Madrid

I was reluctant to go back to Spain after my previous trip 18 months ago when I visited Pamplona, Zaragoza, and Barcelona. The only thing I enjoyed was the food in Barcelona, nothing else. The endless apartment blocks, dirty streets, and general lack of interesting places to visit made me think I would never return to Spain.

However, lured by a cheap flight, I made my way to Madrid last weekend, giving the country one last chance to impress me. Thankfully, Madrid was nothing like Barcelona, it is architecturally beautiful, there are many great parks worth visiting, the food was generally good, cheap drinks were in abundance, and I had a great time.

The first night was a bit of a disaster as we arrived at the hotel after 1am. We went out to experience Madrid's famous night life but the smokey bars and drunk people everywhere meant we didn't stay out long.

Saturday started with a bus tour to see the major sights and get an idea of what the city has to offer. The Prado Museum, Gran Via, Royal Palace, and the many beautiful plazas were amazing.

Lunch consisted of bar hopping where we enjoyed various tapas and cheap Rioja wine. Patatas bravas, croquetas, and tortillas are popular and my favourites. I'm not much of a drinker but who can turn down a glass of wine for 1.50 euros or at the most 3 euros. I think I was drunk the entire 48 hours I was in the country!

I then had the most delicious cake of my life at an unbelievably popular cake shop at metro Sol. It was so light and creamy. Who knew the Spanish could make cakes 100 times better than the French?

An afternoon siesta was followed by more, you guessed it, tapas and Rioja, with the odd glass of Sangria thrown in for good measure. I don't really like Sangria (does anyone) but hey, when in Rome...

Sunday saw me head back to the famous cake shop for an incredibly delicious chocolate croissant type thing. I briefly considered moving to Madrid based solely on the presence of this shop but I know that would seriously hinder any attempt I might have at losing a few kilos, so moving to Madrid is out of the question.

More sightseeing and a little shopping was followed by more eating and drinking. Lunch included a little paella and an incredible egg and potato dish, which is a local speciality. It's surprising I can even remember what I ate as it was washed down with an entire bottle of wine, shared with my husband, of course, and then a shot of some kind of liquor. How I managed to catch my plane after all that, I'll never know.

Bull

Ferbent wants to get an English Bulldog. I'm not sure it's a good idea...

Last Day in Berlin

The main reason for this trip to Berlin was to celebrate my birthday. Today I'm 34 years old. Bloody old! I don't know where all the years went.

My final day in Berlin was spent walking around Berlin, enjoying the sites, cafes, and speaking with the friendly German people. I really would like to live in Berlin one day. When I leave Paris at the end of this year I'm going to either move to Germany or back to Australia. There is not another option for me.

My birthday lunch was at a Turkish place where I had steaming hot freshly baked bread, every kind of meat they had, rice, potato, salad, drinks. The food was piled high and it was only 15 euros for the two of us. Delicious and a bargain!

Dessert was another kase sahne torte. I normally hate cakes, especially French ones, but I love German cakes! They really know what they're doing and again waaaayyy cheaper than what you get here at a patisserie.

Our Easyjet flight was slightly delayed but we managed to get the last metro and make it safely home. I loved Berlin and plan to go back in the summer when it should be even better. So far I've been to Cologne, Stuttgart, and Berlin, which just leaves Munich on my list of must see German cities. Hopefully I'll make it there this summer also.

Berlin Zoo

Berlin Zoo is supposed to be one of the biggest and best zoos around. I can accept that it might be one of the biggest but I'm not sure it's one of the best. Not that I've been to that many zoos in my time but I think even little old Perth Zoo is better than this. Well, not as far as the variety of animals go but in the way in which they are housed/caged.

Berlin Zoo definitely has some amazing animals, some of which I've never seen before. The number one attraction is Bao Bao, the giant Panda. Bao Bao is worth the admission price alone. Talk about cute!

Also amazing were the gorillas. I'm not sure if I've seen a gorilla before. There are at least 10 of them there and I loved them all. Their faces are so expressive. There are plenty of chimpanzees and orang utans too if you like that kind of thing, which I do.

There are lots of cats on show too - lion, lioness, leopard, puma, jaguar, tiger. Some of the cats seemed to have very small enclosures and they do that thing where they walk in repetitive circles which I hate to see.

The other star attraction is Knut the polar bear who is now all grown up. Very cute and very playful, he didn't disappoint the crowds.

One great thing about this zoo is that there are loads of babies around. Baby giraffes, elephants, lions, gorillas, chimps, bears, and more, so they must be doing something right if the animals are breeding.

Sightseeing in Berlin

Today I just wanted to go sightseeing and eat some lecker German cakes and that's what we did.

We took the same path as our first night here taking in the major sights and snapping lots of photos and video along the way. Places of interest:

• Checkpoint Charlie - where east once met west.
• The Berlin Wall - or what little is left of it.
• Potsdamer Platz - modern new Berlin.
• Holocaust Memorial.
• Brandenburg Gate - need I say more.
• The Reichstag - German parliament building, completely reconstructed after the war. The modern glass dome is a nice touch but not really worth the 1 hour wait to go up.
• Hauptbahnhof - the new super modern central station.
• Unter den Linden.
• Gendarmenmarkt - beautiful square with twin churches.
• Berliner Dom - beautiful cathedral, although it could do with a good clean.
• Alexanderplatz - visit the Fernsehturm TV tower if you have the patience to wait in the queue - I didn't.
• Martin Gropius Bau
• Topographie des Terrors - an open air exhibition on the former site of the Gestapo.

All that walking and sightseeing was followed by another great meal and my favourite German dessert, kase sahne torte. Happy.

Shopping in Berlin

Argh, I hate shopping. I must be one of the few girls born without the shopping gene. Ferbent on the other hand loves shopping and just wants to buy, buy, buy. I feel like a mother out with a small child when I'm with him. No son, you can't have that 5000 euro watch, it's too expensive. No son, do you really need another 5 pairs of jeans. No son, I don't think you're ever going to have the occasion to wear braces.

Let's see how our little shopping spree went.

Ferbent:

• 11 t-shirts
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 pair of shorts
• 1 casual jacket
• 1 pair of casual shoes
• 1 pair of running shoes
• 2 pairs of socks

Andrea:

• 1 bag
• 1 pair of casual shoes
• 1 pair of running shoes

If I hadn't been around he would have bought 5 times as much. Who knows how we'll carry it all back home.

Places to shop in Berlin:

• Alexa
• Alexander Platz
• Potsdamer Platz
• Kurfurstendamm
• countless other places

Lecker

Today started well with a lecker meal in a German bakery. A huge sandwich, a berliner (although they don't call doughnuts berliners in Berlin), and a drink for 4 euros. I was so full I wasn't hungry again until 7pm!

We then took a very touristy hop on hop off bus tour which gave us a good overview of all the sights of Berlin. When the guide was speaking, I couldn't tell when he was speaking German and when he was speaking English - it sounded all Greek to me. We switched buses and then had a great guide so it turned out to be a lot of fun.

We then did a bit of shopping in Kurfurstendamm where I picked up some comfy Diesel shoes to replace the very uncomfortable boots I had on. Note to self: never go on holiday without my favourite super comfy Diesel shoes. All the regular shops are in the Kurfustendamm area as well as a couple of German department stores including Ka Da We, the largest department store in Europe, after Harrods.

We had dinner at what could have been a dodgy kebab place but turned out to be really lecker. Ferbent did manage to spill his beer over my coat, new Brontibay bag, and brand new Diesel shoes so now I smell like a drunk, but anyway, I had a good time.

Berlin

This is my first time in Berlin and have 5 days to explore the huge city. We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into our hotel near Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz, and then headed straight out.

First stop was Potsdamer Platz, a huge square where you can see modern buildings, Europe's first traffic light, and remnants of the Berlin Wall. A short walk from Potsdamer Platz is the Brandenburg Gate. The first thing I notice is that it's much smaller than I imagined it would be but amazing to see nonetheless. It's then onto Unter Den Linden, the most famous boulevard in Berlin, where you pass the massive Russian Embassy, the heavily guarded US Embassy, and the modern British Embassy. Further along there are many historic buildings (often reconstructed after the war), museums, libraries, and Berliner Dom.

Over the river is Alexander Platz and the TV tower. A bit further along we stop for a tasty and very cheap Italian meal with a friendly Albanian waiter who is now Ferbent's best friend ;) We then made the long walk back to the hotel, taking in Friedrichstrasse and Checkpoint Charlie.

I always knew Berlin was much cheaper than Paris but was shocked that housing is sooooo much cheaper. The guy on reception at the hotel told me he pays 500 euros for a 60 sqm apartment and the Albanian waiter is paying 480 for a 70 sqm apartment. Both say they are in really nice areas in central Berlin. I'm paying over 1000 euros a month for 40 sqm. Something's not right!

Juno

One of the things I love about living in Europe is being able to watch the latest 'foreign' films which I'd never get a chance to see in Australia. Of course you can see European films in Australia, especially with the unbeatable SBS and World Movie channels, but it's just not the same. Here, especially in Paris, there are so many great and unusual films showing at the cinema.

Of course, there are plenty of crappy films showing too. However, most of them are American movies rather than European ones. So I tend to avoid Hollywood movies, even if they get a good review. 

I made an exception for Juno and I'm glad I did. It's really my kind of movie and was surprisingly funny. It was so well written, very clever, and then ending was just as it should have been. Worth seeing for sure.

Vans for €10

I happened to be walking past the Vans shop on Friday and couldn't control myself. I had to go inside. You know, just to have a look. I didn't spot anything I liked until I stepped into the little room at the back and what do you know, last seasons Vans for €10! Bargain!

These shoes are usually 40 or 50 so how could I turn that down? I got 2 of course. Other pairs were €12.50 but they didn't have my size. Otherwise I might have gone home with 5 pairs of shoes!

So if you love Vans or just want a pair of super comfy casual shoes then head off to the Vans store on Rue St Honore near Les Halles.

La Fabrique des Sentiments

Finally a semi decent movie after seeing a couple of crappy ones. La Fabrique des Sentiments is about a 36 year old single woman looking for love and struggling to find it:

Eloïse, la trentaine, a réussi sa vie professionnelle. Moins sa vie privée puisqu'elle est toujours célibataire et le regrette. Elle s'inscrit à un speed-dating, 7 hommes, 7 femmes, 7 minutes pour séduire... La solitude, l'indépendance, la séduction: les nouveaux modes de rencontres.

Sometimes I wish I was still single but at other times, like when seeing this movie, I realise what a nightmare it is for people in the thirties looking for 'the one'.

The woman in this movie obviously doesn't have a lot of luck with men but what I don't understand is why she did what she did in the end. I won't reveal the ending in case you are going to see it, but it didn't make sense to me. Some people will do anything to avoid being alone I guess.

The Smashing Pumpkins

I don't go to many music concerts, I never have done really but I'm glad I didn't miss the Smashing Pumpkins last week. They were amazing!!! I love Billy Corgan, he'd have to be one of my favourite song writers of all time.

I've been a huge fan of the Smashing Pumpkins since the early 90s and was pretty disappointed when they broke up in 2000. I hadn't even realised they had got back together until I saw an ad in the metro saying they were going to be playing at Bercy. See, the metro isn't all bad.

I admit I was much more interested in their old songs but I'm old, ya know, and that's how it is. What I really couldn't believe was the stamina of Billy Corgan. He played for 2 and a half hours non-stop! Not one break! Incredible.

Even the support band, Puggy, was great.

I'd love to see both these bands again in the future, maybe next year.

France Telecom Does it Again

I'm on a bit of a blogging blitz at the moment because I haven't had internet access for the last 6 days and so now I'm playing catch up.

I use Orange for my internet access and they showed once again that their customer 'service' isn't up to scratch. I know most telcos have a bit of a bad rep for customer service but FT seems to take the cake.

Here's a timeline of how things went:

• Saturday: Woke up to no internet access. Gave it a couple of hours before calling FT to be sure my connection wasn't coming back.
• Saturday afternoon: Called FT. Spent 45 minutes testing different things which determined it was a problem on their end, which I told them in the first minute.  Technician is to call me Tuesday between 12 and 1pm to fix it. Naturally they don't work on the weekends.
• 5 minutes later: FT girl rings back saying it's a general problem so it should be fixed much earlier.
• Tuesday afternoon: Still no internet access. Glad it was fixed earlier than imagined. Technician rings as promised. Performed the same tests as on Saturday and 45 minutes later confirms the problem is on their end. Makes appointment for a technician to call between 4 and 5pm Tuesday.
• Tuesday at 6:30pm: Technician calls and spends 45 minutes doing tests which confirm the problem is on their end. Glad we sorted that out. Promises a technician will call first thing Wednesday morning to fix the problem.
• Wednesday afternoon: Still no internet access and no call from FT. I call them and customer 'service' says it's only 3pm so I shouldn't be worried - if they say they'll call, they will. Ok, I believe you.
• Thursday afternoon: Some guy calls to see if I my connection is working. It's not. Says the technician is working on it at that very moment and he'll call me back within 30 minutes.
• 3 hours later: I'm back online.

Thanks France Telecom/Orange, you're the best.

Promets-Moi

Asterix isn't the only crappy movie I've seen lately. Last weekend I saw Promets-Moi by Emir Kusturica. I generally can't stand his films but I didn't realise it was by him until the film started. Then it was too late to escape.

I just don't get that kind of humour. It's just silly. I didn't laugh at all. All I could think about was when I could get out of there. I'm surprised I managed to sit through the whole thing. I would have left early if I had been alone, that's for sure.

Astérix aux jeux olympiques

I was physically forced (dragged by my hair) to see Asterix aux Jeux Olympiques the other day, by a friend who has completely different taste in movies to me. I like to see art house films like De l'Autre Cote and Le Grain et le Mulet so you can imagine how much I dreaded seeing Asterix.

So was it it any good? No, OF COURSE NOT, it was complete rubbish! I didn't even laugh once. That's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back. My friend didn't enjoy it either so that's something but now he wants me to see Cloverfield with him. Umm, I'm gonna say no.

Shopping in le Marais

My husband and I have kind of a mixed up relationship where he likes to do girly things like shopping, trying the latest skin care products, taking long hot baths, and shopping (I mentioned that twice for emphasis if you didn't notice).

Me, I like to do stereotypically boy things like play computer games, read geeky internet marketing and computer programming forums, and hang out at the gym.  Oh, and I HATE shopping. Especially during the evil soldes.

A couple of times Ferbent dragged me along to the sales and it was utter hell, especially in the first few days when there were like a billion people shopping at once. He bought a few things and I bought nothing.

Shopping in le Marais on a Sunday is like shopping in the sales because the shops there are the only ones in Paris which are open on a Sunday, so every man and his dog is there.

Ferbent the shopaholic dragged me there last Sunday but at least this time it was worthwhile because I actually found something I wanted, a gorgeous bag from Brontibay. I don't think they have anything I don't like. Thankfully I found out about them from The Late Bloomer.

I also found a cute little store where Ferbent bought a gorgeous jacket at 50% off.  That wasn't too painful.

How to Tip a Hairdresser

I found out just the other day that you're supposed to tip the hairdresser when you have you haircut in France. I had no idea! I'm so hopeless at this kind of thing. It's just not in the Aussie culture to tip so I don't really know how to do it or how much to give.

Ok, so I admit I had a suspicion that you're supposed to tip or I never would have asked the question but now that it's been confirmed I really should figure out how to do it. So if anyone can help me...

1. How much do you tip?
2. Do you tip the person who washes your hair or the person who cuts it or both?
3. Do you give the tip when you pay at the end or when they finish washing your hair or somewhere in between?
4. Help!

Blogs I read

I used to read quite a few expat blogs but I've narrowed it down recently to just my favourites.  I probably should update my blog template to link permanently to these blogs but I'm too lazy. So here's the current list:

• An Aussie Lass
• The Bold Soul
• Le Tigre in France
• Family in Paris
• La Coquette
• The Late Bloomer
• Malaysian in France
• Misplaced
• Ms Glaze
• My So Called Life
• News From France
• The Paris Blog
• Paris Breakfasts
• Paris Musings
• Peregrinations
• Petite Americaine
• Petite Anglaise
• Sam de Bretagne
• Stepping Stones

Facebook

I wasn't really that interested in Facebook when I first stumbled upon it but now I'm kinda hooked. I'm back in contact with friends I haven't seen in over 15 years which is pretty amazing, I think. I'm now chatting with people I haven't seen since primary school! It's kinda weird but fun.

It's also a great way to meet new people. I've met a couple of Aussies who are also living in Paris, a Moroccan guy who lives just down the road who I met through the Neighbourhood application and a French guy who is now my gym buddy.

Add me as a friend if you like and we can chat.

De L'autre Cote

I don't usually like to make plans because they just never seem to work out. I had every intention of going to the Australia Day celebrations last night but at the last minute decided to see a movie instead. I don't know why, I guess seeing a movie is just more appealing than sitting in a pub with 200 drunk Aussies!

Anyway, I'm glad I changed my plans because De L'autre Cote was great. It's a German/Turkish movie set in Hambourg and Istanbul. A lonely old man invites a Turkish prostitute to live with him resulting in disaster. Her daughter is missing as a result of her political acts. A young German girl gets messed up in a situation which turns into a nightmare.

The way I see it, there are a serious of events which lead to one shitty situation after another. Nothing goes right for any of the characters. It's a great story but really sad. Worth seeing for sure.

Distorted

I thought I wasn't photogenic but maybe I'm just not that proficient at using Photoshop.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat4.asp?id=6909

Australia Day in Paris

I can't remember the last time I celebrated Australia Day so that must mean it's about time I did, even if it's here in Paris. I've signed up to go to the Paris Aussie Expat event at Cafe Oz, Grands Boulevards.

I've never been to a Meetup event before and never been to Cafe Oz before so it's all going to be new for me. If anyone is interested in going you'll need the password which some idiot made, "Any chance of getting a drink around here? I'm as dry as a dead dingo's donger!" Nice one.

I've been invited to a FB friend's birthday party later that night. It's in une boite just down the road from Cafe Oz. Nightclubs really aren't by my thing at all but it would be nice to actually meet this guy after weeks of exchanging messages. No, it wouldn't be a date, we're just friends, but he's a nice guy. I doubt I'll end up going though, 11:30pm is a bit past my bedtime.

Only in Albania

For Ferbent. Only in Albania.

Only in Australia

Only in Australia

Yoga

I've been doing a bit of Pilates lately and seeing I really enjoy it, I thought I'd give yoga a go too. I've seen some online videos so I know a lot of the exercises I do in the stretching classes are yoga moves.

I took my first ever yoga class tonight and it would have to have been the worst class I've ever done in my life. I know yoga is supposed to be spiritual and you focus on breathing and all that crap but to start the class with 20 minutes of lying on my back and concentrating on my breathing was a massive waste of time!

In the one hour class we only did 3 yoga stretches! wtf! How is that possible??? I go to the gym to workout not waste my time. Surprisingly that class is really popular but then they are all oldies as was the prof - who was well over 60 and looked liked the only exercise he'd ever done was walk between the fridge and the couch.

I think I'll stick to pilates for now, even if it does cost 10 euros per session.

Kiwi

Is it just me or is this extremely sad?

La Graine et Le Mulet

It's been a while since I've been to the movies. I was at the Champs Elysees today and couldn't resist stopping by one of my favourite cinemas, Le Balzac.

I saw La Graine et le Mulet by Abdel Kechiche. I recently saw another of his movies, La Faute a Voltaire with Sami Bouajila (one of my favourite actors) which was great, so as soon as I saw this movie was by him I had to see it.

The film is about a man in his 60's who loses his job basically due to his age. He decides to open a restaurant but is faced with a severe lack of funds and the typical nightmare that is the French bureaucracy. His family comes together to help him but he is just so unlucky, nothing seems to go right.

The movie was very long at 2 and a half hours but it wasn't really noticeable, although I do think some scenes could have been cut down. Like one scene at the beginning when the whole extended family is at the table eating couscous and there are extreme close-ups of everyone eating and talking. It really wasn't pretty!

The ending was fantastic though, really amazing. This movie is well worth seeing.

Pilates

A few weeks ago I started doing Pilates at my gym. It's not free like the other classes, which is a bit annoying but at 10 euros it's much cheaper than at other places.

Most of the classes are Pilates au Sol which is done on the floor with mats rather than the machines. I really don't see the point in paying for that. The class I was doing was with the machines though and I really enjoyed it.

The instructor I had has now left the gym and it doesn't look like they have someone else to replace him so I don't know if I'll continue with it, without the machines.  I will give it a go but I'm sure it won't be the same.

The loss of T also means no Monday night stretching which I've been doing for over a year and no one gorgeous to check out, hehe. He's going solo and at 100 euros per hour for personal training I can understand why.

Topaz 13/12/2007

I've missed my cats a lot since being away from Australia and was very upset when I recently got the news that Topaz had died. She was 19 years old and had been frail for a couple of years so it wasn't totally unexpected but it upset me a lot anyway.

She was gorgeous - a grey long haired Persian with a cute squashed face. She was extremely friendly and especially loved to have her tummy rubbed. I'll miss her.

Now there is just Jade left. She is 19 too but is in better health. What worries me though is that she is really stressed about losing her sister. She is crying day and night and has started pulling her hair out. I hope she's going to be ok.

Gad Elmaleh

I've been a huge fan of Gad Elmaleh for a couple of years now so was pretty excited when I got tickets to see his show at the Olympia. I don't have any trouble understanding him in his movies or when I've seen him in interviews but his comedy act is a bit difficult for me to understand due to him speaking super fast and using a lot of slang.

I knew it might be pointless to see him live for this reason but I bought the tickets 6 months ago with the hope that my French might improve enough for me to understand most of what was going on. Well, it didn't.

So I saw Gad last night and probably understood less that half of what he said. Poor Ferbent didn't understand a thing! Everyone there was laughing hysterically the entire time and I only got a few of the jokes. I was so upset! What a waste of time and money.

I don't think I'll ever be able to understand French well enough to see that kind of show. I'm so disappointed.

Albanian News

The second site I created for Ferbent is about Albanian news. F is forever on the internet reading the news. He loves to read about anything to do with Albania, whether in his own language or in English. So I figured he may as well make better use of this time by posting the most interesting news stories on his own blog. He's decided to go ahead and do that with his blog called Tomorri.

Again, I hope he will continue to update it often and won't lose interest. He could easily get quite a few visitors to his site if he works at it so fingers crossed.

Albanian Videos

I've created a blog for Ferbent because he's interested in writing about Albania (his country) and especially to show Albanian videos. Albania is a pretty crazy place with completely mad people so it will be interesting to see what kind of videos he comes up with.

He showed me a video the other day of a guy setting himself on fire which was extremely disturbing. People just stood around watching, it was incredible. I didn't really want him to blog about that kind of thing but then again that is what goes on in Albania. It's pretty sad.

Of course there are lots of Albanian music and dancing videos on YouTube as well as videos with photos of the beautiful countryside which I find much more interesting.

This isn't the first time I've created a blog for F so I hope this time he'll post on a regular basis and maybe even earn a little cash for it.

Still Alive

No I haven't been hit by a bus or abducted by aliens I've just been suffering from a bout of blogger fatigue. I am in recovering so it shouldn't be long before I return to regular blogging. Wish me well!

Brand New Apartment

My apartment search has been quite difficult so far. It's not easy when you have a foreign income. It has been difficult finding apartments which are livable, let alone nice, and the couple which I have been interested in have gone to other people.

I'm starting to get a bit desperate so I've started looking with agencies. There are two negatives to this. Firstly, I'll have to pay agency fees and secondly I'll have to do une caution bancaire. Which means 12 months rent put aside by my bank in case I don't pay. I was hoping to avoid this by going direct with the landlord but it doesn't look like that is going to work out.

Finally yesterday I came across the perfect apartment. It's in a brand new complex in Boulogne. I remember commenting to Ferbent a few months ago when they were under construction that it would be nice to live there. They are owned by a company so they are quite strict where the dossier is concerned so fingers crossed they'll accept the documents I've provided them with. They seem happy enough, so long as I do the caution, of course.

The apartment is on the 5th floor, back from the main road. It's 40sqm, 1 bedroom, a kitchen in the corridor, and a large bathroom with a bath and space for a washing machine (albeit a small one). It has real timber floors and good quality fixtures. All that for less than €1000 per month. It's perfect! There are lots available but will they rent to me?

Torrent Sites

Even though I've always known what torrent sites are, I've never used them. I don't know why, I just never really got around to looking at them I guess. Seeing French TV is crap and I never get to see any of my favourite shows, I'm going to start downloading them.

I'm going to use the Pirate Bay to download torrents. I'm interested in show such as The Sopranos, The Amazing Race, Kath and Kim, Law and Order, and some other show which I'll never admit to, hehe. I know some of these are available on Canal+, such as The Sopranos, but now I can get the latest episodes before they air.

First of all I downloaded uTorrent. Then I protected my IP by downloading and setting up this blacklist in uTorrent. I'm not sure if I did that correctly but we'll see. Then I followed the tips for downloading torrents.

I'm currently downloading The Sopranos but it looks like it's going to take at least half an hour to complete so I don't know if I've done everything correctly.

I'd be interested to know who else views their favourite TV shows or movies this way and what software they use to do it. Let me know...

Funny Girls

I had to renew by gym membership today which resulted in a typically difficult conversation in French/English.

One girl asked my something about my husband which I didn't quite catch so I asked her to repeat it. So then she tried to tell me in English but I couldn't understand a word she said. Then the other receptionist, a complete bimbo who still can't remember my name after one year, tried to tell me in English but I couldn't understand her either, LOL.

So I'm like, just speak in French, but speak slowly, but they insisted on speaking a mixture of French and English which was impossible to understand. They're quite nice, funny girls but such bimbos it's unbelievable.

I wish French people would speak to me in French but slowly and clearly, I can understand everything then. It's nice that they want to speak English with me but it's really not necessary. I always reply in French anyway. How else am I supposed to learn?

So I am now €2000 poorer but I'm set for another year at the gym

Apartment Hunting in the 16th

I saw 3 apartments last week. One horrid one in Boulogne on one of the busiest avenues in the area. Then I saw 2 in the 16, both within walking distance to by gym, which is very important.

The first was in rue Chanez which is the same street as the gym. Maybe that is too close but it doesn't look like I"ll be getting it anyway. The apartment was marginally nicer than others I've seen, the kitchen was probably usable and the shower room was typically hideous but could possibly be cleaned up. At €938 for 45sqm it was a bargain. I would have taken it but I guess the owner didn't like my dossier. What a surprise.

Next was a 50sqm 1 bed at Mirabeau, also in the 16th for €1100 per month. It was very filthy but the owner was having it repainted and was going to replace the kitchen cupboards so it was going to be ok. It had beautiful oak floorboards and high ceilings and from the bathroom you could see the Eiffel Tower. She was happy with my dossier but she said she would probably rent the apart to the person there before me.

So I missed out on all 3 counts.

I've only got a month or so before I have to be out of here so things are starting to get tight. I"ll have to start looking in other areas now or maybe go with a real estate agent, even though they charge huge fees.

So far I've been using the Pap but the competition is making it tough, especially with my weak dossier. Fingers crossed for this Thursday.

Club Med Gym Palais Royal

Note to self, never go to the Club Med Gym at Palais Royal again. It's too gay! Really, it's not fun at all when all the guys are checking out each other rather than me! hehe

Other reasons not to go:

• it's filthy
• it's very small
• the machines are ancient
• there are not enough cardio machines
• they don't have the machines I like
• it's in the 1st and I don't live there
• it's filthy

I've been wanting to try out different gyms so I will know if I should be searching for an apartment in other areas. So far the gym in the 16th , where I normally go, is the best. I really don't want to move from there.

Experimenting

Just trying out something different as part of my marketing efforts. Feel free to ignore this post.

If you are interested in a free online bingo site then go ahead and check the link.

Embarrassed

There is a retoucherie near my house where I go quite often with Ferbent's clothes (he seems to be constantly buying jeans). So I kind of know the guy who works there and lets just say he, well, likes to chat to me. Ferbent is usually with me (retoucherie guy never says a word to Ferbent, hehe) so I don't mind but today I went alone to alter some of my clothes.

I intentionally went in the afternoon because I know the girl is usually working at that time. This was the case today so I quickly changed into my new jeans. The girl started serving someone else so I was just standing there waiting when retoucherie guy came back from lunch or wherever he was.

So I was hoping to avoid him but instead I had him fiddling around my legs pinning my jeans. I was so embarrassed I'm sure I went bright red. I know there wasn't really any reason to worry but I just hate the way he looks at me.

He went to Australia a couple of months ago and every time I see him he goes on about how wonderful Australia is and he asks me 1000s of questions. I'm happy to respond and practice my French a little but I do get a little shy when he asks me so many things.

I know he's harmless and in fact he is quite charming, in his own way, but I was still embarrassed with him touching me even if he barely touched me and it was completely professional.

At least he's friendly. No one else in the shops around here talks to me. Thankfully on Friday I'll just be picking up my things and I won't have to get changed knowing he's just behind the curtain.

Grim

My first day of apartment hunting was pretty grim. I saw 3 apartments for rent and they were all terrible.

The first apartment was in the 16th near metro Jasmin. I like this location because it's close to the gym where I go and I don't really want to change gyms. At €1150 per month for 45 sqm, I expected it to be in fairly good condition but that couldn't be further from the truth.

The apartment had old, mismatched carpet, was in desperate need of painting, had an old kitchen with no oven, and an extremely filthy bathroom with ancient fittings. Not to mention there was no sunlight and probably wouldn't be any during the day. The only good thing the landlord could say was that it looked over the wealthiest mansions in Paris. Yay, that's important.

Apartment number 2 was in the 12th near Bois de Vincennes. I don't want to live anywhere near there but was curious to see what you get for €840 per month. I got there quite early and there were already 30 people waiting to view it. I counted at least 60 people in line by the time the owner opened the apart for viewing. Pretty much all those in line were students. My budget is up to €1200 per month so I won't bother looking at any of these kinds of apartments again. It was 45 sqm with a disgusting kitchen and bathroom, again.

Apartment number 3 was in Boulogne, 55 sqm one bed, close to Parc des Princes. It was in a very secure, high class building, at the back of the block, away from the road. It was extremely quiet, which is very important, and on the 4th floor. When I walked in I was taken by how much light there was. Huge windows, white walls, and real oak flooring. The bedroom was the same. Unfortunately, the shower room was so filthy, with no light, no fan, no mirror, no cupboards, no shower screen, mould everywhere and the kitchen wasn't much better. It needed completely redoing. There is no way it could be cleaned up. It wasn't livable. At €1100 per month I expected more.

I really can't imagine who would rent any of those apartments. All the bathrooms and kitchens were unusable in my opinion. Even with some serious cleaning I wouldn't spend even one night in those places. Some people seemed pretty eager to rent. Just how desperate are they? We're talking about toilets which were black with dirt (or I hate to think what). I felt sick just looking at it.

I'm viewing another place tomorrow night in Boulogne. It's a great location, close to all the shops I regularly visit, and it's at the back of the building so it should be quiet.

Another possibility is a small one bed, 38 sqm, in Sevres Babylone for €1100. That is pretty much a dream location for me. It's on the ground floor but at the back with a small garden. The woman told me the kitchen and bathroom are in very good condition but who knows what that means. She's reluctant to rent to me because of my foreign income and she said she'd call me back to make a time to view the place. I think that means I'll never hear from her again.

First Trip to Nice

On the train trip back from Rome, we stopped off for a couple of days in Nice. It was my first time there and really enjoyed it. It wasn't has hot and sunny as I would have liked but it wasn't cold either.

The old city is a great place to explore although a lot of the shops are geared towards tourists. That isn't that surprising but I had hoped for a little more. The rest of the city is great to walk around too and of course the main event is walking up and down the Promenade des Anglais.

The restaurants and generally quite upmarket and while not cheap, the food was great. I had one of the most delicious pizzas there, much tastier than what I had in Rome days earlier.

The city is quite small, too small for me to live in I think, but it is on our list of possible places to live. Ferbent applied for a job at the Ibis were we stayed as they just happened to be looking for a maintenance man. I don't know if I want him to get it though.

It'll be much nicer once they finish all the work on the tramway. Maybe in 6 months it'll be all cleaned up with the new tram silently moving people around.

Rome Again

Ferbent's mother lives alone in Albania. Being Albanian means it's very difficult to travel as they need visas for pretty much every country. It took 6 months and about a billion documents for her to get an Australian tourist visa a couple of years ago to visit us in Australia.

However, it seems that having the Australian visa in her passport makes it easier for her to now get other visas. So she applied for a Schengen visa at the Italian Consulate and got it almost immediately. We thought it would take a least a couple of months so were caught off guard a little. The big problem being, where was she going to stay? We only have a studio apartment.

We quickly gave notice on out apartment but I've yet to start looking for a new place. I hate the thought of having to call people to look at overpriced apartments and then have them laugh at my flimsy dossier. The Particulier a Particulier comes out tomorrow so I really should start looking then.

Safura's visa stated she had to enter Italy before the end of August. So I booked flights for us to go to Rome with Vueling and we checked into one of the crappiest hotels I've ever stayed in, the Hotel Primavera. It was filthy with the most disgusting towels I've ever seen. At €90 for a triple room it was way overpriced. The old hag working there refused to return my passport until I paid extra for the air conditioning which had already been included in the price. Only after I yelled at her did she return it. What a cow. I must admit the location was fantastic though. Right next to Piazza Navona and a short walk to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Vatican, and Trastevere.

Ferbent and I spent one night in Rome and then he went to Bari to pick up Safura. Her ferry had been cancelled so she got a later one and different arrive until 10pm. They then got a lift back to Rome and knocked on my room door at 5am, exhausted. The stupid hotel doesn't have 24hr reception so they were stuck outside for a while ringing the bell until they got the owner out of bed. He was less than impressed, not surprisingly. If the 2 new mobile phones had arrived which I had ordered 3 weeks earlier then we wouldn't have had that problem. That'll teach me to buy something from a French website.

The 3 of us then did the hop on hop off bus tour and showed Safura around Rome. I think that was my 5th trip to Rome which is really more than enough. I do love the city but I've seen everything now. I couldn't get over how many tourists were around, especially those in groups. I was really disappointed with the food. I always remember the food in Rome being great. This time it was mediocre at best. It was cheap though. Around €5 for a pizza margharita and sometimes as low as €3.

After a few days we got a slow, crappy train to Nice and I was happy to be out of dirty, heavily polluted Rome. Ok, the pollution was probably due to the numerous fires surrounding the city but anyway...

Stuttgart

I only chose to go to Stuttgart because I got a really cheap ticket. I wanted to go to Germany but was hoping to go to Munich or Berlin but I couldn't resist the €20 ticket on the TGV.

I thought Stuttgart was going to be a dull, grey, industrial city - seeing it's the home of Mercedes and Porsche and other big businesses. It's funny how perceptions can be so different from reality. Stuttgart is a really pretty city and so green. It's actually one of the greenest cities in Europe.

We stayed at an Ibis hotel, a 20 minute walk from the centre. It's only 2 stops on the very efficient tram so that was a perfect place to stay.

The public transport in Stuttgart is not only efficient but very, very clean and with huge seats. Not at all like the Paris metro where everyone is squashed into little seats in filthy trains. It was expensive though, more expensive than Paris. However, I only paid once. After that I just looked for the inspectors before getting on! Naughty I know...

What is there to do in Stuttgart? In order of importance:

1. Eat berliners.
2. Eat creamy cakes.
3. Sit in the beautiful parks.
4. Sit in cafes.
5. Go to the Mercedes Museum.

In other words, it's a great place to sit around, relax, and just generally take it easy. My kind of holiday!

I'd definitely recommend doing the city tour when you first get there. You get to see all the main sites plus go up the 150 storey television tower which gives great views over the region.  You can also get good views of the city from the tower at the Hauptbahnhof. It's free to go up and you can see the vineyards which surround the city and all the pretty houses. No nasty highrise apartments anywhere!

Four days was too much to stay in Stuttgart so we did a day trip to Tubingen, one hour and €20 on the train. What a gorgeous little town! Very pretty half timbered houses, beautiful squares and parks and a castle which looks over the town. Well worth a visit.

Looking for a New Apartment

I gave notice on my apartment the other day, so we have 3 months to find something new. Something bigger, in a better location, and for less money! Well maybe not for less money.

Ferbent's mother is coming to live with us for a while. She'll be here next month and will stay for 3 to 6 months. So we're looking for a large one bedroom although a 2 bedroom would be ideal. I'm not sure if the budget will stretch that far though.

I've already seen a couple of 50sqm apartments in Boulogne for under €1000 per month which is a good sign. One has just been renovated and the other is brand new, which is very appealing. I'm not sure I want to stay in Boulogne though. I'd much rather be in Paris.

Ferbent is talking about moving to the suburbs, like on the train line!!! No way! It's bad enough being in Boulogne but at least we're on the metro here so it's not so bad, it doesn't really feel like the suburbs. Plus we are really close to Bois de Boulogne which is really nice.

Other discussion have involved moving to Germany and recently moving to Cyprus. Ferbent works in hotellerie so he could easily get a job in Cyprus and the rents are super cheap but really, I can't see myself in a small city on a remote island (it'd almost be like being trapped in Perth again). It would be ok if I could easily travel from there but going anywhere would mean flying (which I don't like) and it's expensive to fly anywhere. So I think that option's out.

Still we might take a quick trip to Cyprus to see what it's like. We both love Greek food and the Greek way of life but I think it might be too touristy for us. I found an all inclusive holiday for €495 each for 7 nights in early September so I might book that.

All of Paris is on holiday at the moment so obviously it's not a good time to be apartment hunting. I'll probably wait until next month to start my search.

Why is Germany so Cheap?

So on my recent trip to Strasbourg, I made a quick stop over the border to the small German town of Kehl. I was quite surprised to see that the products on sale there were significantly cheaper than in France. I mean there were huge differences in prices.

I just don't understand how this is possible. I noticed it when we were in Cologne earlier this year too. Bread, sandwiches, drinks, toiletries, all at huge discounts as soon as you cross the border. It's not like the salary is lower in Germany, if anything it's higher. So why do they get products so cheap? I can only imagine it's due to lower taxes.

Some examples of the price differences:

Body Spray: France €4.25 | Germany €2.99
Shampoo: France €3.40 | Germany €1.99
Hair Dye: France €11.95 | Germany €7.95
Body Wash: France €2.40 | Germany €1.59

Cake: France €3-4 | Germany €1.50-2.50 (and for 3 times the size).
Berliner (donut): France €1.50 | Germany €0.50 (and 3 times the size).

So why am I living in this super expensive city, this super expensive country?

Strasbourg

My second trip on the TGV Est was to Strasbourg in the east of France, on the German border. I wasn't expecting too much because I thought it was going to be a very small city with not much on offer but actually that is not the case.

First surprise is that it's a really beautiful city. The historical centre is on a kind of island surrounded by canals. The typical houses are what they call half-timbered houses which can be seen everywhere and they centre around the huge pink sandstone cathedral.

There are loads of bars, cafes, and restaurants serving local and international food. There are a number of local beers and wines worth trying. I really enjoyed the Alsacian rosé wines I tried. The restaurants were quite touristy but the quality was fairly good and the prices reasonable.

The people were very friendly, not at all like your stereotypical French! They were for the most part happy to speak English with us and almost everyone spoke German to the thousands of German tourists who were visiting.

Cars are generally not allowed in the centre so the canal boat ride was the only tour on offer. The boat meanders around the canals giving great views of the pretty houses and gardens and well as the modern European Parliament and related buildings. The tour was well worth it, even if I did get a little sunburnt.

One thing to watch out for with all the canals around is giant rats. I was quite surprised to see one peacefully swimming along. It looked like a seal, it was that big. I'd heard about these giant rats in the Canal St Martin but was quite shocked when I actually saw one for myself. Someone told me the name of this common rodent but I didn't quite catch it so I don't know what it is called in English.

What I didn't realise is how close Strasbourg is to the German border. It's only 3 or 4 kilometres away. Ferbent and I love to walk so we walked over to the border. There wasn't much to see on the way there because you have to go through the port and an industrial area but it was nice when we finally got to the border, the Rhine River. There are parks on both sides of the river and we noted how much cleaner and better maintained the German side was. Typical!

So we spent a few hours in Kehl, the German town on the border. There were very pretty houses there, really well taken care of. Much nicer than the blocks of apartments on the other side of the river. We had a very cheap lunch and then couldn't resist buying some groceries because everything was like 20% to 30% cheaper there. This is the second time I've visited Germany and then second time I've wondered why I'm not living somewhere which has a lower cost of living and higher salary ie. Germany. Of course, I don't speak German but anyway...

So now I'm really looking forward to my next trip which is to Stuttgart.

You can see my photos of Strasbourg on Flickr.

Setting Up CFMail in Coldfusion

If you want to send email using the CFMAIL tag in a Coldfusion page then you need to set up SMTP server details.

The CFMAIL tag sends an email whenever the page is displayed and is often used in a custom error page. So an email is sent to the webmaster to say that an error occurred as well as the error details. This is how I use CFMAIL.

To set up the SMTP details, login to the Coldfusion Administrator then go to:

Server Settings > Mail

Mail Server: mail.securitytransfer.com.au [for example]

Submit Changes

coldfusion Mappings | Footer | CFInclude

So once you have the data source set up in the Coldfusion Administrator, you'll need to set up any mappings which may be required if you use CFINCLUDE tags.

I use CFINCLUDE to include a footer at the bottom of every page of the site.

To set up a mapping, login to the Coldfusion Administrator and then go to:

Server Settings > Mappings

Logical Path: /Templates
Directory Path: C:\CFusionMX7\wwwroot\[website]\Templates 

Add Mapping

Connecting Coldfusion to an AS400

Just so I don't forget next time my computer dies, here is a record of how to set up Coldfusion to connect to an AS400 or iSeries database.

Login to Coldfusion Administrator

http://127.0.0.1:8500/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm

Password: *********

Data and Services > Data Sources:

Data Source Name: anyName

Driver: other

CF Data Source Name: anyName

JDBC URL: jdbc:as400://[database ip address]/

Driver Class: com.ibm.as400.access.AS400JDBCDriver

Username: username

Password: ********

Save the jt400.jar driver in the Coldfusion directory:

C:/CFusionMX7/lib/jt400.jar

Add this class path to Coldfusion:

Server Settings > Java and JVM

Coldfusion Class Path:

C:/CFusionMX7/lib/jt400.jar

Submit Changes

Restart the Coldfusion service:

Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services

Verify the class path:

Server Settings > Settings Summary

Check the last entry in CF Server Java Class Path

Verify the connection

Luxembourg

Luxembourg is only 2 hours from Paris with the new TGV Est so it was a relaxing trip when I went there on the weekend with Ferbent. We stayed at the new Novotel hotel which was great. I always try to stay in new hotels where possible as they are guaranteed to be clean and at €85 per night with breakfast included, I was really happy with it.

I was surprised that there were so many tourists around, especially from Greece it seemed. There were also lots of French, American, English, and Scandinavians. The usual suspects I guess.

What I loved most about Luxembourg is how everyone speaks each others language. So you can walk into a shop and start speaking French and then they'll switch to German or English or Portuguese or whatever language is required and they're happy to speak your language, not like in some other countries, ie. France.

I think everyone speaks English, French, German and Luxembourgish plus their own language if they are not originally from Luxembourg, as is the case with 50% of the population. Most seem to be of Portuguese or Italian origin.

There's not really much to do in Luxembourg. There are loads of cafes, restaurants, and beautiful parks. So all there is to do is sit around drinking and eating. That's my kind of holiday really. The shops were of no interest so we just took it easy, walking around the old city, and relaxing.

We spent 3 nights in Luxembourg which I'd say was too much. I was pretty bored towards the end and was happy to be returning home to Paris. I won't be going back but it was worth a quick visit.

View my photos of Luxembourg.

Upcoming Trips

I'm not really interested in the European tradition of taking one month off a year to go sit on the beach somewhere. For starters, I can't take one month off from work. I work for myself and my marketing campaigns need fairly constant monitoring. I can take a few days off or even a week but a month is out of the question.

Secondly, I can't think of anything worse than sitting on a beach or visiting just one place for a month. How boring! I like to visit cities where I can walk around the old streets, visiting cafes and little shops, learning about the history of the city and the people. That's my idea of a holiday and that's why I like to live in Europe.

Three or 4 days is generally enough to visit one city although a week is better for great cities like Rome or Sydney and a lifetime is possibly not enough for the best city of them all - Paris. So over the next couple of months I have booked a few short city trips. I took advantage of the discount tickets on offer on the new TGV Est and have tickets for:

• Luxembourg
• Strasbourg
• Stuttgart

Then I'm supposed to be going back to Australia for a visit but I haven't booked that as I really don't want to go. My parents have offered me their frequent flyer points to book the trip so it's not going to cost me anything so I can't use lack of funds as a reason not to go. I suppose if I got a job I wouldn't be able to take time off. Do I really want to take that drastic action?

Quick Trip to Milan

Did I mention that Ferbent has gone away? Well, not permanently of course. He's in Albania visiting his mother. He wants to get a visa for her to come here to live but, being Albania, it's not easy. He has been gone for more than a month. Who knows when he'll be back. Hopefully in time for our trip to Luxembourg next month.

Before he went to Albania we spent a few days together in Milan. We've got some friends there which explains why I've been to Milan at least 5 times. There can't be any other explanation as it's one of the crappiest cities in the world.

Milan has the worst weather ever. In summer it gets extremely hot and extremely humid. I'm from Perth which is a very hot city but it's generally very dry. It's the humidity which I can't stand. We briefly considered living in Milan before moving permanently to France and I'm so glad we didn't do it. It would have been a nightmare.

Reasons to never visit Milan:

1. It's too hot.
2. It's too humid.
3. Milan is expensive (not when compared to Paris though).
4. The pollution is a nightmare.
5. There are no trees anywhere. Like nowhere!
6. There only seems to be 2 parks in the entire city.
7. There are no places to sit down. So forget about sitting down in Piazza Duomo or any piazza or street or wherever.
8. My friends are too cheap to eat out even though you can get pizza for €5.

Reasons to visit Milan:

1. Great shopping.
2. Great ice cream.

Well, the shopping isn't better than any other big city, it's just different and you can obviously get great ice cream anywhere in Italy. So don't bother visiting Milan.

I had to put all these reasons in writing so I remember to never ever go to Milan again, no matter who I know there.

Typical French Men?

I was pretty bored at the gym last night so when some short French guy headed over and started gossiping with the couple next to me, I didn't hesitate to turn down my iPod and eavesdrop on their conversation. It's not a good thing to do, I know, but anyway...

So first of he starts going on about Facebook and how great it is. That's the first sign that there's something wrong with this guy. Facebook is a complete waste of time. (Ok, I admit I do have a profile and login every day but it's still crap! Oh and you can add me to your friends list if you like, hehe).

Then short French guy starts going on about how he has to work out for 2.5 to 3 hours a day because he gains weight so easily and he couldn't think of anything worse than to be fat. Tall French guy responds by saying that when his wife gains 2 kilos she completely freaks out as it really 'shows' on her. Yeah, she's about 180cm and very thin so 2 kilos will definitely make her look chubby!!

Next these 2 idiot guys start going on about how all women start to lose their looks after 23. They were completely serious. Then tall French guy turns to 25 year old wife and says, 'but not you honey'. He's got to be close to 40 so I can really see that marriage lasting.

It makes me wonder what these guys think of women like me. I'm 33 and more than chubby. They must think I'm repulsive. Although I did catch short French guy checking me out the other day so who knows.

This is the image I have of the typical French man. Obsessed about his appearance and that of his girlfriend/wife. Being overweight shows a lack of discipline or interest in life or I don't know what. I read something once that French men like to go out with curvy women, just not in public. Nice!

New Machines at the Club Med Gym

I paid around €1000 for my gym membership (for 1 year) and even though it's a lot of money I really think it was well worth it. It gives me access to 22 gyms around Paris but I've only ever been to the one, in the 16th. It's quite a large gym with a swimming pool, 3 aerobics areas, a huge cardio area, 2 weights areas, and one spot for stretching or doing ab exercises.

There have been a couple of little upgrades while I've been there (8 months) but a couple of weeks ago they changed ALL the machines for new ones. So new cardio machines and new weight machines. The cardio machines have individual TV's with around 20 channels which you can listen to with headphones.

Although I was quite used to the old machines and there is less variety now, I'm pretty impressed with the new ones. There were always big screen TV's around but they were all on the one channel and there was no sound. I use my iPod when working out but having a bit of TV to watch makes the time go that little bit faster, which is important when you're virtually the same exercise day in day out. Of course, neither the iPod nor the TV is as entertaining as watching the most attractive guy I've ever seen if my life working out! Hehe. Oops, now you my real motivation for going to the gym every day!

Nice Young Plumber Boy

I just had a very nice young French boy stop by to fix my leaking shower. He did put a big hole in the tiles and the wall but at least he found the problem. Water is leaking through the tiles or the grout or something so it will have to be retiled or grouted or whatever. He put some silicone around and now it's up to the building syndicate to send someone to do the tiles.

So it took them (Century 21) more than 6 months to send someone to open up the shower to find the problem. I wonder how long it will take them to send someone to actually fix it? Another 6 months? I won't hold my breath.

I had a bit of water leaking from my hot water system and the very kind plumber boy replaced the broken part and fixed it for me free of charge. It's amazing what happens when you smile nicely at a young boy! You should have seen his face light up when I said how much I loved France. So sweet!

More Dirty French People

When the plumbers were here earlier, they asked if it was just one person here taking showers. I said there were two of us and they responded so that's 2 showers per day. I corrected them saying that's 4 showers per day seeing we each take 2 showers, one in the morning and one in the evening. You should have seen the shock on their faces. Like only complete lunatics would take 2 showers per day.

They guy we stayed with in Italy only takes one shower per day and I read that this is fairly common but I can't understand it at all. You've got to have a shower in the morning, you just have to. There is no way I would leave the house without having had a shower, not even just to go to the boulangerie.

Obviously if I go to the gym I'm going to have a second shower but even if I haven't been sweating like a pig doing cardio, I would feel so dirty if I didn't shower. How could you spend time in the filthy, disgusting metro and not shower afterwards. Even just being out in this highly polluted city, I'd want to shower before bed.

Of course I wasn't surprised when these guys were shocked as I know very well that the French rarely wash their hands, let alone shower often. I wash my hand on arriving at the gym, because I've been in the metro, and I wash my hands before I leave, because I've been touching the machines. While I'm in there, washing with soap, I generally see 2 or 3 women leave the toilets without even getting close to the hand basins. So they go to the toilet, don't wash their hands, and then use the gym machines and whatever else. Ferbent confirms the men are the same. What's wrong with these people?

I was very pleased to see that wasn't the case during my recent trip to London. I used the very busy public toilets in one of the department stores and saw every single person wash their hands afterwards. I never would have thought the English were so much cleaner than the French but there you go!

When Will The Nouvelle Star End?

I spent last week in Italy so missed the last episode of the Nouvelle Star. The only reason I'm following it is due to the project I'm working on and while I am making money (not much), it is so boring, it's killing me.

I've been blogging about all the shows, putting up YouTube vidoes on each of the blogs, commenting on other blogs, participating in forums, all for less than $100 so far. My hourly rate is extremely low on this project. Unless things really pick up in the next couple of weeks, I won't be taking on something like this next year.

At least I'm ranking number 1 in google.com for Julien Dore although I'm not doing quite so well in google.fr. My only hope of making a decent amount of money is if Julien wins as I'm not ranking that well for the other contestants. I'm generally on the second or thrid page of the SERPS.

I just hope the show will end soon so I can go back to my regular work. I think there's only a couple of weeks to go. Fingers crossed Julien wins and I rake in the money!

More Stupid French People

Seven or 8 months ago, our downstairs neighbour knocked on our door complaining of water leaking through their bathroom light fitting. They seemed to think the water was coming from our bathroom and with a little investigation we agreed they were right. We got a plumber in and he 'fixed' the problem. A few weeks later it was leaking again.

Since then we've had numerous plumbers and architects and engineers and building officials come by to look at the problem. After many, many discussions they determined the water was coming from our shower. Really? That took us 5 minutes to work out.

Next came the endless discussions about who should pay to fix the problem. In Australia, structural or building maintenance is taken care of by the landlord (as far as I'm aware) and I would think that would be the case here but my landlord insisted that I should have to pay. I gave him my 'that's bloody ridiculous' argument and eventually he saw it my way and he paid for all the plumbers, who did nothing anyway.

A few months passed and they poor sucker who lives below me brought me a billion documents to sign so my insurance company would pay for the damages. I still think it shouldn't be my insurance who pays but whatever, the insurance companies can fight it out amongst themselves.

More months pass and today 6 more people came to look at the problem. They want to pull the shower apart to find the leak. Of course, I agreed to the work because I know it's coming from the shower. They'll be back next week to pull it apart and check it out.

The stupid architect guy thinks the problem stems from the fact that there isn't enough ventilation in the bathroom. Now while there may not be enough air passing through, it's pretty obvious that is not the cause of water gushing into my neighbours apartment. He insists it is and we need to cut of 3cm at the bottom of the bathroom door. What an idiot. Does he have a brain or what? I keep the bathroom door open 99% of the time anyway, including when I have a shower, so making a huge gap in the door won't solve anything.

He wouldn't listen to me and is going to send someone to chop off the bottom of the door. I'm pretty sure my landlord won't approve of that and neither will I so I won't be letting that guy inside my house. They can do that after I leave if they want but not while I'm here.

We'll see what happens next Monday when they come back and if they ever decide to actually fix the bloody pipe. I just feel sorry for my neighbour. He's been so patient. I would have moved out already if it had been me.

Qumana vs Live Writer

I've been using Qumana to write my blog posts for the last 9 months or so and it has been fantastic. It saves me so much time when blogging, especially seeing I have more than one blog. I can create posts offline and then publish and then start writing the next post for the next blog without having to login to each site. It has been a real time saver. Plus it's free!

It does have a few bugs though. I would find that if I closed Qumana and then later tried to open it again, it wouldn't open. I'd have to go into the Task Manager and stop the process, which would still be running. This was a small problem which was overcome by not closing the program!

After getting my new computer a couple of weeks ago, which runs on the Windows Vista operating system, I installed Qumana and it was working perfectly. Then 2 days ago it crashed and it wouldn't open again. I tried rebooting, uninstalling, reinstalling but no luck. I suspect it's a Java related problem. It just won't start up. So I had to find an alternative.

I looked at quite a few editors and BlogJet was looking like the way to go but $40 seems a little pricey when there are so many other free blog editors. Then I came across MS Live Writer. Live Writer is free and gets good reviews and so here I am writing my first blog post with my new blogging editor.

Setting up a blog is easy, as with Qumana, and was ready to write within minutes. The best thing so far is that it uses the blogs CSS file so I can see exactly how the post will look. Plus it is faster. I had problems with Qumana where I would type faster than it would recognise what I had done and I'd have to wait for it to catch up to me. That was kind of strange. I don't have that problem now.

Another little thing I like about Live Writer is when highlighting something to create a link. If you try to highlight a word in Qumana by double clicking it it would also pick up the comma or full stop which followed it. That constantly bugged me. That's not an issue with Live Writer.

One negative with Live Writer is that it doesn't detect when I have copied a link. So when I go to insert a link I have to paste it into the dialog box whereas with Qumana it would automatically insert it, making linking easy.

Let's hope all goes well when I publish. Fingers crossed...

Update: Success, it posted, yay!

Another thing worth mentioning is that Qumana used to put an extra line between paragraphs with Blogger. I couldn't figure out why. That problem is no longer, yay again!

Open Office

I wrote yesterday about how I couldn't get the spell checker to work after installing Open Office on my new computer. Obviously, with it being open source software it doesn't come with everything pre-installed so I had to download the relevant files and install them myself. This took virtually no time and now there is no chance of me posting articles with misspellings in them. Not that I would ever spell words like colour or organise as color or organize but typos can happen (fairly regularly with me!).

So special thanks to the very kind people who pointed me to the Australian English (Kelvin version) dictionary files.

Soma Out of the Nouvelle Star

Finally Soma got voted out of the Nouvelle Star. I thought he was going to be one of the best performers when I saw him at the auditions but it was all downhill from there. I can't believe he got as far as he did.

So I did the weekly wrap up over at my Nouvelle Star blog or you can visit the individual blogs to see the performances of each of the contestants.

So you can watch and listen to Tigane sing Elton John's Your Song, Raphaelle singing Hurt by Christina Aguilera, Julie singing some boring French crap, Soma singing completely off key to Walking Away by Craig David, Pierre in an unusal performance of Grace Kelly, Gaetane attempting to sing Ironic by Alanis Morissette, and Julien in another great performance with Moi Lolita.

New Laptop

I spent last weekend in London. I desperately needed to buy a new computer and seeing I couldn't stand the thought of using a French keyboard, I headed north to pick up a middle of the range laptop. Not that I really like the English keyboard either but at least it's similar to the one I'm used to. I set it to the international keyboard setting anyway so I think it's ok.

I really wanted to get the latest and greatest computer but at 2000 pounds, that was a bit over my budget. In the end I went with an Acer laptop with 17 inch screen, 1.6 GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, and who knows what else, for 700 pounds. It's not the best on the market, by any means, but it is significantly better than what I was using. The increase in speed in incredible and so is the LCD screen.

The first thing I had to do was set up a network so Ferbent can use the old computer at the same time as I use mine. It took me ages to figure out how to do but in the end it was very simple. Here are the steps for adding a computer to an existing network using the Livebox and internal Wi-Fi. This is really just for my reference because I think I'll buy another computer in the next month or so for Ferbent. The old has so many problems and he's helping me with my marketing efforts and he needs a new computer to be more productive.

Full instructions with screenshots can be found at Orange.

1. Push the little button on the bottom of the Livebox, next to the connection for the electricity. The opens up the network to allow you to connect the new computer.


2. On the new computer click Start - Connect.


3. Select the number of the Livebox (which is written on the bottom of the Livebox.


4. Enter the WEP password which can also be found on the bottom of the Livebox.


5. Wait a few seconds and the connection is made.

Yay, that was easy. Now if only I can figure out how to set up the wireless connection to the printer...

Oh, and it doesn't come with Microsoft Office so I downloaded the open source package Open Office. It was recommended by someone but the spell checker on the Word type program doesn't work :( That's the whole reason I wanted it. Don't tell me I'll actually have to fork out cash for Word and Excel? I wish Qumana came with a spell checker (with Australian English) then I could live with Open Writer. Although I prefer to check my grammar too before posting. Looks like Word it is.

Translate English to French

I created blogs for each of the contestants for this year's Nouvelle Star and so had no choice but to write them in French. I don't have the time or inclination to sit around trying to write in a language other than my own so I used Google Translate to translate what I wrote into French.

I have to say Google Translate works really well, much better than other free online translators which I've used. It wasn't perfect of course, it translated fan to ventilateur rather than, well, fan, and it changed Dove, the guy from the Nouvelle Star to la Colombe. At least I've learnt a new word in French. The bird, dove, is une colombe. Great, that should come in handy.

So next time I have to write a letter in French I'll just write it in English first and then throw it through the translator and cross my fingers.

Alex Out of La Nouvelle Star

Another episode of La Nouvelle Star is over. I quite enjoy blogging it live and I picked straight away that Alex would be the one to go out. I don't think there was much doubt about it - he was crap.

Julien and Pierre are still going strong, as is Gaetane. Soma was rubbish again, although marginally better than last week, but was pulled through by his numerous fans, again. Raphaelle and Julie only just made it through. I wasn't surprised about Julie, she should be out next week but I thought Raphaelle did alright. So that leaves Tigane who did a horrid version of U2's One.

My prediction for next week is either Julie or Raphaelle to be out.

Take the Tram in Paris

Today was a public holiday in France so, seeing the gym was closed, we decided to go for a long walk around Paris. We live around 30 minutes from Parc Andre Citroen so we headed there.

Just next to the park is the last stop of the new Paris Tramway so we thought we'd hop on that instead and see where it took us. Before we even headed off it was full and by the time we got to Cite Universite we were packed in like sardines. Thankfully most people got off there or at the Stade Charlety where there was a political event going on. Why am I not surprised that when Parisiens have the day off they choose to run around shouting things like 'Stop Sarko' and 'Les jeaunes pour Segolene'!

A few stops later we were at the end of the line in the 13th. Boy am I glad I don't live there! All you'll find there is row after row of massive apartment blocks or ghettos, as I prefer to call them. What a hell hole.

A fairly short walk, 20 minutes or so, took us to the Jardin des Plantes. I read recently that the Mayor of Paris had changed the law to allow people to sit on the grass areas in Paris' parks. That is clearly not the case because I saw at least 6 people working there running around with whistles telling people to get off the lawn. Nice.

After picking up some Greek food from my favourite Greek deli 'Le Piree' in the 6th we then ate what we bought in the park behind Notre Dame overlooking Ile St Louis.

I wasn't feeling too well due to the level of pollin around and the constant sneezing and eye watering finally got to me so we headed home - by metro. I never had allergy problems in Australia but both last year and this year it has been a serious problem.

I would add some photos to this post but I forgot to take my camera comme d'habitude.

Chansons Francaise | Nouvelle Star

The theme for last night's episode of la Nouvelle Star was 'Chansons Francaises'. So all the contestants had to sing a French song. Obviously they all chose well known French songs but, not being French and not having lived here for very long, I didn't know any of them. I don't think I even recognised one of the songs. So all I could do to judge the performanes was to judge their vocals and presentation.

Canelle was up first and was ordinary as usual. I expected her to be out before the show even started because she didn't even belong in the top 10 let alone make it to the final 8. So yep, she got the least votes and is out of the competition, probably never to be heard from again.

Pierre Darmon was up next. I think he has a great voice and even though I didn't know the song, he was fantastic. I love this guy. He got a red from Dove becuase he felt Pierre doesn't sing with enough emotion but I think that was unfair. I can see Pierre getting better and better as the weeks go along. Pierre came in at 6 after the voting which was a shock for me. I don't think it helps to be one of the first singers.

Alex was his usual funky self. He sang a song by Yannick Noah. I still can't believe Yannick Noah is a famous singer in this country as I'd only ever known him as a tennis player but whatever... Alex sang and performed well but he wasn't outstanding. Alex was voted in at number 5 so that confirms his mediocre status. I'm sure he can do better but will he?

Raphaelle sang an old French song which showed off her beautiful voice. She sings well but is lacking character or personality. I think she'll continue for another week or two but I can't see her winning the comp. Raphaelle got plenty of votes and came in second. She deserved that I think.

Next up was Julie who sang Si Seulement Je Pouvais Lui Manquer. She was great. She did so much better than last week and thankfully the judges and public thought so too. Julie was voted in at number 4. I thought she did better than Raphaelle but 4 out of 9 isn't too bad.

Popular boy Tigane sang J'en Reve Encore. Everyone loves him - except me that is. Yeah, he sings well but he's just not appealing to me. I don't see what he has that is unique. He got the most last night and looks like he'll be safe for a while.

Poor Soma. He started out with such promise and now he's way over his head. He made an attempt at singing Mon Pays by Faudel but he can't sing for shit. As Marianne said, the only reason he's still in the comp is that the young girls who do most of the voting think he's cute. I really thought he was in with a chance when I saw him at the casting but unless he can make some radical changes, he's going to be out soon. He just made it to the next round.

The brilliant Julien Dore sang Comme d'Habitude. He was fantastic last night. I loved his performance. I can't decide who I'd prefer to win, Julien or Pierre but they are both great in my opinion. Julien was voted through at number 3. I thought he would have been first but maybe his style isn't to everone's liking.

Last to perform was Gaetane singing Au Cafe Des Delices originally by Patrick Bruel. I didn't like her performance at all but was surprised that she only just made it through to the next round, coming in number 7 out of 9.

My prediction for next week is that Soma or Alex will be out.

Nouvelle Star | Videos | Interviews

I've been watching all the videos of the Nouvelle Star contestants on You Tube. I thought TV shows were removed from You Tube but there are heaps of Nouvelle Star videos available to watch.

You can check out the videos of some of the contestants including the castings, auditions, and all of the recent live shows from Baltard.

Alex seems to be a pretty fun and easy going guy who can sing reasonably well but I don't think he'll have the support to win the Nouvelle Star.

Gaetane is very, very popular but I can't work out why. She'll probably be one of the last remaining contestants.

Raphaelle isn't a bad singer but is just so damn boring. Hopefully she'll get better because I quite like her.

Tigane is even less interesting than Raphaelle but the judges love him. I don't think he sings that well and his accent needs a lot of work when singing in English.

Still more videos to come then it'll be time for the next round.

My Carte Vitale

Quite by surprise today, I got a letter in the mail from the Assurance Maladie stating that I have been added to Ferbent's Carte Vitale health card. So I can finally go to the doctor if I need to without having to worry about paying the full cost.

I originally applied for a carte vitale about a 8 months ago when I received my temporary carte de sejour. I had to fill in some forms and prove I was married to my husband who was employed in France. They then needed to see his carte vitale which he was still waiting for.

When his carte vitale finally arrived I wrote back to Assurance Maladie with a copy of the carte vitale but then they needed my carte de sejour, not the temporary one I had shown them.

So I'd kind of forgotten about the whole thing. I then stumbled upon my 'dossier' the other day so I thought I'd send it back with a copy of my carte de sejour (which I received in February). I didn't even send a covering letter, I just put all the documents in an envelope and that was it.

It turns out that was enough so if I get hit by a bus tomorrow it won't cost me a fortune!

I wonder if they'll reimbourse me for when I went to the dentist last year? Probably not but it's worth a try. I'll send off the documents tomorrow and see what happens.

Nouvelle Star | Ilyes Out

Ilyes is out of the running for the Nouvelle Star 2007. He didn't really deserve to continue so I think the voting public got it right this time.

I've added videos and interviews for 4 of the contestants which you can check out if you're interested.

Canelle makes a slightly better performance than last week, as did Soma. I thought Julie did well singing in Spanish but she made it through by only 17 votes.

Videos for the rest are still to come.

Cologne | Germany | Photos

I completely forgot to post my Cologne photos from my recent trip to Germany (which is not so recent now) so here they are:

I'm not a fan of Gothic architechture but the Cologne Cathedral is pretty impressive although clearly in need of a good clean.



Most of Cologne was destroyed during the war so a lot of the architecture is from the 1950s. This of course translates to a very ugly city. However, there are some character buildings along the river.



Yes, this is a photo of a building with an icecream cone on top of it. I don't know what those Germans are up to here:



Ferbent doesn't seem to be too happy about the cold weather:



They like to ride their bikes a lot in Cologne which is great:



That's it for Cologne, there wasn't much to see but I had a great time anyway. I'm looking forward to my next trip to Germany.

Wonder Cooker

A quick update on the Wonder Cooker which I've been promoting for a few weeks.

I had my doubts about whether people would be interested in this kind of thing and more to the point, whether people actually buy As Seen on TV products but in fact, it sells really, really well. My conversion rate is around 5% which is great. Well, I think it's great. Other affiliate programs I work with only convert at around 1 to 2% so needless to say I'm pretty happy with the Wonder Cooker.

The only reason I'm not looking at retirement any time soon is that I'm not getting enough volume. People just aren't searching for the Wonder Cooker. Maybe it's only a new product or it isn't being promoted on TV at the moment; I'm not sure. So I'm only getting around 1 sale per day. Yeah, I won't be going on a 5 star holiday anytime soon.

This has motivated me to try promoting other As Seen on TV products. As soon as I finish with the Nouvelle Star campaign I'll be working on promoting other products like with my One Cooker website.

La Nouvelle Star

I'm not that interested in reality TV shows, especially French ones but I have been following the Nouvelle Star with mild interest. Actually my interest in this show is more from a marketing persepective than anything else as I'm interested in the possible money making opportunites it presents.

I know that in the US, American Idol is hugely popular and many marketers do really well promoting the last 10 contestants and especially the winner. They do arbitrage or CPA offers around ringtone or cd offers. So I thought I'd give it a go here with the Nouvelle Star 2007. Naturally the demand won't be as high here as in the US but I won't know exactly until I try.

So my pick to win La Nouvelle Star is Pierre Darmon. He's one of the more experienced singers, has a great voice and is well liked by both the jury and the public. The most unique and talented singer and talented is Julien Dore. I think he's great and the jury loves him but I don't think he'll win. He's a bit too alternative for the voting public I'd suggest.

As for the girls there is Gaetane, who is pretty useless but seems to be popular because she's pretty, if you like the look of French girls that is. Canelle is even more useless than Gaetane but someone managed to get through to the final 10. She doesn't deserve to be there but anyway, that's how they voted. Raphaelle seems nice and has a pretty good voice but I don't think she'll win. She might make it to the top 5 but she's a bit too plain Jane to win. My favourite of the girls is Julie. She's pretty cool and can sing well and I think she's popular so she could go far.

The rest of the line up includes Alex who was saved by the jury at the last minute. He definitely deserved to get through. Soma is hugely popular with the girls. He can sing well but his performances so far have been utter crap. Hopefully he'll improve this week as he could win if he gets it together. Tigane is pretty boring if you ask me but the jury seems to like him. That leaves Ilyes who again is pretty popular with the girls but he's a bit limited in his abilites so probably won't win.

So they are my predictions, we'll see if I get close. I'm still working on getting the sites up and running and will start the AdWords campaign in a couple of weeks.

The Wonder Cooker

I haven't had too much success in the past using Google Adwords with affiliate marketing but I'm giving it another go. In the past I have managed to break even and that's about it. I've got a bit more information now so hopefully I'll be able to do better this time.

As seen on TV products seem to be doing well at the moment so I'm trying to sell the Wonder Cooker. The landing page goes something like this:

If you’re anything like me, you want to prepare healthy, tasty meals for your family but it just doesn’t happen often enough. You know fast food is bad for you but you lead such a busy life that you simply don’t have time to cook. You want to be sure your children are eating the required servings of vegetables every day but it’s hard to find recipes they love. You want to prepare gourmet meals for your family and friends but you don’t know how. When you do finally get the time to cook you’re then left with a massive pile of dishes to wash. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be so difficult.

Then it goes on about the benefits etc. Writing sales copy isn't really my thing so we'll see how it goes. I've just got the write the ad and then wait for the results. My first goal is to break even and then try to drop my bids to less than 10 cents per click. I'm looking for a 1:2 or 1:3 return on investment so wish me luck