LADIES NIGHT WITH CRANIUM février 17, 2008

As you know, when I was in Paris, I invited my girls friends to play at the famous “Cranium”. I love this game! It was the old good days (snif!) even if I hate losing (do not tell anybody…).

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my cranium and I left from Paris without it. I have some choice to do…

But, in Singapore, I met also a fan of this game, Anne. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS! She proposed to bring hers, a special edition for our first lady night last tuesday. What a good idea? We decided to do it at home because Jerome was in Europe.

It was a great pleasure to be with Anne, Aurélie and Lizhi. We spent a good evening. Thanks to Lizhi, we managed to open the bottle of wine. She was our queen, our guardian angel!!!

It reminded me the good times with my friends in Paris. I DO NOT FORGET YOU!!!!

When will be the next party???

CHINESE GARDEN février 17, 2008

 Chinese Garden is a  park located in the West of Singapore, an unknown part for me because I live at the opposite (on East Coast).

Muriel, a friend and I decided to go yesterday morning. We took the MRT until the Chinese Garden station. It took us an hour to go there.

It is a reconstruction of an imperial garden of the Song’s dynasty. There are temples, pagodas and bridges. The lotus lakes around flower gardens. It was a very relaxing place.

We walked around about one hour and half. It was great because there were almost nobody.

What I preferred it was the Japonese garden. We have seen different kinds and sizes of bonsai surrounded by water points. Indeed, the chinese tradition take a big place in everyday life as the “Feng Shui”. What does it means? Wind and water. The “Feng Shui” shows how to be in the Universe to acquire wisdom, peace and prosperity. Thus, your place of residence and your furniture should be positionned in the direction of  “shen qi” , the dragon’s breath in order to be positive. Okay, you are going to say : “What is this goobledygook?” But the chinese people are very focused on supertitions and do not laugh about it…

UNLUCKY CHINESE NEW YEAR! février 8, 2008

 I decided to go to see a friend of mine for the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.  Actually, Jerome is currently in France and it was an opportunity to see this celebration.

I was so happy to go to HK. Unfortunately, my stay gone bad. First of all, my friend told me that he took the plane the next morning in order to see his wife. I thought he was joking but I realized he was not. I was so surprised and dissapointed because if I knew that before I wouldn’t come. I don’ t know how but I stayed very calm. As I did not want a bad atmosphere before his departure, I told him: “do not worry, I am a big girl”. I took on myself even if I was a little nervous inside.  I wanted to be positive and maybe for reassuring me… YET, I WILL BE LONELY IN THIS CITY! HELP!

Yesterday (it means the day when my friend left), I decided to go to visit the design and decoration shop in order to see the products for my future on-line shop. I thought the shops would be closed just the holiday day the 7 of February. I found a deserted town : all the shops closed until my departure next tuesday (second bad surprise). How do I do now?

But it only begins. My friend gave me the phone number of one friend. I called her to know if she was available in the evening. She would call me back in the evening after she would have dinner. So, as I wanted to see the “Night Parade” on Tsim Tsa Tsui. I took the MTR and went alone. But I arrived at the third very bad surprise : my hand phone was stolen there. I realized that on the way back. First reaction : I was completely petrified and so angry. On my way, I needed to talk to someone and I turned to young officers. I started to tell my story to one of them and another one then another one etc… There were 6 or 7. I think they were as lost as I am especially when I cried telling them : “I have no friends here and I can call nobody”. Thinking back to this last sentence, I felt just a little pathetic…

Enough is enough, I am leaving tomorrow from HK to my dear Singapore. At last! I can not stay anymore here! I could not change my way back ticket so I had to buy another one. You can imagine the price for the New Year…. (glups)

However, I learned some customs. Here they are.

During Chinese New Year, the habit is to give a “hongbao” to children and single people to bless them and wish them well. What is a “hongbao”? It is a red packet filled with new dollars notes. What does it symbolise? It represents good fortune, good wishes for the coming year from the giver, married couple. It is better not to offer the sum of 4 SGD (2 euros) because this number is considered as unsuccessfull. As far as I am concerned, I hope that parents are much more bit generous because it is just once a year…