply my family method. She can get whatever she likes from my plate. The other day, we were being served different kind of dessert, she chose an apple tart, but she also loved the strawberries in my tart. So I gave her all, she was happy, I was happy. One day I bought a box of strawberry, she finished everything by herself. It was not a problem for me, but hubby was not happy as he wanted some too. I realized that there is a problem, because she doesn't think about sharing, so from there on I make share she leaves some for others. As for hubby, he wasn't the guy that would give very slice of beef in a bowl of beef noodle soup to his girlfriend like some Malaysian guys would do, but now he would share some food that I like from his plate. I don't know how my daughter is going to turn out, as I'm showing her that I love her so I will give her the best part of foods; while her daddy is more like I love you so I would make sure everything is shared equally with you.

10 days in France - Impression on French cuisine

My friend was in France for about 10 days (Lyon & Paris) and these were her impressions / comments about France. This post focuses on French cuisine.

During her training in Lyon, she was invited to taste variety of French foods and wine in different restaurants. She got to discover the three meal courses culture (appetizer, main meal, dessert) and the long dining time. Some of her comments:
Why do French people eat bread at every meal?
I thought French food was presented in big plate but in small portion. But each time I had too much. Once I got a dessert that came with three balls stuffed with chocolate, I thought it was to be shared but gosh it was only for me, how can everyone finish everything?

And then we had this discussion about chicken breast vs drumsticks & wings. In Malaysia people in general prefer drumsticks & wings but in France, chicken breasts are more expensive than drumsticks & wings. Once she got a piece of chicken breast and both her and her coworker couldn't finish it as they didn't like the way it was cooked.

She also discovered the different operating hours of some restaurants in France. We reserved a table in a restaurant in Paris, and we were told that they only open at 8pm. I kind of gotten used to it, but she was very surprised and commented that most restaurants in Malaysia would have already going through several servings at this time. I told her that this is not the worst, at least in Paris some restaurants are open on Sundays, in my city, during Sundays we usually will eat at home as most of the restaurants are closed. Some even closed on Mondays.

Anyway, after more discussions, with another Malaysian joining in, we concluded that French cuisine are in general much more healthier than Malaysian foods, but in terms of taste they are less strong. My friend and me missed deep fried & spicy foods. So she actually asked for Tabasco each time she ate French food. I'm someone who needs fresh fruit everyday so after a day of French food I badly need something refreshing. We were walking around Champs-Elysees and I saw in Quick a small pack of fruit salad was sold at 5€. Don't you have vendors selling freshly cut fruits at very cheap price here, my friend asked me. No. And worst it was Sunday, so Monoprix was closed. We walked and walked and I asked around where in the Champs-Elysees area I can buy fresh fruits. People we asked didn't know. While walking towards Eiffel Tower I finally spotted a shop deep down into a small street selling fruits. What a relief!

Our Malaysian friend brought us to the Jewish area and let us try the falafel sandwich. It suited us very well as we love fried food, and in falafel it has fried chick pea balls plus lots of vegetables, and with chili sauce!!

Bénédictine D.O.M : A marketing success in Malaysia?

Source

We were discussing about Cognac, a variety of brandy, that is popular in Malaysia, but less popular in France. Within my social circle in France, I seldom see or hear people drinking Cognac, while in Malaysia brand like Hennessy, Rémy Martin and Martell are so well known that they become hot gifts during Chinese New Year to business partners.

Then I told my coworkers about Bénédictine D.O.M, one of the confinement tonic for Chinese women in Malaysia after giving birth to a child.  This tonic is produced in France, in the Chinese name it is even called "French Bénédictine". My female coworker said that she has never heard of this, and it is certainly not a practice in France to drink this post-natal. She was even wondering how can the Malaysian women drink it if they are breastfeeding? I wonder the same. It consists of 40% of alcohol, how can breastfeeding mothers drink it?

Anyway, the real question is, why is this drink being included as something nutritious for post-natal women in Malaysia and Singapore, while it is not in the country where is it produced? Is it due to a successful marketing strategy? So the Malaysians and Singaporeans are being fooled then?

PS : According to Wikipedia, United States, Malaysia and Singapore are the three biggest consumer markets for this alcohol.

Three Malaysians in Paris

I had a friend coming to visit from Malaysia. We met in Paris, and a friend who knows Paris very well was touring us around. When three Malaysians get together, we have to talk about food. And when this friend asked if I was craving for Nasi Lemak, I hesitated. I could jump into any Malaysian food anytime since there is no Malaysian restaurant in my city, but I have to think about my friend who came all the way from Malaysia and could have authentic Malaysian food once she goes back. Anyway, thing sorted out as she just had a week dose of French cuisine and she was happy to try something else. So Malaysian food it is!

We chose three menu with the same appetizer and three different dishes (so we can share among us). The appetizer was delicious with freshly prepared curry puff, spring roll and mixed vegetables (taste similar to Lou Sang).

One of the main dishes : Nasi Lemak. The rice didn't have much coconut taste, I think they have to tailor to their French customers. I would give it 7 points out of 10 points, -1 point for the rice, -2 points for the sambal : once again it lacked the coconut milk, but the rendang chicken did taste heavenly.

The second main dish: curry laksa. The verdict : very authentic and scrumptious. The spiciness was just right at my taste. The ingredients were fresh.

I forgot to take photo of our third dish : Chicken satay. I was disappointed though. It didn't have the thick peanut sauce to go with, and it didn't come with a stick. It would probably suit the local better.

Dessert : corn and pandan steam cake.

Anyway, for 19€ per person, it served my craving well. Thanks to my friend who brought us there, and thanks to the other friend who didn't mind spending almost RM100 for these. With this price, I guess she could have gotten 10 bowls of curry laksa or 10 plates of Nasi Lemak in Malaysia.

Restaraunt Langkawi Paris

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Langkawi-Paris/641337495894394

Note : It is a tiny restaurant with 17 seats. It was opened 6 months ago. You could call them in advise to prepare certain Malaysian foods that are not in their current menu.

A Japanese car : a revolution in the family?

One day while arriving at my in laws' house, we saw a Honda CRV parked outside the house. I was very surprised to find out that my in laws bought a Japanese car,as the whole family was a die-hard fans of French cars.

It never occurred to me that this day could come. A Japanese car in the family? That's certainly a revolution. When I bought my car, I wanted a Japanese car with an automatic transmission. And I got a French car with stick. I have always loved Japanese car, because I had a very good experience with my Honda Civic, the first car I ever bought, when I was living in the USA. It seems that automatic cars are more popular in Malaysia and in USA these days, but not in France. Here are the responses from different people concerning automatic car:
A friend from USA : You meant you are still driving a stick? Oh my God!
A friend from France: Why would you want to drive an automatic car, they are for handicap people!

So when I got my French manual car, emotionally I was not happy. But on the practical side, I know my family was right, it would have lower maintenance cost plus a better resale value, compared to an imported auto car. Today, I'm totally comfortable to drive with my car, on the other hand I have lost my skill of driving in Malaysia. Well, that would be another story.

Back to the story. Why the sudden change in my in laws family? They told me that they had no choice. They needed a powerful car as when they go on vacation, this car has to tow along their camping car. And the French manufacturers do not produce these cars anymore. They had visited several car distributors, and this was the only one that has a manual transmission. Well, it will be another revolution if one day they decide to change to auto transmission!

Hubby and I had a very weird feeling while riding the car. We thought we were in Malaysia! Especially hubby, as he remembered he was driving one the earlier years he visited Malaysia, he found it weird that he was not the one driving as he was sitting on the right front seat, the driver seat in Malaysia.

We did celebrate Chinese New Year 2014

We did celebrate Chinese New Year 2014, but after the 15th day of Chinese New Year.

We did it during two weekends with two different group of friends. Both time I prepared Yusheng, a dish created in Singapore and is widely accepted in both Singapore and Malaysia during Chinese New Year, but less popular within other Chinese communities.

I couldn't find some of the ingredients so I simply decorated it with seven type of colorful vegetables. I like the gesture of tossing the dish with chopsticks with everyone around the table. Yes, the higher the better!

Making dumplings with the kids. Preparing dumplings during Chinese New Year is a tradition in North of China, but we had never practiced this in my family (our ancestors were from the South). We chose this dish instead of steamboat so that kids can participate and have fun with us.

We also celebrated with a group of French friends who had been to Malaysia and experienced Chinese New Year there. In the earlier years in France I used to invite people over and prepared steamboat or other Malaysian dishes, but these years I was simply not motivated. Instead they invited us over to celebrate. It was very nice of them, we had a lot of fun and so did the kids.

As simple as 1 2 3

Aelig was watching a Taiwanese cartoon. At one scene it was teaching kids to read Chinese numbers from one to ten. She could read 一二三 (1 2 3), when she saw number four 四, she yelled and said it looked like a 口 (mouth). When the cartoon repeated the numbers, she was furious and told me that the number four was wrongly written! It should be like this like this, she explained to me with writing gestures. I told her that what was shown was the right way to write, but she insisted the other way, and quickly ran to write down what she thought should be the number four : four straight horizontal strokes, a continue series from 一二三 (as shown on the photo below).

lol. If Chinese characters could be as simple as 一二三, then we wouldn't have to spend hours and hours practicing thousand of characters since our early life.

Sometimes she likes to venture into my bookshelf, picking up books and try to see if she could recognize any Chinese characters. With her limited knowledge, most often she concluded that she would have to learn more in order to read those books. Hopefully one days she would be able to read my books.

Confronted with French alphabet prononciation

The same 26 letters, but in French they are pronounced differently compare to English. I didn't get to learn how to pronounce them probably because when I went to the French school here I started at level II. So, one of the biggest challenges while talking on the phone in my earlier years here was to be able to spell my name correctly, in French.

Today, there are certain sounds I still don't know if I pronounce them correctly. I still have problem with "G" and "J", as it seems to me that they sound exactly opposite when pronouncing them in English.

These days Aelig likes to write. She would ask me how to spell certain words like father and mother and she would write them down. One day she asked me to spell her classmates' name, and I couldn't because for some of them I have never heard of so didn't know how to spell. The other day I was deep into my reading so when she asked me how to spell "Elouan", a common Brittany name, for some reason I pronounced the letter "U" in English. She kept asking for confirmation, and finally told me that she didn't know how to write "U", that "U" didn't exist. Ops, I quickly corrected my mistake, and told the opportunity to tell her that in English all these letters have a different pronunciation. Well, she didn't look convince.

She is very keen into names now. She told her father that in his name, there are two "A". It was wrong as there was only one "A" in hubby's name. She revealed that in "PAPA" (father in French), there are two "A". We finally realized that she thought the word father and mother in French is our name. We tried to explain to her but she hasn't quick grabbing the concept yet. And, she writes only in capital letter.

Sadly, she refuses to learn how to write in Mandarin. I don't know when she would be able to write father and mother in Mandarin. It does seem that writing in alphabet is so much easier than writing in Mandarin.

French tolerance 1 : The traveling people IV - Expulsion?

I can't believe it, they actually took our parking spots!

Last week they were occupying the last row of the parking spots, in which most of the time were almost empty. So my coworkers who used to park in that row just moved to the middle row. This row is usually 90% full.

One thing I love working in this office is that we have no problem finding a parking spot. I usually park in the middle row. However, one day, I was surprised to find that the middle row was also invaded by camping cars, they took around 70% of the spots. Some of my coworkers had to park between camping cars, some parked on the side road. At first I parked between two camping cars and I was very worried. While walking towards my office, an owner of a camping car told me to park in another spot. I think he meant well, as parking between two camping cars could cause problem in case they decide to move around.

The photo above was taken before 9am so there were still some spots left. It filled up quickly. Our managers informed us that the property management had sent their protest to the Préfet (police), some of the camping  car owners already got the expulsion notice. However, they have 21 days to leave the place. So meanwhile, we were advised to park in parking lots of other offices around 5 minutes walking distance. 

French laws, or French police, in my opinion, are very lenient in terms of land trespassing. When they are too strict, things could turn into violence, and they get enormous pressure from the medias and public. This leads me to think about trespassing laws in the USA. I once heard that an owner fired his gun when a group of people came to his property for threat or trick during Thanksgiving. The medias condemned him but he had the right to do it. So, what if the property owner fires a gun towards the sky to chase away these camping cars? I think he would be the one arrested.

Counting the days when the camping cars will just be gone and leave us go to work in peace.

French tolerance 1 : The traveling people III

I was chased by a dog today while leaving the office parking lot. A dog belongs to the traveling people, who just settled down on the parking lot earlier this week. I was driving, it barked and followed the car, I was afraid to run it over as I couldn't really see it.

See those camping cars at the back of the parking lot? Most of them have decent cars too.

They were a group here for a while but disappeared for around two three months. After they left, the property management decided to block the access road with a huge dumpster. Well, it didn't do the job, as when they got back, they just used whatever way they could to get into where they wanted to park.

This time there are three main groups : one at the parking lot, one on the photo here, and one parked at the far right edge of this photo.

This group brought along their dogs. See the small wood house? One morning the temperature was at freezing 0°C, I was a bit worried for these little dogs. There were two dog houses for two dogs plus one not on leash (the one chasing me).

I watched a documentary one day, it mentioned that the laws require each city to allocate around 3% of their lands to welcome the traveling people. However, some communities didn't respect it, so the traveling people think that they have all the rights to stay where they want as long as the government didn't provide them enough lands. The documentary followed a group of 150 camping cars, the leader's job is to spot a new location for his group every week. He would out searching for lands that could fit his group, discuss with his team how to make entry to public parks accessible (by moving stones or destroying gates that prevent them from entering). To my surprise though, they do pay electricity and water to the Town Hall where they stay. Most of them work (selling stuffs at market, repair jobs...), and women take care of kids and houseworks.

Look like our neighbors are staying, might as well get used to them, and the dogs.

Two cultures and two ways of living

A while back I had a coworker who just got back from a 3-month training in India. He was sharing his discoveries, his experiences with us. I still remember his face expression when he exclaimed : " most of my team members live with their parents!" It was something so unbelievable and so astonishing for him.

Then I had a chance to talk to an Indian coworker who came to France for a year assignment. She told me that it was the first time in her life she had to cook for herself, eat by herself and do everything by herself. Even when she went to University to further her studies, she was living with a bunch of friends. Her family would come to visit her whenever she missed them. Life was always surrounded by friends and family.

Coming from Malaysia and now living in France, I know where they are coming from. There is no right or wrong, simply a different preference in life. I wouldn't trade off my life living two years with 11 house-mates sharing a 3-bedroom apartment, but I don't know if I could accept living with my in laws, just like many do in Malaysia. When I was studying in France, I discovered that most of the students lived in a studio, a tiny space where everything is included in one spot : bedroom, living room, kitchen. There were many private studios to rent out to students, and in the University hostel, everyone has their own room/space/studio. That was something I had never seen in Malaysia. My University hostel in Malaysia was consisted of rooms with minimum two students. Most people who rented private property would prefer to share a room or an apartment to minimize the rental cost. The University provided tutorial classrooms and the libraries were opened till mid-night. So students had places to go if they wanted to study in a quiet environment.

My MIL told me that in the past, maybe around 40 - 50 years ago, French families used to stay under one roof too. However the society evolves, and French emphasis on their privacy. Who knows maybe in 50 years, the Indian or the Malaysian societies will go through the same path just like the French? That kids would want to leave their parents and build their nest as soon as they go for their higher education?

Morning Ritual IV

 Source

In Morning Ritual III, I had established my own rule when greeting my coworkers in the morning. This rule was challenged several times, but I decided to stick to it. I have gotten used to many rules in France, but I consider greeting people by air kissing or hand shaking encourages virus transmission, especially during winters when cold virus runs rampantly. Starting from autumn, more and more coworkers are down with coughs, sore throats and running nose. Except those with severe coughing, people still hand shake and air kiss each other in the morning, this is something I do not appreciate much.

So, this was what happened. One day I was having meeting with my big boss and a female coworker. The boss came in, air kissed my coworker, then shaked my hand. Maybe he felt uneasy to greet us differently, so he suggested that from that day on he would air kiss me too. My heart immediately said no, so I politely said that in my culture I do not air kiss men. Well, in my culture I simply do not air kiss anyone, but I will be considered rude in France if I don't even air kiss female coworkers.

Well, every company has its own culture. In my company bosses are quite easy going and emphasis less on the hierarchy. However, most of them still shake hands with their female subordinates. I had heard coworkers saying that who and who are air kissing which boss so these who and who are in the gang with the boss. So, air kissing your boss could be interpreted as joining his club or having a very close working relationship.

Anyway, I don't always have time to tell people my rule. For example, right after that meeting with my boss, I met another male coworker in the corridor and guess what? He just came to me and air kissed me, I didn't even have time to tell him that I don't air kiss man. I met him another morning, this time I quickly told him that I prefer hand shaking, and his response was : "oh, you are sick!" Early January we were saying Happy New Year to every coworker. When one coworker came to me, I raised my hand, he asked me if I was sick, I said no, then he said then in this case we kiss. So he just air kissed me lol.

Maybe it is time to loosen up my rule, but air kissing 40++ people in the morning, I'm simply not ready.

December : Cold and festivities

The month of December continues with rain and cold weather, sometimes scraping ice off windshield before going to work. It also marks the beginning of all the festivities.

1. Christmas tree and advent calendar
I did not grow up with these so there is nothing special for me but annoyance. Our tiny apartment is already burdened with toys everywhere, but we still need to make a corner with a tree and a nativity set, as the suggestion of not having any of these was frown upon. The father and daughter probably enjoyed 20 minutes of tree setting up, but the rest of the month I see leaves and Christmas ornaments wandering around the living room, the nativity set messing up with different toys (how about a wolf with baby Jesus?). Nobody but me actually took the time explaining to her the history behind, but I have a very limited knowledge about all these. And, since when eating two three chocolates a day is good for a kid? I love chocolate before coming to France, now I simply hate it. It appears in every celebrations in abundant, I do not hesitate to throw away chocolate bunny or Santa Claus these days because I really have have enough. All these rants just to say that the Christmas tradition has been passed down without the meaning behind, what a waste!

2. Company Christmas Party

This year my company invited us to a circus. This was the first time she watched a circle performance and she was glued to the stage. Her favorite part was during the tigers performance, unfortunately it lasted for merely 5 minutes. The lion was sick else she would had gone crazy.

The party continued with some afternoon snack and a room full of games : for kids and for adults. We stayed for a while to learn some, and she went home with a balloon card game which she enjoys very much.

3. Christmas festival organized by our Town Hall

 The Town Hall organizes a Christmas festival every year. They set up a Merry-go-around, for free. Considering that a round normally costs around 2.50€, you bet we took advantage to the maximum.

We queued up for the carriage. They also had short films and story telling sessions, puppet and art exhibition.

4. Gift hunting
I had been "interviewing" several coworkers on how they choose their gifts. Most of them said that with their kids, they browse through some catalogs and make a list, then send it to the family. Some of them don't give present between adults anymore.We didn't have problem picking up gifts for Aelig, but for the rest of the family, it was a tough task. Family members also asked what I wanted, but at that point I really didn't need anything. They insisted, so I had to come out with something. So Santa did give me a lot of gifts, whether I like it or not.

5. Christmas meals
What I love the most about Christmas is time spent preparing foods with family. It was convivial and enriching. My MIL was the main chef, she was a chef with ideas.

Foie-gras (fattened liver of a duck or goose) was one of important Christmas ingredient. We put a slide of foie-gras on top of a homemade bread, topped with some pan-fried apples and almond slides. I don't eat Foie-gras so she prepared one for me without.

A platter with a combination of cherry tomatoes, mixed nuts, olives and lychee. I prepared this but I made a mistake, I shouldn't have mixed lychee (considered as a dessert) with other appetizers.

Crab meat wrapped with a slide of smoked salmon, sided with mixed avocado and chopped shallots. It took us quite some times to have those crab meats.

The highlight of Christmas Eve : when Santa met the Angel. A neighbor disguised as Santa and brought over a bed sheet full of gifts, all for her. Of course she was elated.

La bûche de Noël (Yule log) made by my MIL. It was not as heavy as those she made previous years. Everyone loved it, it served as birthday cake for the Angel too.

Welcoming 2014 with three full stomachs

Happy 2014 everyone! I hope everyone had a blast welcoming the New Year.

I worked on New Year's Eve. when I got home, I was welcomed by hubby and the Angel. Apparently hubby had been slaving in the kitchen since the morning.

And the outcome? A set of elaborated meal which filled three stomachs to the maximum.

He did take some time decorating the table. He also played songs from my favorite singer Faye Wong.

Me and Aelig don't drink, so he got us a kid champagne. He told me that what we had during our wedding dinner back in Malaysia was this kind of champagne. How embarrassing, I thought the restaurant was offering us a bottle of real champagne!

First appetizer: red pepper stuffed with tuna.

Second appetizer: baked mushroom stuffed with cheese.

Third appetizer: choux stuffed with cream cheese.

Fourth appetizer: baked banana wrapped in ham.

First mise en bouche: verrines. The second mise en bouche was also a type of verrine but I forgot to take a photo.

We needed a break for our stomachs so we danced, and Aelig was lecturing us on something.

Third mise en bouche : shrimps, grapefruits, avocado and some herbs. This was a scrumptious combination.

At that point I was so full that I didn't even have energy to take photos. So I missed a photo on the entrée, which was chicken placed on a leave of endive. Followed by the main course : rice with baked mushroom & salmon.

We concluded the meal with a fruit salad.

A meal prepared with love and a lot of effort. Thanks a lot!

The best gift

My birthday and Christmas fall on the same month, so I get to have double gifts.

I got my birthday gift first. This year my in-laws gave me some money, and asked me to tell them what I bought.

I love reading, but all these years in France, I have never bought a Chinese book from France. I normally got them from Malaysia, our suitcases were heavy with books. Nowadays it is actually very easy to order books from Asia, the only problem is the cost. The shipping cost could be more expensive than the books themselves, that's what stops me. There is one Chinese bookstore in Paris, but they sell very limited (or outdated) selections.

The idea of ordering from Taiwan has been lingering in my mind. Several times I almost clicked the "confirm" button, with books that I so eager to read. I decided that this year I would treat myself with lots of books from an author I admire. I tried to find her books online but there were very few available. I even hoped that they could sell the kindle version, but I couldn't find it in any online bookstores.

So, I ordered 10 books on my birthday. To my surprise, just 4 days later, I got a notice that I missed a parcel. Wow, it only takes 4 days for them to deliever from Taiwan to France! Unfortunately, the distributing company they chose, DHL, does not provide good customer service, in my opinion. I followed the instruction on the notice to schedule a second delivery, I would go to pick it up, but they don't open on Saturday! Anyway, I asked them to deliver to the management office. I went to pick it up in the evening, and I was told that it was not delivered yet. Later I received a call from DHL, saying that they passed by but the management office was closed. Yes they chose to deliver during lunch hour. The woman told me that they could only delivery between 12pm and 2pm, so if I could ask someone in the management office to stay for the parcel. I told her that I have no right to stop someone from going to lunch, and she agreed.

Anyway, the second evening, I got my parcel. I was so excited! I got 6 books for myself and 4 books for Aelig. She loves them. Hubby knows that I read very fast, so he told Aelig that I would finish these books by Sunday. And how right he was, I swallowed 6 books within two evenings and a weekend.

Each book costs about 10€, about the same price for a French novel. So, I told myself, I just need to think that I'm buying books from France. Suddenly I feel so much better, and I hope I have more budget to buy books I love in the future!

A pair of black/white shoes

During summer I bought Aelig a pair of white shoes. She chose it, I guided her to look at many other pairs, but she came back to this one.

Then came the raining season. Each time we went out, I warned her that the wet floor might dirty her shoes. Once, she wore her black shoes, but brought along the white one to her friend's house. Anyway, the shoes became muddy and dirty.

One weekend we went to pick her up from my in laws, we discovered that my MIL has painted the shoes black. I know she did it with good intention, but it just didn't look right. One week later, the black paint was gone, the shoes become ...ugly. But what do I know? When my MIL saw it, she was impressed as she thought they look great!

Nevermind, there are Aelig's shoes, so how does she feel? We told her they look ugly, hubby asked me how could I let her wear the shoes to school. Why won't I? My daughter still loves them, she says they are ugly but she likes them, she has no problem wearing them around. Anyway, I have decided that she has an image to keep at school, so she can only wear them to the sitter's place on Wednesday and during weekend.

This makes me realize how different we are in our judgment on what is beautiful and what is ugly. Also how we perceive certain colors. When Aelig wore her black shoes to Malaysia (a gift from my MIL), my mother was surprised. In Malaysia kids are associated with joy and sunshine, so we like to wear them with colorful clothes. I told my MIL about it, she said that when she went to the shoes stores for kids, black and passive colors were in the majority. True, we were hunting for some clothes for Aelig in Kiabi, we left after five minutes, it was full with black clothes / skirts with a fashion that we don't adhered. We had to go to different stores in Lorient for something more colorful.

The fashion this year in Kiabi Atlantis outlet. We just don't like it.

Black and white are the base color in the Brittany area. It is used in their flag, and in the past women used to wear in black and white. However in my culture, black and white are usually associated with mourning. When Aelig's school had their inauguration ceremony for their new building, they requested students to wear in black and white. I admit I was uncomfortable to see a sea of students in black and white, as if they were mourning for their school instead of celebrating.

I love Brittany butter cookies. The one sold in this box tasted yummy. I thought of bringing them as gifts to friends and family in Malaysia, but I hesitated for the color on the box. Surely Malaysians have been modernized with all the Western influences, for example you will see women wearing black gowns during wedding dinners. However, there remain certain people stick to the tradition, I certainly wouldn't to offend someone with a black and white cookies box.

A blessed couple

About a month ago, a friend told us, with joy, that they are expecting a second child.

Several weeks later, he left me a message and called hubby with extreme excitement, that they are not expecting one, but twins!

We are happy for them, but on the other hand, I couldn’t help but wonder how are they going to handle, financially.

He just stopped working months ago, and is in the process to get an invalidity status.

She is babysitting a kid while taking care of her own two year-old.

Basically, their productive income may not exceed their rent.

And, the fact that they went through medical helps for the pregnancy, it was something planned.

Well, they are in France, he probably gets to enjoy unemployment allowance (if he was laid off).

They may get housing allowance and kid allowance too.

But, I’m not sure if these allowances are sufficient to support a family of three, soon five.

One weekend I invited them over for lunch.

And I noticed how well behaved their two year-old was. Better than my own daughter.

She tidied up the toys, she drunk plenty of water (she has not been introduced juices), she ate properly without throwing food on the floor, she obeyed her parents, there was no fussing or screaming…

And I saw the love expressing from the eyes of the parents.

At that moment, I’m glad that financial issues are not an obstacle for this couple to become parents, no matter how many they wish to have.

That’s the beauty to live in France, the privileges from a socialist system, I guess.

The same thing could rarely happened in Malaysia.

A couple who work part time  in the same case would hardly afford the medical helps for having a kid (except if they get helped from family).

A couple where one of them is unemployed would seldom dare to dream of a second child.

The unemployment help is at minima, so people won’t rely on it.

There is no housing nor child allowance.

So a couple with the same situation would most likely remain childless.

How two distinctive systems can influence the life of people living in it.

I would have to say that my friends are blessed, living in the right system, in their situation.

The power of Work Union

In Septembre, Sephora in Champs-Elysées was ordered by the court to close its shop by 9pm in the evening. It used to open till mi-night.

In summary:
The shop's management wanted to open its shop till mi-night during weekdays, and till 1am during weekends, as 20% of the sales came after 9pm.
The employees agreed to work late into the night as it allowed them to earn more.
The Work Union, who was supposed to represent the employees, fought against this opening hour and went to court.
The court ordered that the shop would close by 9pm.
101 employees of this shop appealed, but the court maintained its verdict.

Yesterday, the 8pm news announced that Sephora's competitor, Marionnaud, has just reopened its shop after renovation in Chams-Elysées, and it will operate till mi-night.  When interviewed, an officer from the same Union said they will bring the shop to court, just like what happened to Sephora. This Union's mission is to flight against working into late hours and working on Sundays.

From these cases, I can see the power of the Union in this country, it is certainly not a market driven economy, where customers are the king. What I don't understand is that who are the Union representing, in the case where the employees disagreed with them? Does it represent the interest or the believe of the French public in general? Did the court make this decision because it believes the 101 employees didn't know what they wanted and the court and the Union should know better?

Anyway, thinking about all the rigid regulations in operating hours here, I realize I spend less when I live in France. Since I can't buy whatever I want at my convenience, I consume at the most necessary. Eating out on a Sunday? Nah, they are mostly closed anyway. Checking out Christmas gifts after work? Nah, they only open until 7:30pm, don't want to flight the crowd and get stuck in traffics. Going grocery shopping on a Saturday? Are you crazy, it would take you forever to pass through the cashier. Conclusion, our shoppings mostly involve grocery, we try to buy other stuffs online, and if I'm running out of a lotion, it can wait.

French tolerance 2 : Destroying public properties during demonstration

We were driving home last weekend from Brittany, and we were warned that some farmers were organizing snail operation (opération escargot) on selected highway. They were protesting against the new green tax which will take place starting 1st January 2014. Basically a bunch of farmers came with their tractors with intention to slow down the traffics.

But this time the Bretons have taken it to the next level, they destroyed gantries, equipments that come with video cameras, which will screen through trucks weight more than 3,5 tons, and later send the truck owners the tax bill. Photo shows a gantry before being destroyed.

A gantry being burned. The protesters gathered some tires around the gantry's leg and burned them.

The fire-fighters putting off fires on a gantry.

They managed to destroyed 5 gantries, several speed radars, and a gate to a local Prefecture. The Prime Minister and Home Minister have urged the protesters to calm down, claiming that going on demonstration is a right granted by the constitution, but nobody should destroy public properties. I have read several articles but non mentioned that the protesters who involved in violence were captured by the police. It seems that French government is too scared to provoke more tensions.

It shocks me that destroying public properties during demonstration is tolerated. I have asked around, people would just shrug and accept that violence could be part of a demonstration. And it's true, I remember high schoolers were demonstrating by blocking school entrances and they did burn rubbish bins in public.

Now I would like to know how much all these cost the tax payers. It seems that each gantry costs more than 500k€. The green tax is now in suspension, if the government pulls off, they would have to pay million in € to the private company they appointed to collect the tax. To put an end to these demonstrations, the government has offered to negotiate, I read that they would propose 15 million Euros to compensate the farmer industry.

So this is how I interpret the whole thing : the government is trying to raise environment taxes to finance road infrastructure. Every truck that transports goods more than 3,5 tons would have to pay taxes. With the demonstrations, the government will subsidy the farmer industry with 15 million € + paying for all the repair costs. All these even out, the government would probably get nothing from this tax. It all comes down to a simple game : we propose a tax, we use the money to shut up those who protest, and we ask those who don't make noise to pay more taxes. Agree?