I taw, I taw a putty tat!

I always have a picture in mind that cats love hunting birds, recalling Sylvester and Tweedy bird. I thought that the love and hate relationship between cats and birds exist only in cartoons. Until yesterday evening, I realised that it’s not a myth after all.

So yesterday evening, we got home at the usual timing and found that our neighbour’s cat wasn’t at his favourite spot. Surprise, surprise…. We saw him sitting in a discreet corner behind the hedge, eating a pigeon! The “murder” sight was rather gross but I must say that his “job” was done in a rather organised manner. He removed all the feathers in one corner and then brought it to another place for bouffer. When he realised that we were watching him, he looked as if he blushed. We called him and he wanted to approach us but instead, he gave sort of a Cheshire Cat grin before leaving the scene. I guess he needed a little sieste…..

First Anniversary

It feels like it was only yesterday we had celebrated the most memorable day in our lives. No, it was actually 360 days ago. We are beginning to count our wedding anniversaries…. like many married couples. Some fortunate ones have counted their jubilee, golden and diamond. It’s so amazing to see how two people can live together for so long.

Human beings are born selfish. People in general have so many disputes and wars among themselves and self-interests are taken above anything else. Most of us are anything but as told in the commandments “love your neighbours as yourself”.

As our anniversary approaches, I take the opportunity to self-reflect. My spouse is my closest “neighbour”. To make the marriage strong and solid, I shall love my spouse as commanded “loving him as myself. With that level of love as a basis, we are building the strongest type of partnership ever known to man. It is the most sophisticated form of relationship (after self and God). When we love our spouses as ourselves, we break down most of our self-made barriers and interests to contribute towards the partnership and family.

To us. Happy Anniversary!

Nominate a cake!

In France, we’re spoilt for choice when comes to pastries and sweets. That is why I have decided to nominate a specific cake to be my birthday cake every year from now on. Bernard just had a Succès for his birthday this month. I have already chosen mine for this coming December. It will be an Opéra.

Energy prices!

As mentioned in an earlier blog, we’re getting more and more price-conscious, especially concerning energy consumption. I found a useful website to check the current prices of diesel and petrol in all stations in France. The differences may be small but if you fill in a full tank every time, you should choose the cheapest in your neighbourhood. The savings do turn out to be significant.

http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/

Soldes d'été 2008

It’s time for our second major shopping of the year……the summer sale starts on 25 June!

Pouvoir d'achat

This is no doubt a popular topic in France lately. We have been promised by our leader that policies will be implemented in order to give us back in terms of improved purchasing power. The French people have been, for a long time, silent about the issue…. high taxes, expensive retirement packages and a stagnant economy. It's strange for me to witness this as I have known them as people who are outspoken. I understood later that money is a taboo subject. People are not "hard up" about concepts such as value-for-money, savings, economy, etc. Money matters are handled discreetly and nonchalantly. It is grave to be seen or being presumed to be a miser even though you may not be one. It becomes a pitfall for many who, unconsciously, are losing out what could have been saved or economised.

My point is, don't count on the government to improve your purchasing power. There are many little actions that you can take everyday in order to make the best out of your hard-earned money. Here are some things we can do without looking like an avare.

• Buy products under house label/brand. They are cheaper and give you loyalty points which are convertible into cash vouchers.
• Do your major shopping twice a year – at the summer and winter sales
• Buy imperishable products in bulk – it's cheaper in terms of cost per unit
• Buy perishable products in amounts according to immediate consumption – to avoid wastage
• Buy whole chicken and whole rabbit – it's cheaper to buy an entire animal. Chop it up and freeze the rest
• If perishable products can be frozen, buy them in bulk and freeze the rest
• Don't buy CD and DVD just after release. If you wait for a little while, Virgin and FNAC stores slash the price from 12,99€ to 6,99€
• Get loyalty cards – registration is free of charge. Most cards give permanent discounts on non-sale purchases.
• Choose a credit card that gives you additional perks – discounts, invitation to private sales, mileage, telephone bill reduction, etc.
• Buy your own principal residence. Since you are paying a significant amount as rent, why not pay the money to own it. It's yours at the end of the day and the best part is there is an END of payment!

Exotic food in France

I find it quite surprising to have found some tetra-pak Ribena drinks under the exotic section in Carrefour. I discovered only recently that my husband (and perhaps 99% of the French people) didn’t even know about this famous drink in England and in most (or probably all) of the Commonwealth countries. I have always known this drink, since young. Everyone in Malaysia and Singapore knows what it is. Children love it. The drink is made of blackcurrant juice. It is tasty, full of vitamins and refreshing.

Actually, the funniest part is that it is classified as “exotic”, and under the same section, I found myself even more surprised and tickled! I found baked beans! Just like Ribena, baked beans became part of the life of Malaysians and Singaporeans and they use baked beans frequently in their local home-cooked meals. For information, baked beans are available in the “Chinese mixed rice” stalls hawker centres.

France must have been, at one moment, been rather enclosed. Foodstuff from across the Channel is rather unknown here. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the English cuisine does not appeal at all to the French (and to most of us), hence the French people ignored the options all together. But it’s a real pity to have not known Ribena......

MUSEE DU QUAY BRANLY

We like to go to the museum from time to time and we are very lucky to live near Paris, as it offers plenty of choices.
Lately, we went to one of the biggest museums, recently-opened in Paris, Musée du Quai Branly, located near the Eiffel Tower, by the river Seine.
The museum was inaugurated 2 years ago, and it’s dedicated to the ancient civilization.

The first interesting thing with this museum is its architecture.
When you first arrived, you will notice a cultivated wall (where plants literally grew from the wall) at the corner of the building.
You will then enter into a rather savage garden (where the access is free-of-charge) to find some bench to rest and a café with a terrace, and by crossing here you will reach the museum entrance.

It also offers a gastronomic restaurant, “les ombres”, on the top floor, with an open-air area and a great view over the river and the tower. We took the opportunity to spend a day at the museum to have a good lunch there. The place is nice, the service is friendly, the food is quite original and the price is reasonable if you choose the set menu.

The museum has a very important and interesting permanent collection, classified by Continent. The visit is like a world tour. You start normally by Oceania, continued by Asia, from South-East to Middle-East, then arriving in Africa, from North to South, and finishing by the Americas, from South to North.
You have also access to the temporary exhibitions. When we were there, we had a chance to check out these exhibitions: “Batak of Sumatra”, “Ivories in Africa” and “Elena Izcue”, a Peruvian artist.

We spent the entire day at the museum and, even though we were quite tired by the time we get home, we were very pleased as it was interesting and diversified.
It’s a very nice place and we strongly recommend it.

Foire de Paris

It's something that the Parisians do it, either every year or not at all. After my first encounter yesterday, I understand why. This yearly exposition is very popular actually because of the variety. It caters for almost everybody, from the young to the old and to any culture. At the "foire", you"ll find furnitures, multimedias, ethnic food, rare jewelleries, jacuzzi pool, etc. The most interesting part I find is the World Culture section, where you can find things that you don't normally get in France. For example, Indian saris, pre-Colombian jewelleries, traditional Chinese furnitures, spices from the far east, Afrikan masks and many more.

I also understand why some Parisians have never been to the exposition. The CROWD! You need to queue to get the tickets to go in and the car parks are usually full by the late morning. It's always crowded during the weekends and public holidays.