More Pictures?

So while everyone else is off to somewhere else, I'm stuck in Cergy Le Haut because I'm too lazy to travel. Traveling sucks up too much brain juice in my opinion, and I've got to save up the locations for future travels with "other people".

A friend was mentioning that I did not have many photos of my traveling companions or friends who are with me on the trip. So that was why I have some photos of them in the previous posts. In my random and hallucinating state of mind, my imaginary friend asked, "Paul, why don't I see you in the photos at all?" And I replied to my imaginary friend, "That's because I'm behind the camera taking pictures you dummy!"

I never heard from him since then.

So well, enough of my imaginary friend. Taking my inspiration from some great-photographer-who-had-his-pictures-exhibited-along-the-Seine-River-in-Paris, I compiled a collection of portrait shots. In my case, I was lacking models. So I posed and asked imaginary friend number 2 to take the shots for me.


The conclusion is: Never eat self cooked pasta while reading a food blog about the famous Jap restaurant - Tatsuya when you are away from singapore and miss Jap food. You start to have imaginary friends that talk to you and take photos for you.

Brussels!

Okay, its time for the Brussels pictures to be posted. It just goes to show that I have not been doing my work or reading for the European Economics test, and spending too much time editing the photos. Cheerios!

Survival Instincts.

Some trees shed their leaves in autumn to protect themselves from the freezing cold in winter. Cells that contain fluid freeze readily, causing them to be damaged. The tissues that are unable to survive over the winter must be sealed off and put away to ensure the tree's survival.

Perhaps its time to leave the cold and embrace the warmth of spring.

Attempts at Portrait Photography

So here is first attempt at taking Portraits with a model (just that in this case, she was the one asking me to take pictures, and i'm not getting paid). Well, she is no model, but she is Renee, one of the other international students. Lots of other pictures of her, but they were all blurry and either over exposed or under exposed.

My Room!

Okay, so finally i have decided to edit the pictures that i took of my room quite some time ago. My room still looks the same, just that the pictures do not contain the current mess that my room is in.

The sink which is just next to the stove. It is pretty cramp and it is hard to cook with the pot and pan at the same time.

The food shelf where all my stocks of food are kept.

The basin where i brush my teeth, that is just in front of the bath area.

The bath area and the toilet bowl. The thing below my towel is the heater, which is in my opinion, the second most important thing in the toilet after the shower.

My room with my funky polka dot quilt cover and red pillow cases. Blue slippers for the cold cold floor, and a chair that doubles up as a side table for my bed.

The view from my window in the evening. Its a pretty empty place, quiet at times, and not that safe at times.

So there you have it, my room and the view from it in the evenings!

Overdue Amsterdam Pictures

A sudden burst of inspiration and realization that i will be going home soon, has led me to edit the photos and put them up. So here are the pictures of places and things. Only selective people pictures are put up.

Paul explores Paris - Montmartre

Jokes about the Big Plan aside, this is the first time i have worked so hard to edit my photos on the same day i took them.

So i decided to head down to Montmartre while Paris is still recovering from the massive strikes. It was a good idea as there were fewer tourists blocking my view of the things that are around me.

A really good artist drawing a picture of a man and his wife. The drawing seems to pop up at you and life-like. And yes, it is extremely flattering.

This guy was singing loads of english pop/rock hits that most bands would perform at a pub for young people. Definitely one of the more entertaining buskers I have seen around Paris.

And here is the Sacre Coeur, the church that stands at the top of the hill in Montmartre. I don't really know the significance of the church, but it was definitely much nice than the other dark and dreary churches that I have visited.

An alternate take of the Sacre Coeur, with a slightly arty feel. Love the colours of the picture. The sharpness makes it look almost fake.

I was getting a little irritated when this couple did not budge from that spot for a long time, hugging and kissing, oblivious to their surroundings, and blocking my scenic view. But I discovered that they brought out a different feel for the scene, and gladly intruded on their privacy, using them as my models.

So after a few unsatisfactory shots that did not show the passionate kissing that was happening before me, I walked away, trying to sneak in a few more shots at a better angle. This decision, was the best decision of my day.

He knelt down, clutched her hands, and asked her to marry him. (I imagined the last part as i don't know what is "will you marry me" in french) It was a really special moment for the three of us, yes, including me as an observer. The little girl in the background was unaware of the life changing moment that was occurring just behind her. The other tourists are still being entertained by the busker, and taking pictures to bring home. A smile filled with joy and tears (of joy), a reach into the pocket, and the ring was on the finger.

It is moments like this, that make me love Paris and experience that long forgotten warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Great location to propose, but for all you male readers who are thinking of doing it, I will suggest picking a different part in front of the Sacre Coeur, because kneeling on the steps is no jokes. Unless of course, you have prior practice.

And finally, who can miss the famous cafe in which Amelie was filmed at? It looked really different from my memory of it, but well, it is the One. And as the weather was pretty bad (meaning very cold and windy), I had the perfect excuse to head into the smoky cafe and order an expresso to warm myself up. Although it was kinda expensive, there was no burnt and sourish after-taste, which i really dislike in the current coffee powder I am using.

Well, I did enter the toilet for a laugh, recalling the scene where the Tabac lady saw some action with the Possessive Bummer in Amelie. The interior as you can see, is not much like the show, being much darker and smaller.


And so my day ends with me trying to squeeze into trains that were packed with office workers trying to get home. It was worse than a can of sardines. The proposal at Montmartre made the journey easier to bear with.

I leave you with a few other pictures of the day.