How to steal a painting from the Louvre

Is what I learned from Jeffrey Archer, in A Matter of Honor (why is there no U in honor?) I'm not gonna tell you though...I'm keeping that secret for myself. lol

Anyway...that was the book I returned without reading the other day. And I'm glad I finally read it! It's really good...though at the end I was rather disappointed about two little matters that weren't cleared up satisfactorily enough...one of the informants is never named (or did I miss an obvious clue?), and another matter, even though highly insinuated, was never confirmed... (sorry, I can't say more without giving out spoilers)

I have also read The Runaway Jury, that I mentioned in the same post. It was really pretty good as well...though it didn't leave me so contented while reading it. I do highly admire the storyline though :)

I think what I like about Jeffrey Archer's books is the humour, the wit (people always mention British wit but I have never managed to differentiate it from other countries' wit), and the little clues scattered over the pages, confirmed in words either in a few pages, or much later. It makes the reading itself so much more enjoyable, even before reaching the end. However, it can be quite exasperating (as in the case of A Prisoner of Birth, and this one as well, I could say) when the book is not yours and you can't exactly reread it at your own leisure...like a few months later. (Aha! Is that a sales strategy? :P )

Next up? Oh, I don't know...I've got three books here but I haven't decided which should be my next target yet...

PS: Oh yeah, and I wanted to mention that the Russian Tsar Nicholas II is turning out to be a writer's favourite subject. (okay, I'm not sure about "favourite", but it certainly is popular) A Matter of Honor touches on the subject, The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry (another really good book, that I don't seem to have written about before, and which I have (yay!)) actually revolves around his death, and even Detective Conan had something to do with his family in the movie The Last Wizard of the Century. I guess that when someone dies and there is a lot of mystery surrounding what they might or might not have done, there is fodder for a story...

Busy bee

Why am I so busy these days?

Because I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I want to go for badminton and/or ping pong 3 times a week, or whenever possible. On top of that, I load my "free weeknights" with whatever activities are available.

And what's more, I no longer have Thursday afternoons free, since I'm working.

And I'm lazy. I don't want to work, I want to read the books I borrowed from the library. Like now, I'm going to read. Bye-bye.

Nah, give you

This is just super-duper cute, I saved the pic but I don't quite know what to do with it so I'll post it.


Read this for full story (and ad, but you don't have to read till the end)

I want Duffy AND the Cornetto!

(If you don't know Duffy, it's a teddy bear Minnie made for Mickey. Hence that shape around the eyes, I say. Full (and long-winded) story about Duffy's origins here.)

You've got it all wrong

You think that I love spending my time finding fault with others.

I don't want to find fault with anyone, or tell anyone off. Sometimes I just have to remind you to do something because otherwise you'll tell me later that you have forgotten. You see me and you immediately go "oops, she's gonna kill me". Do you think I don't have anything better to do than to "kill" you? Snap out of it, my top priority isn't to verify that you have done everything you should.


You think that I take your jokes seriously.

If I don't laugh when you make a joke, sometimes it's just because I don't find them that funny. But you hastily add a "just kidding" like I was gonna eat you up. Nah. Do I look so much like a tigress to you?


You think that I disapprove of everything you do.

When I have nothing to say in particular, I simply prefer listening to others. When I'm silent for a while in a group, you quip that I would never dare to join you again. Why do you read silence as displeasure or a disapproval? Can't I just be more of a listener than a speaker?


You think that I don't drink a drop of alcohol.

I'm not a fan of alcoholic drinks, mainly because I don't find them that good (in taste, I mean). I wouldn't order any alcoholic beverages since I would most probably end up not liking them. But I'm not a teetotaler...I don't mind trying some. You were practically begging me to take a sip of that Coca-Cola to which you had added some whisky. You didn't have to. If you had just offered it to me, telling me what it was, I'd have taken a sip anyway.


You think that I need to be tucked up in bed by midnight.

Sure, I prefer going to bed at around 11. Pretty good time, isn't it? I like to get enough sleep. But that doesn't mean I can't stay up for something important. Or for something less important if I don't have to wake up early the next day. You think I'm a lost cause, you don't even try asking. If you had, I might have stayed longer.


In short, you think that I am inflexible. But even though I have my preferences, I can make exceptions. You just never asked me to.

Oh, and this post isn't meant to tell you off. It's a clarification.

Patience pays

Remember the post about the salted eggs I made? That one wasn't salty enough, and the middle of the yolk was still "normal". I left the second egg another 3 weeks...and ta-da!

Perfect ;)

Six weeks to wait for a salted egg is pretty long, though...that means that the next batch won't be ready till May!

Bad, bad ideas

Mix.fm has the best songs, but the worst community service announcements -_-

Right now there are several of these announcements that get on my nerves...and I just heard two of them in a row. One was a horrible song (probably the singers' fault) about flushing the toilet, and the other was about being careful about playing in water...and guess how they decided to make it? They had a guy come and say "I lost a friend when I was in school. He drowned. ..." And he went on to describe how and ended by telling you to be careful. All this in a wonderfully matter-of-fact tone. What kind of craziness is this?! You lost a friend and you sound like you're telling someone off! At least have the sense to act like you're sad, for goodness' sake!

Oh, and I just recalled another awful song, it goes "why are you so angry with me...", supposedly to support not getting angry and staying zen. What?!! Your advertisement is what's preventing me from being zen!!!

A snowed-in theatre

Here are more photos from Nicole's visit...we didn't only go to the miniature museum!

One of our stops was definitely Fourvière...I believe it was the first (and only) time I went up there when there was snow!

posing (lousily)

Nicole posing (she has this gift for that kind of thing)

to show you that it was at Fourvière (almost-candid shot...Nicole just asked me to turn around and took the photo...which is why I was still rubbing my hands together for warmth)

We wanted to go to the Roman theatres as well...but unfortunately it was closed due to the snow. There was a guard there who stopped us from entering (we arrived from the top), but we pleaded a long, long time just to step past the barrier and take a photo from one position.

It was COLD, I assure you!!

At least I can say now that I've seen these two places covered in snow ^_^

Nicole had a guidebook that said that there was a "legendary" (I quote) indoor market in Lyon. I had never heard of it being legendary before...even though I had heard about it (more because of there being a bus stop with its name than anything else, I think :P ) It is Les Halles Paul Bocuse...we went there to check it out, and saw that it was a kind of "high-class" market. No wonder a pitiful student like me didn't know about it :P

I didn't take much photos there...but here are two that show some of the "high-class products".



There were also some small glasses of entrées and desserts that looked absolutely yummy...costing 2€ each. The glasses were like 2 inches high. :|

Oh, and we saw this guy writing some manuscript in an old part of town. I went to get a closer look...


Nah, it's part of the painted wall I wrote about before ;)

I didn't take much photos during Nicole's visit since it was so cold...I didn't feel like taking my hands out of my pockets! Nicole took slightly more photos...she didn't pass me all of them though, mainly only those with me in them, so these are about the best I've got to show you!

Parting ways

It is a time of the year...for goodbyes again.

This time we had six weeks - no, seven, counting the holidays - extra before parting ways. Not that that has changed much...though it did change a few, maybe insignificant things. Or maybe those little things will change much in the future.

We cannot buy time. One more week and we would be settled down for the end of our final year. Two more days of classes - même pas! - for we only have one more day, the last being reserved for our presentations.

It would be nice to have this hectic period done and over with. But I will miss these times, in a way. Though I don't quite see why. Logical explanations fail, at times.

There are people I would have liked to get to know better. There are people I wonder about, I wonder how it would have been had that choice not been made. There are so many possibilities, so many different turns we could have taken along the way, leading to an infinite number of different endings.

It is ironic that the very people I would have thanked for their presence, didn't even choose to be there in the first place. It is ironic how support came from people I least expected it from, whereas those on whom I placed my hopes were almost indifferent.

Maybe it was just my lousy judgement. But I am convinced that some time ago, this same judgement would have been correct. The fault might lie with me, or with them. But more likely than not, it lies within the circumstances, the little things that change, and silently, stealthily, brings on bigger changes.

But what is past, is past, and there will be no reliving these past months. The time has come, and it is the future we must make the most of.

To end this post, here is a graduation song that Lai Shin shared with me once:

Up and down, present and past

It goes up, but at the same time goes down. Up toward the
sky, and down toward the ground. It’s present tense and
past tense too, come for a ride, just me and you.

What is it?

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ANSWER: A see-saw.

Anger management

I just discovered a few old drafts I had forgotten about. This one seems appropriate for the moment. (I've edited the unfinished draft, of course)

I think I used to be a lot more mild-mannered. Anyway, in my "about me" post, I did mention that some people would say that I never get angry. However, it doesn't seem to be so true any more...instead, people are thinking that I'm angry even when I am not :s

I really used to keep my anger in check. Especially with my friends. With my family I yell like anything. (oops, now that secret's out :P )

But then I realised that I couldn't (or shouldn't) go on like this, because sometimes people don't know that I'm upset and they do the exact same thing over and over again, which in the end makes me really angry, to boiling mad! So I tried to at least show it when I wasn't happy about something.

It's not as easy as it sounds... sometimes you fail to show it once, then the next time you overdo it.

I remember when I was in INTEC, living for the first time in a dorm with other girls. I remember thinking that I had to let my roommates/housemates know if something they did wasn't okay with me, because otherwise we might end up being enemies. (or more like I would end up hating them, because they would be oblivious) My first attempt was probably there, when one of my housemates did something I really cannot stand (some tiny little thing, but that I just don't tolerate). I was trying to show them that I was angry, but without hurting any feelings (without telling them off, without scolding them) and I think I said something like "you don't mind but I mind". Which led them to make fun of me later on -_-

Then some years ago for a group project I got so angry I sent a really angry e-mail to everyone else in the group (which probably went largely unread anyway) I still couldn't bring myself to yell into their face.

I was trying to change for the better. To be more straightforward, to avoid having rage boiling in me, while the other party stays oblivious. But is this really what I want to change into? The problem, you see, is that I think the old me was too mild, too easily bullied.

But I don't like the new me either. I have turned into this old hag who can turn out to be a harmless, kindly old lady, or a wicked witch, depending on my mood.

So lately, I have decided that sometimes silence is the best policy. (You can't be a wicked witch if you don't chant those evil spells, can you?) Except that sometimes it isn't. So sometimes I speak out and then regret it, or else I stay silent and fume...and regret it too.

As they say, everything in moderation.The problem, however, is when you apply that moderation in all the wrong places. Then you end up being wrong all around. Or maybe there are just no right things to do.

Life is so complicated.

Of people feeling the need to justify themselves

There is a light switch at the end of my corridor (at the entrance to my corridor, actually) that started malfunctioning a year or two ago. By "malfunctioning", I mean that instead of having to just press it slightly (normally), you have to hit it just on the right spot, or else it won't switch the lights on (the lights switch off automatically on a timer to save electricity)

But right after that light switch, there is another one (between one and two metres away, I'd say) which functions normally. So after this first one fell "sick", I would simply press it while walking past (which is what I had been doing from the start) and just press the next one if the lights didn't come on.

The weird thing is how some (most?) of my friends react to this light switch. When they come into the corridor with me, sometimes they'd be the one to press the light switch first. And when it doesn't work, I'd go and press the second one (as usual I'd be walking past without stopping) And almost without fail (I say almost but I think it's practically every time), they'd make a joke or an embarrassed remark about not being able to switch on the light.

So keep your mind at peace, people, for it is the light switch that is getting old, not you ;)

~~~~~

(I'm starting to develop a preference for this symbol :P )

And I just finished reading "A Prisoner of Birth" by Jeffrey Archer. Highly recommended! I haven't enjoyed a book so much in ages.

On the subject of books, I read Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" not too long ago...and I was thinking that Dan Brown in one sadistic guy, spending his free time thinking of different, more creative ways of torturing and killing people :| Jeffrey Archer, on the other hand, has several creative ideas on how to trick people while abiding strictly by the law. That was the main story in "Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less", a book that I remember very well because of its ending, and makes up part of the story in "A Prisoner of Birth" as well. What a dangerous fellow...I wouldn't like him to try taking revenge on me :P

Back to that book in particular...I just finished reading it and I already want to read it again to take in the details I missed. This is one beautifully crafted book. (Ma, buy it if you see it cheap :P ) But unfortunately I don't think I have enough time for that...I already returned one of Jeffery Archer's books to the library last week, without reading it, after renewing it online. And I only borrowed four books! Those of you who know me in that respect will know that that is absolutely uncharacteristic of me! Four books in four weeks should be largely in my reading range. Shows how much stuff I had to do... And the library didn't allow me to renew it a second time...I was told to go back later in the day and see whether the book was on the shelf, so as to allow other readers a chance to borrow it. As fair as that is (and I agree that it is), I must say that it was a blow 'cause I was really looking forward to reading that book...so much for saving "the best for last". But I think I should be able to find it next time...English books don't have that many readers here, and neither do novels in a university library (though I could probably say the same about the Kuantan public library, seeing as I often see the same books there week after week :P )

By the way, a quote from the Sunday Times on the back cover of the book says "He's well placed to be the British John Grisham". I just noticed that John Grisham is American and Jeffrey Archer is British :P But I don't care much for Jeffrey Archer becoming the British John Grisham, because I believe I prefer Jeffrey's books. (yeah, we're on first name terms...nah, I'm just tired of typing out full names :P ) Anyway...the second book I borrowed this time (yes, there are only two this time, because I want to go back soon and get that other book, and what's more I don't want a repeat of the previous incident) is John Grisham's "The Runaway Jury". So I guess you'll hear me gushing about it if it's better than "A Prisoner of Birth" ;)

Okay, bye-bye for now, 'cos it's getting long. Haha.

Unsent letters

On Su Ann's blog, she has a category called "unsent letters". This is not an unsent letter, for it was never a letter. But it was unsent. Naturally.

Warning: Dangerous content ahead. Please make no assumptions if you want to stay alive.

Why do I feel like I have lost more than I have gained?

Because it is true.

We used to talk so easily together. And now every conversation is stilted, it is as if we were never actually friends.

When I speak to you, I feel like you can't wait to be rid of me, like I am wasting your time.

What about gain?

There are people I never thought I would be speaking to. But this gain feels superfluous, like a wisp of smoke in the air, compared to what we had. If that did not last, how can I expect this to?

How can I be optimistic any more?

Please do not blame me for my pessimism, for I cannot help it. Like gravity pulls you towards the ground, all that has happened is pulling me towards pessimism.

But I am still alive. And in the meantime, laugh to keep from crying, smile to keep from frowning, for the seeds of optimism are still there.

Optimism in inborn, but pessimism is learned.

Guess what?

Looks good, huh? ;)

Some of you regular readers might remember the "mac n cheese" I made before. This is a twist on the recipe...I had some ham (rosette, actually) and chorizo that had been sitting in the fridge for a while, so I decided to finish both of them up with a variation of mac n cheese. Since the chorizo was already spicy, I omitted the black pepper in my mac n cheese recipe, and on the top I put the two slices of rosette and covered up the top of the bowl with (leftover) raclette cheese.

What really surprised me was how the colour of the dish turned red after baking...the oil from the chorizo coloured it so well! But this dish is less healthy than the "basic" mac n cheese, I guess...because of the chorizo, after eating I found the bottom of my bowl really oily!

And I've found that putting a layer of raclette cheese on top prevents the pasta from drying up too much! (I think it's a problem only when you're using a microwave like I am) I'm using grated emmental cheese for the rest, by the way...it was the only grated cheese (in small packets) that I could find. lol

Of how Pringles is addictive

Some time ago, a friend told me that he had found wasabi-flavoured Pringles in Carrefour (Part-Dieu). So I went to search for it the next time I went there. (I seldom buy Pringles...normally I never go looking for them and I only buy them when I see them on promotion right before my eyes :P )

I discovered three Xtreme flavours:




I only bought the wasabi one...though I was really tempted by those smoking ribs as well! It was really good...with exactly the wasabi taste, so if you like wasabi you're sure to like it! But one weird thing is that it left no aftertaste in the mouth...what I mean is that while the chip with the wasabi powder (seasoning powder, I mean) was in my mouth, the wasabi taste was fully there, as fiery as promised...but after swallowing it you don't feel like you've just eaten wasabi! Which is why, I suppose, I finished the whole can in two days instead of eating it slowly as I intended -_- (what's new?)

I'm itching to buy more, or try the other flavours...but I think I should stay away from the junk food aisle for a while...

It flies, it lies...and then it runs!

What flies when it’s born, lies when it alive, and runs when it is dead?

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ANSWER: A snowflake.

It snowed again yesterday. On Saturday as well, though the snow was half-rain. But yesterday night there was a real "blizzard"... (I mean, it would have been a blizzard if the snowflakes were larger...as it was, the snowflakes were tiny :P )

So we're back to the middle of winter for the moment. Spring is less than a month away...I hope that it won't get lost!

Making a dream come true

In Phoenix , Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, 'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up ? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life ?' Mommy, 'I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.' Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.' Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix , Arizona , where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix . She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards ! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy -- one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots.' 'They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix , so we can get them fast.' Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic's' van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition. The chief replied, 'We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor ? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire ?' 'It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room ?' About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window -------- 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room !! With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, 'Chief, am I really a fireman now ?' 'Billy, you are, and The Head Chief, God, is holding your hand,' the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.' He closed his eyes one last time.

Thanks to Lai Shin for this story! I checked the truth on it online, and it turns out that it's true with a few embellishments.

Kiam kei nui

Three weeks ago, I made salted eggs. Today I tested one of them...


It wasn't salty enough...though the salty taste was there, which means it worked. And the outer part of the egg yolk had the right texture, but not the middle (as you can see from the colour...) I'm leaving the other egg for at least another week...

I blame the low temperature here, by the way...I mean, when the temperature's low, less salt can dissolve in the water and so the eggs need longer to become salty, right?

Will make more soon (once I use up the stuff I have in another jar :P ) Especially as it takes so long...

When a snowball gets really big

Snowballing? More like an avalanche.

Dying of laughter

I wasn't going to write about this, but since it has me rolling over and practically dying of laughter, it is only right that I allow you to die along with me (NOT literally, choi, touch wood, whatever. Jinxes be gone!)

(Be warned, there will be more jokes about "death" in this post, if you are against that, please don't read on)

You see, there was once this little boy, and a very old rabbit. The little boy went to see the rabbit quite often, but the rabbit never heeded him. So one day he decided to run screaming into the rabbit's pen, hoping to elicit a response. And elicit it he did, for the rabbit flopped over and lay still.

Two days later, he was served rabbit for dinner.

(Story slightly embellished for your reading pleasure)

That story alone isn't enough to win a spot on my blog...it is what came afterwards.

Rather cruelly perhaps, I posted a status on Facebook (click to enlarge):


So K probably thought that someone ratted on him, while I knew nothing about his crimes :P (pardon the expression if you don't like it) And I suddenly discovered that there was a second rabbit-killer among my friends... (as if the shock of the first discovery wasn't enough already...if I'm not careful I might be the one having a heart attack! Just kidding, of course)

And since I'm a curious person, I had to ask :P


So now you have the whole rabbit story. I don't know whether it made you laugh as much as I did, but I guess that it's funnier if you know the people involved...

I shall say nothing of the dogs. And as you might have noticed, I am keeping a principle of "NO NAMES". In the unlikely event that you leave a comment, please don't mention any names either (except in owning up ;) ) Or I might have to delete the comment if it becomes too "dangerous"...and I don't like deleting comments.

Oh yeah...glossary:
sembelih = slaughter

The boomerang kick

Check out this great football player:



In one of the video comments, they called it the boomerang kick. LOL!

I saw the video on e-LauGhs, actually...they called it a cloaking device ;)

Of wolfish smiles and hypotheses

Note: If you are not in the know, you probably won't understand this post. Rest assured, you don't have to understand it.

BA m'a fait un grand sourire quand je sortais de la salle de réunion ce
matin. Je sais pas pourquoi il a fait ça, probablement pour me montrer
qu'il m'a vue, vu que j'ai pas dit un mot pendant la réunion et qu'il m'a
pas adressé un mot non plus.

Ou peut-être qu'il voulait pas que j'aïe peur de lui. Mais j'avais juste
rien à dire...

Heureusement que c'était à la fin de la réunion et pas au début...sinon
ce serait tellement un sourire de loup pour mettre à l'aise sa victime
avant de la manger...

Of discrimination or not

It seems that there's another issue in France concerning Muslims. I didn't hear about this on the news (I never listen to the news anyway), I read about it on a friend's blog. This time there are people who aren't happy with some fast food restaurants being halal.

I think Kahuna's take on it is pretty interesting, so I'll let you read it for yourselves. Not to mention that there are a few Indian proverbs there as well...for your general knowledge :P

As for me, I think that sometimes, some people forget what "fighting for freedom" means. People used to fight for the freedom to do something when they were barred from doing something they think they should have the right to do. But just because you have the right to do something, doesn't mean you have to do it. If it does, it means that you have lost your freedom, because you are now barred from doing what you were forced to do in the first place.

Maybe it's complicated the way I put it. But reversal situations are always complicated. Read slowly and you will figure it out. (oh yeah, and I'm not talking about restaurants. Not exactly.)

Rant

I have signed my internship contract THREE. DARN. TIMES! And now I am supposed to fill in that Insavalor form three times as well?!!

I'll explain. I signed the contract the first time with the company I'm working for. Then, since I am actually working in an INSA lab most of the time, the company decided that it would be easier for them to pay INSA and let INSA pay me. Fine. So I signed a second contract. Then last Thursday I went to ask whether GE had received my contract from Insavalor, and they said no, they called up Insavalor and was told that my contract was never received over there. So I signed the contract a third time so that they could send it over again. And each time I sign the contract, there are 3 copies, making 9 signatures in all, as of now.

And that Insavalor form. I had already filled it out when we first found out that I had to sign the contract with INSA. It's just a form with administrative details. I had filled it in on my computer and sent it to my tutor through e-mail. I still have that file on my computer! Last Thursday when I signed my contract for the third time, I filled it out again, by hand this time. And I sent them my RIB (don't ask, I don't want to explain) as well. And now my tutor just sent me the form by e-mail, AGAIN, and asked me to fill it in for tomorrow. I wonder what Insavalor does with their documents...eat them?!!