"Unexpected events are likely to enter the scene" said once a sugar kid...
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Paris vs. Paris
Paris 1.0: the tourist version Notre-Dame-De-Paris, Les Champs-Elysées, l'Arc de Triomphe, Le Louvre, la Tour Eiffel, the souvenirs shops, shopping, la Concorde etc... Here is the Paris I got those two last days, and that I had so many times. You just wait in line like every stupid tourists, you look at things like a kid, you enjoy and say it's the best time of your life ever, that this is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, you buy a small Eiffel tower for your parents, you eat in a restaurant along La Seine, or you're trying to not look like a tourist sometimes, drinking a coffee on a terrace reading Le Monde. It's funny the first times, very cool. I'm simply tired of this. Here is my Paris
Paris 2.0: Laurent's version I get out on Châtelet. I walk straight to Beaubourg and drink a coffee on the bar of this bistrot that is on the corner of the street, not far from the Arcades. After, I walk along he streets, enter the shops, sit down near a fountain. My iPod is always on, playing cool music, rock most of the time. I need something that smells the city. I try to take some new ways where tourists are not. I just walk towards Le Marais. I find a building I know and go to the swedish cultural center. After a fika, I shop some books in this little library in the corner of the street. I come back to Beaubourg and his little café not far from Centre Pompidou, in the back of this little church. I start reading and order a glass of Bourgogne. I like to watch people passing. Later, I may take another Metro to whereever. If my bank account is not too bad, I'll go to the Virgin Megastore on Champs-Elysées. Maybe two hours. Then, it's time for Montmartre, at sunset time, it is the best. I called a friend earlier and he joins me now. We find a Bar à Vin lost in the little streets, where noone go. We're drinking something full of flavor, maybe eat a potatoe. Then, it's time to go home again. On my change in Châtelet, I decide to get out and walk along La Seine, in the light, to the next station. It feels great. Very melo but great. Tomorrow...
Being the guide, the one who organize, it is exhausting. In addition of taking care of my guests, organizing our schedules according to the plans (that i most of the time make), I need also to care about my own things, like bank, other administrative stuffs, visiting family and friends, get the car ready. Today showed me how it is hard to manage all those things, think about every details, from which way to go to Paris to not forget my teethbrush, from wondering how we all gonna get to Charles de Gaulle airport to charge my iPod, from making my friends happy to remember taking a bottle of water in the car. It is exhausting.
It is hard to be a good friend, isn't it?
The smiles I got back are enought for me. Making people happy, or at least less lonely, less melo, taking them out of their routine (and in the meantime of mine) is providing me what I need. When others feel great, then I'm okay... just okay. Sometimes I wish I was still in Hawaii, living on the top of this lovely hill, in Pupukea. The radio is on, it's KTUH playing a good jazz, I got out on the patio, seat on a sunchair, light a cigarette. Some crazy birds are singing, the sun is warming my skin up and the wind just makes me shivering sometimes. Later, I'll take the Dodge and go to the beach for a while, snorkeling with turtles. I will meet some friends, we'll drink a beer or two, sing songs. I'll go back home, watch a movie, the window open to cool the atmosphere. I have nothing to care about but just myself, no plans but mine, no schedule coz it's my day-off. A kind of hypocrit life where he only one on the center of my preoccupations is me. But it's not myself. I need to do things for them. After LUMES, I'll go to Africa.
I'm finally back. Short summary of my last few days: - 18 hours in a car, it's not easy - Hairdresser session for Summer and I - Touring in Vichy, shopping for the last Christmas presents - Party with friends til 4am - Good food at home - Christmas Eve with family - Christmas day with family - Gain at least 4 kg in a 24 hours (ask the others if you don't trust me...) - Presents everywhere - Dad and Mum very impressive: perfect english, especially after apéritif - Family amazed - Friends amazed - Tomorrow, way to Paris
All right, here we go, all set up, almost on our way to France now...
We'll get up around 4am, take the car for 16 or 17 hours, and get home. My mum would have cooked a dinner, she'll kiss me, hug me, maybe cry. Then we'll join my friends and get wild, certainly.
I'm looking forward to it.
Love to all you, if I don't write again before Christmas, I wish you the best, where ever you are, with whoever. Everyone diserve a piece of love for this day.
Yesterday, I was still hangover from the week-end. I've been pushing myself too far, but how good. So, now it's time for Christmas presents, Christmas cards etc... but also time to study (already!!!). I feel pretty okay for this paper we have to write. This is the first one we don't have to rely too much on books but rather develop an analytical essay about a local environmental problem. I realize it is much easier to find motivation when it's about such a paper. So, yesterday I started to look around for some backgrounds. I am gonna write about wildlife in the Alpes (France) that interact with pastoralism. Wolves have been back for many years now and their number have grown a lot, accompanied of course by attacks of flocks. Well, the french government, very nice, refund the price of a lost animal anytime. Anyway, farmers are angry. This is emotionnaly hard, because their job is not easy, because it is noble and because it is something necessary for the preservation of mountains ecosystems. But I can tell how chocking to see one of your sheep killed by a wolf (I saw a picture two years ago when I was working in the Alpes). So, the farmers don't wanna go anymore during summer time. The production of milk is in consequence affected in its quality and quantity, and in a second hand, the high mountain pastures are destroyed because not preserved by the presence of sheeps. That leads inevitably to a huge loss in biodiversity, especially for plants and insects. So here is my deal: what are gonna be some sustainable solutions to this problem, knowing that the wolf is an endangered species protected by european directive? Passionating...
Apart from that, we'll drive all friday long. I'm glad to get home for a while.
Summer and Qiao just called me. They're back from Oslo.
Listening now: Yo la Tengo, Summer (what a coincidence...)
I don't really remember how I got involved in this crazy saturday night/sunday morning journey, but I was there.
What I remember: - I went to the Yellow House, we were supposed to watch a movie - Andrea decided us to go out for a beer - After walks, talks, negociations, meetings, we finally got into Smalands nation - I started to talk to Ida - My friends left - At 2, Ida took me to Ariman where we met other guys - We went to a guy's named Jonas, where we drunk some wine, spoke swedish and told stories - I got out of the place around 6am - I found my bike and ride home
That's it! Three weeks of vacations! Three! Out of LUMES three weeks! It feels good.
Programme: - get drunk tonight with everyone - sleep all week-end long, party, eat, sleep, maybe take a shower, why not a brunch on sunday morning - Monday til Thursday: read and write all my papers (at least try to do the maximum!) - Friday: wake up at 4am, take my car, pick up Carol, Summr and Theo and drive to Vichy - Friday night: say hi to my parents, and get out with all the 'Brelots'... bloody it's gonna be :) - and then, have Christmas with family, go to Paris for few days, get back home for the new years Eve, take it easy and drive back to Lund, with a stop in Amsterdam.
Woohooooo, it feels so good. Everybody started to be out of control, upset and pissed off. But now it is like a release, and I just wanna be in this mood that tells you to not stop before sunrise (well in our case, a 'lightrise in the rain').
BTW, I passed my exam in environmental governance.
And i wish myself to have fun! Thanx.
Lisening: ...And you will know us by the trail of dead, Would you smile again for me.
Santa Lucia... Swedish tradition. To have details about what is it exactly, go here. The change in schedule was fucking bad. Class at 9.15 this morning, about the writting of a paper. Anyway, we were almost all there, Mats showed up and started his presentation, very seriously. Suddenly, all the teachers entered the classroom, Mats shutted up and a Lucia's procession entered the room. They were six, singing typical swedish songs for about 20 minutes, then followed a huge fika with pepparkakon, the traditionnal Christmas buiscuits. The surprise was nice. About the class in the afternoon, another surprise. The teacher did not show up. Came back though, to prepare the little Santa Lucia's party going on at home.
The roomies and I decided to invite few friends over for a glögg (traditionnal spicy warm wine)and cookies. Thanks to Jen, Qiao, YuKey, Yo, Zen and David who came in spite of the rain and the exhausting time we're having now. Silvia cooked some nice pepparkukon, Ben was in charge of the glögg, Carol, the decoration I guess, and I... washed the dish. Anyway, it was nice and quiet, and I had a wonderful talk with Qiao. *******
Sometimes, it's hard to share a place to live in with other people, that are finally very different from you. *******
Two more days to hold on. When I think about those who are home right now (Biz Marie).
Me: 'Hummmm...' Jen: 'Hi french guy, it's Jen. What are you doing, we're wating for you.' M: 'What the fuck! I got back at 4 and you just woke me up' J: 'But what about the brunch at the nation? M: 'Come on, I'm sleeping. Then she gives the phone to Torsten... T: 'Come on Laurent! You get your ass out of the bed and you join us for the brunch. The sun is shining outside, it's a lovely day, so come and enjoy the sun with us.' M: 'Holly shit, you win. I'll be there in 20 min'
20 minutes later, I'm in the elevator to the last floor of Lund's Nation building. Jen, Ade, Torsten, Eduardo and another girl I don't know are here. Some other guys all around the place look hangover but alive. I pay and get my breakfast, still half sleepy. I join the other, outside, on the terrace. It's cold outside but I feel okay with only my sweater. It is totally lovely out there. The sun is shining so brightly... We can see all the south part of Lund, far away Malmö and the bridge. I start eating some cereals and fruits with yogurt. I also have two sandwiches, a glass of pineapple juice and a cup of black coffee. We're talking and joking, a moment of pure friendship, a moment that I catch as much as i can, because it's full of happiness, simplicity and truth. It's like forgetting space and time, and all the shitty problems facing. I feel alive. So alive that I even eat a huge pancake with chocolate sauce, ice-cream and banana.
After an hour or so, we decide to move out and go to the Kulturen Museum. This museum, created in 1898, shows different way of life throught time in Sweden mostly, and more particulary in Lund. We start to walk along the houses: here is a farm, here is a church, here is a big building which certainly was a house. Inside, old farmer tools, tables and decorations, like if you were living at this time. We are taking our time. We've lost Jen and Eduardo. We are walking slowly, enjoying the rays of lights that warm our faces and heart. It is so good to see a little of sun.
That was a lovely day. Thak you Jen and Torsten to have called me, really. It is so good to have your company guys, all of you !!!
Tonite was a Christmas party with the LUMESians. We drunk some glög. Everybody brought a small present and put it under a tree. Then everyone caught a number, and one by one, we picked up one of the present. The rule was that instead of picking up a present, you could take the present of someone else, and then this one would go and pick up a new one. So I was number 9, and I got a pretty nice plastic spoon/fork/knife in one, and a star to put around a light and hang out to a window for Christmas. Eduardo stole it. So I got a big candle and 85% cacao dark chocolate. Not a bad deal, even if I loved the star.
- I am so damn far away because I love travelling around the world, it helps me finding answers, motivations.
- He is still president because he's got the power to be so. 2008: goodbye!
- I don't know the answer for this one. Anyway, it was the roof in Hawaii.
- Because we don't know how to enjoy love, we are not able to see when and where it starts and ends up, because we think love is the center point of everything, but it's not. The center point of everything is: what can things - like love - can bring us. Too many expectations from love. But still, I do believe in it... French romantic :)
Apart from that, I've watched Scoop from Woody Allen yesterday night. Woody is still the best director. Simple movie, with a wonderful Scarlett, that really captures the spirit of London and Kesington. Highly recommanded.
I also watched Babel with Brad. Movie about how life gets tragical sometimes, with fantastic actors (especially the small marocan kid who shot).
A hundred posts ago, I was also wondering what was the reason of this blog, and what would be its content. I still don't know... I'm not sure. Make me feel better? Trying to tell about my hidden feelings in order to get support sometimes? Keep updating my friends? Make you feel happy?
Maybe all those reasons. It's good, we've been threw interesting moments: end of Hawaii, happiness and sadness, a stranger giving good tips, my new life in Lund...
Hope you like this blog people. And I know there are a lot of persons coming here regularly, but who don't leave a comment. Just go ahead, it will please me, really.
This post is the 100th of this blog. So... happy 100th post 'Den lockiga Fransmannen'.
It seems it's time for celebration. Unfortunately, I'll keep it for sunday and the Christmas dinner with the other LUMESians.
A friend of mine is depressed I think. I am not sure wether or not I can use the word 'depressed'. This friend just seems to not feel good in his/her life right now. In addition of his/her personnal problems (that he/she doesn't want to talk about that much), I think Sweden is not helping a lot: rain and dark at 15.50. I know by experience it is hard to stand it, the long night. When it's here, you just don't do anything but staying home, watching TV, cheking internet, not even studying. You become unsociable and you get irritated very easily. LUMES is not helping neither with the huge amount of readings and writtings waiting for us, even during this Christmas break. Anyway, my friend is not talking, not going out that much, thinks that his/her life is boring, and even if this friend keeps telling me that everything is all rightand it is just because he/she is not in the mood, I don't believe it. It's been almost ten days it's like this, and I'm pretty worried. I think this friend will read those lines and will recognize him/herself. So just to inform you dear friend, I'm not gonna give up with you, and I'm gonna contibute to make your life more exciting (at least less boring), but it's also gonna be up to you. So be ready and expect anything that can happen...
Talked to my dad today. He seemed worried about me. He even asked how my moral was, if i was healthy, how things were going on in school. He even asked me if I needed money. I did not say yes, even if I should have done so. Don't even know if there will be christmas presents for everyone this year...snif. But the point is: Dad, you impressed me! That's good!
***** Once upon a time, five gipsies brothers and sisters were going out in a very nice bar/restaurant to drink a glass of wine. When they got inside, everybody were looking at them in a strange way. But the gipsies are never a shame. So they crossed the room and sat down to a table. One of the gipsy, Ciprian, who understood french, was surprised to see that the three gentlemen sitting next to them were french. Because it was a long time ago Ciprian had not listen any french, he approached discretly. As he was getting closer, he figured out that the three gentlemen were not that gentlemen. He tought: 'my oh my! How come three gentlemen come to a very nice and expensive restaurant, eat very good food, but drink coca cola instead of good red wine'. Ciprian quickly understood that those french guys were only fake. While he was sitting down, his deception was totally completed when he heard the three fake-gentlemen talked about him and his brothers and sisters: 'look at those gipsies' they said. Then Ciprian thought they were losers, and to put the shame on them, he looked at them straight in the eyes, with anger. The losers quickly understood that Ciprian understood french, and they started to turn red like tomatoes. Because Ciprian did not want to create a scandale (he knew perfectly that gipsies are usually not accepted in those restaurants), he just sat down and kept on looking at them in the eyes. After they left, he finally decided to tell the story to Adrian, Ràzvan, Georgeta and Florina, his brothers and sisters, and they were very disappointed. The day after, because the gipsies did not have money enough to go back in the beautiful restaurant, they went to a private party with other strange people, some gipsies, some french, some swedes... Noone really noticed they were here. So they sat down and started drinking and talking, when suddenly, two of the three losers of the previous day arrived at the party. At the beginning, they did not see the gipsies. And they were talking loud, had fun, flirted with every single girls. The funniest part were that they were quite well dressed but were wearing nice baskets instead of beautiful chooses. It was like being having a tee shirt of Zidane and not be Zidane, only showing the appearances. They were really losers. Because the gipsies never forget, they started to talked louder than the losers, drunk and sung, talking only gipsies stories, acting like real gipsies. After few minutes, the losers noticed that someone else was taking the attention from them, and they realized, chocked, that the gipsies they laught about the previous day were there. The gipsies could have gone to the losers and have started an argument. Instead, they kept on singing and drinking, watching straight in the eyes the losers. The losers started to be so afraid that they shut the fuck up, stopped flirting with girls because they were kind of shame, could not looked at the gipsy family in the eyes, and after a while, they had to leave, because they could not stand it anymore. Once they left, the gipsies sat down in a room, drunk few more beers and smoked few cigarettes, told stories. And you know what, they had one of the best night of all their life.
The morality is: fucking french people who are so proud of themselves should think twice before to criticize and insult people when they are in a restaurant, because maybe the people they say that are gipsies maybe understand french, because they are french as well. French people, you disgust me, especially you, little "péteux de mes deux" who think that because we spend money on a nice restaurant, we gonna get attention and seemed much more lovely. But guys, remember, drinking coca cola in a 'so-chic' restaurant, it's like driving a Rolls Royce and wear sport clothes. You losers, I hate you.
P-2 No desire to write Good party yesterday night Two more weeks, two more weeks Gonna sleep now ******
****** Hree is a tset taht Teho sowehwd me. If in a wrod the frsit and the lsat lteer are paelcd crrtcley but the ohetr lteers are not, you wlil udretnsad buscaee wehn we raed our eeys do not sotp on ervey lteers but jsut pay aitenottn to the etitiexrmes of the wrod. So eevn now, I konw you urdstnead. Fnuny, ins"t it?
Yes, thanx to Ade's idea, here we go with our own blog! THE LUMES BLOG 2006! Everybody in the class will be able to write posts on this blog, about environmental stuffs, about personal things, about stories (Tim said that telling stories have a lot of influence), about moments we shared together, maybe about politics, certainly about funny stuffs too... well, whatever that will be on our mind!!! I highly recommand you to check it now, it's here, here again, one more time to be sure you don't miss it! For now, the design is not done, we still have to get everyone involved, and we also need to talk about the sidebars and everything...
Thank you Ade for this brilliant idea.
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We had a guest lecturer those two last days, Tim O'Riordan. This guy just enchanted us. He is one of the first teacher we had so far in the programme that is so optimistic, and that brought us so many tools to achieve our objectives. He is so motivating! I wish all the teachers in the world were like him. I think the most important lesson I got from him is that it will all depend on the behaviour of everyone, as an individual. Trust, honesty and inner relationships with everyone are the keys... We finally caught a glimpse of hope in LUMES. YEAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm 24. I live in Sweden (though I'm french). I like to drink Coke, smoke a cigarette, indie pop-rock, spring, play bass guitar, my Converses...
But mainly, I'm a sugar kid.
