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!

Big City Life

One of our favourite channels these days is the Voyage channel. We stumbled upon a programme called "Big City Life" yesterday and we found it very interesting. I think it is a weekly programme on the channel and each episode presents the life of 3 habitants of a city. Yesterday's episode was on the life in Stockholm. An interesting part, I found is that, at the end of the presentation by each "citadine", he/she is asked by the producer to recommend an address (of a restaurant, bar, shop, etc) to be discovered in the neighbourhood in which he/she lives in.

I find that question interesting and I started thinking on applying that question in the cities that I have lived in.

I know some places of charm and rather undiscovered.

In Singapore:

• Axis Lounge at The Oriental Hotel - where you get a great view of the Esplanade, Fullerton Hotel and the Central Business District, quiet, lounge music



• Azhang Restaurant at Mohammad Sultan Road - where you'll be warmly welcomed by the restaurant owners



• Chez La Mamie (it used to be at Ann Siang Hill but they have moved) - where you can get authentic French food

In Kuala Lumpur:

• Citron Café - its premise is a converted colonial bungalow, with an enormous private garden. food is good and original. quiet place but you'll be surprised to find yourself in the heart of the city. view of the twin towers from the terrace.



• The Curve - where it makes shopping with husband and children a manageable thing to do. spacious, mid-range brands for you, comfy cafés for husbands and a pet supermarketfor the children.



• Sky Bar at the Traders' Hotel - fantastic view of the twin towers at night

In Paris:

• Too many to list.... to start with, most of the cafés, shops and roads that I find most charming are in the 6th and 7th arrondissement.

Easter eggs and bunnies....and all other animals

When one (especially a child) thinks of Easter, the picture of colourful eggs and bunnies come into mind. In fact Easter is more than just chocolates and packaging. To many people who share the same faith as us, it is the symbol of birth.

In any case, it is also a celebration of the arrival of spring. It's a relief after braving the cold for a couple of months, and a joy seeing the blossoming plants. For many children, it is time to hunt for the eggs and bunnies (and even chickens, ducks and some other animals, thanks to the enterprising chocolatiers) in the garden, and the best of all...feasting on chocolates!


We are seeing more and more beautifully-wrapped easter gift products. Some notable brands like Godiva, Chocolate Trading Co, Leonidas and Jeff de Bruges have a wide range of ideas this year. My favourite is always the easter bunny. I just have to have one for myself despite the fact that it's rather a thing for the children.

Bons plans pour les vacances

In three weeks' time, we would be in the south of France soaking the sun, I hope. We are seeing the first signs of spring, yes, even in Paris. Days are longer, buds are appearing on trees and our neighbours' cats are taking more walks outdoors.

We are heading to Provence! It may be too early to dive into the vast lavender beds but we're going back to Provence in September for a real holiday.

To be exact, we'll be stationed at the Montpellier city during the long Easter weekend. We found a reasonable package of flight + hotel + rented car through Voyage SNCF, which is a good substitute for a train package deal as the flight is not costing much more than the train from Paris to Montpellier.

As I did some research on vacations in the south, I stumbled upon gîte lodgings that are let by the week. The good thing about staying in a gîte is that you have the option of making your own meals as it comes with full kitchen facilities. In anywhere in the world except Asia, eating out is usually more expensive than preparing your own meal. With this possibility, you have more room to manouevre your holiday costs within your budget. This is perhaps more important to those who are determined to spend within their budget and yet still able to enjoy their holiday.

We didn't hesitate to book a gîte right away for our holiday in September when we saw Mas de Grasset. The gîte is an individual house with a private garden in the heart of Provence, between Saint Rémy and les Baux de Provence. The prices are reasonable and the owners are friendly. This is perfect as we love the countryside and it is not far from the historical Avignon.

Half of the vacation is planned for visiting monuments and natural sites, and we will spend the rest of the time enjoying the local produce such as discovering, tasting and buying aromatic herbs, olive oil, lavender soap, wine and pottery and textile directly from the farms or producers.

Movie!

We both like to go to the cinema, mainly on week-end and we appreciate to watch different kind of movies.
We are lucky to have a big cinema within five minutes walk from our apartment, and we both have a card that gave us unlimited access for only 18€ per month.
It offers a choice of 16 different movies every week, and always in the original language, with French subtitles.
Over the last two months, we have seen a lot of interesting movies.
My favorite is the last we’ve seen, last Monday, “Into the wild”, directed by Sean Penn.
It’s based on a true story and it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s a quest of a young American man, who left everything behind him after his graduation, to travel across the USA and go to Alaska. The scenery is majestic and adds beauty to the film.
I also liked some others, such as “We own the night” (la nuit nous appartient), with Robert Duval, Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg, a family story around the NYPD,
“Gone baby gone”, directed by Ben Affleck, with his brother Casey and Morgan Freeman, “American gangster”, by Ridley Scott, with Denzel Washington, “My blueberry nights”, by Wong Kar Wai, with Norah Jones and Judd Law, “Atonement” (reviens moi), a sad love story with Keira Knightley, “It’s a free world”, by Ken Loach, a very political movie, “Rendition” (detention secrete), with Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Whitherspoon and Meryl Streep, a critics against the dark face of the American foreign policy, and “Bee movie”, a very funny animated movie, written by Jerry Seinfeld.

This coming week-end, we plan to go watch “Lust, caution”, by Ang Lee, and “Charlie Wilson’s war”, with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Food Chain

Following my post on Go Organic, I recently received an e-flyer from a purveyor of organic and natural products owned by a major lifestyle merchant in Asia. Supernature has been selling organic products since more than 10 years ago in Singapore. I might have been to the store in its early days, tucked in a quiet corner in a mall.

After checking its website, I'm impressed that business people are taking such a serious interest in organic products. The chain now has two stores in Singapore, of which one of them is in the prime shopping area.

Interesting articles on health and living are posted on the website regularly, which I will not elaborate in my blog for the simple reason of avoiding plagiarism. All I can say is, you eat what your food eats. Remember the food chain we learned in school?

A friend who is a meat-lover used to tease us with this:

"Why do you call yourself a vegetarian when you're eating beef?"

"My beef feeds on grass and herbage, it's vegetarian. So by eating the beef, I'm feeding on the grass and herbage too. Therefore I'm vegetarian. "

"Duh...."

Go Organic

I'm pretty used to eating organic food at home as my mom is a loyal supporter. I've been taught the benefits of eating natural foods instead of the processed and genetically-modified ones. Moreover, organic meat and vegetables are much tastier. Being a gourmandise, I'm not blindly supporting the green movement as I love food and I know what good food is, especially in its natural form.

Going organic has recently taken a step into fashion. I've window-shopped knitted wear made from soy and bamboo. Though I still cannot imagine how they turn soy into a pullover, I have no reasons to turn them down. I received an e-flyer one day from an upmarket New Yorker department (online) store. Organic cardigan, that is. It is apparently made from 100% organic cotton. It's quite pretty and I love the colour. I wonder if the dye was organic too.