Soon, soon

I'll be in the country where the people always smile.
Where I can drink delicious mango shakes.
Where you eat pork sisig, adobo, halo-halo...
Where you laze on the beach on the week-ends...
Where you party like crazy.
Where you always have fun.

Philippines, my second home.

Inseec'Ond

I am a member of the association which is the webradio of the school.
I've been working hard on it, so please, listen to it !!

www.inseecond.net

Unfortunately, it is french...

4 rules

I've just had my first "Organizational Behavior" class today and I really enjoyed it! We talked about the business basics and how to be a good manager.

The teacher (who has graduated from Georgetown University and has worked for many companies eg National Geographics) gave us the 4 rules we have to respect in his class.

We don't have the right to say "I don't know" when asked something. If we do, we will be "dismissed" from the class! We can answer something like "I am not sure, but..." or "I will get back to you". Actually, the class is given in english to all french students, who for most of them, never had english lessons except for english classes.

The second rule is "no cellphones". If he sees us texting, checking the time, or using our mobile, he will confiscate it and we will have to pay 2 € to get it back! If we don't, he'll keep our mobile until the next lesson (and until we pay).

The third rule is respect. Respect each other and the teacher. People could laugh at other people whose english accent is bad, and those ones could be shy to talk. So, respect everybody! We are here to progress.

The fourth and last rule is to speak up. We have to talk loud when we answer, or if we want to make a point. This is - as he said- to prepare us to speak up our minds in future business meetings.

Interesting rules, aren't they ?

Hey there

School has officially started one week ago... Which school is it ? It is Inseec Bordeaux, which is a business school. I have micro economy, law, accounting, etc lessons. For now, all my classes were interesting!

Starting over the process of making new friends... parties seem to be all around the corner so it will be easy haha.

But I have long days, starting from 8.30 am to 8pm sometimes...

Anyway, apart from that... well I've watched a Marliyn Monroe's movie last week in theatre, and it was great! I only saw "Some like it hot" and I really wanted to know more about what Marilyn did, and why she is so praised until today. Well I better understand now! I watched Niagara and if you have the opportunity to see it, do so!

PS : you should read this!

Beautiful Paris

Here are some pictures of my week :

Changes

I would like to take another direction for this blog.

I will continue talking about my life, but not only. I would like to share cultural point of views from the countries I've experienced : the Philippines and China. I will also share my musical tastes and other views.

I hope I will have time to do it and that my blog will be more interesting hehe.

When in Paris

Hey there !

I'm in Paris since Monday now, staying at my brother's appartment in the 13th.

I spend my days visiting, watching TV and playing piano. I still couldn't see the friends I wanted to...

So what did I do ? I walked on the Champs-Elysées until the Arc de Triomphe (sorry, too lazy to translate), then today I went to the chinese quarter, see the Tang Frere market, then I took the subway to the Tuilerie garden. I walked to the Louvres Museum and took pictures. It was so beautiful ! I sat in the garden and read a little. Unfortunately you will see the pictures later as I am not using my own laptop right now.
I also walked on the Rivoli Street, where I found a charming book store with english books. I didn't buy anything, though. Then I just took the subway home...

Paris is so beautiful but I still can't imagine myself live here one day...

Back in Bordeaux

Alone in my appartment for the first time since... 4 months !

Tomorrow will be my internship defence... wish me luck...

A strange feeling

Back in Europe after living an incredible experience in China... It's like everything is plain normal and boring, I don't know. When you are in Shanghai, there is always something to do.

Restaurants, bars, clubbing, hanging out, going to KTV, shopping... I kinda miss all that now.
I'm happy to be back, seeing family and friends, but it's like I'm feeling so empty.
I also recognize that I actually liked very much my internship which was very interesting. I've learned a lot more than expected. From concept to design to marketing. I really know better about what I want to do in my future life. I'd like to work more for branding... something like that...

I'm back...

Long time no see !!!

I've been to the Philippines and to Beijing afer Shanghai.

I went back to France last week, and I am now in my "true" hometown : Luxembourg.

So glad to be back, but missing Asia somehow !

Will write more...

Summer heat

Summer has trully arrived here in Shanghai. Temperature is rising, sun is shining... good news ! Hmm not really. It's really too hot... And walking outside than going inside in ACed building than going out in the heat is not really... good...

If only there were suitable beaches nearby, the weather would be perfect to sunbathe... The thing is chinese people hate the sun... Ladies walk with an umbrella, scared to be "black".

I want to tan !!! Hahaha.

Things you do or don't usually do in Shanghai

You never wash, clean, or take out the garbage.
You never say "sorry" to anyone when you take the subway.

You do spend most of week-ends partying and shopping like crazy.
You bargain all the time for everything.(what, it doesn't work in H and M ?)
You suddenly find normal european shops expensive.
You do your hair, nails more often.
You take the taxi most of the time.
You eat for less than 3 €.
You have so many things to do that your appartment is like your hotel, you only sleep there.
You don't only go out on week-end, but also during weeks, as happy hours and ladies night are everywhere and everyday.

Useful chinese expressions

One of the only ones I know...

Ni hao... How are you (but not as a question)

Wei ... Used when you answer the phone.(Wei, ni hao ?)

Bu yao ! ... I don't want (very useful, most of chinese will try to sell you anything)

Wo yao (Wo yao zhe ge) ... I want (I want this)

Bu zhi dao ... I don't know

De, due, hao de ... Yes, ok, good

Shi ... Yes

Bu shi ... No (I say it all the time !!!)

Faguo ... France (yes, taxi drivers always ask me where I'm from.. Wo xie faguo ren !!! )

Xie xie ... Thank you (pronounce she she)

Due bu shi ... I'm sorry (pronounce doue boo tche)

Zai jian ... Good bye

and.. that's all !! But with these few word, and body language, I manage to get what I want... and don't want !

Weird

These days I never updated this blog, because first of all I didn't have time, and also because "blogger" is usually blocked here in China.

Today I suprisingly found it wasn't blocked so that's why I'm taking this opportunity to give some news.

I'm really enjoying Shanghai, more for the "expat life" than anything else. Because apart from shopping, restaurant, club, karaoke, etc. there is in fact not much to do once you have visited (what should be visited).

There are cities to see, but they are one hour or more from Shanghai (Hangzhou, Suzhou), and these days the weather is always bad on week-ends, especially on Sundays, days we usually plan to go visit one of these cities...

So the good thing here is meeting people, networking, people from different countries, origins, cultures.

Well of course there are many things to do here in Shanghai, as long as you have money !!

News from Shanghai

I'm still not getting used to the food here. I was sick, yet again, yesterday !
It's already been 2 weeks since I'm in Shanghai, and I feel like I've only been sick since I'm here. Plus I've lost 3 kilos, which is not really good news, I'm already thin enough !

Now, it is raining, and not only a little...

And also, blogspot is blocked here, which means I can write here, but I can't see my blog, nor others ! Sorry, I can't read you... Even some french blogs and sites I used to visit are blocked... Too bad.

My days are mostly like work, eat, watch dvd, sleep. Fascinating huh ? That's why I really hope to recover soon because there are so many parts of Shanghai I need to discover, and enjoy ! As I am weak and sick most of the time, I don't really enjoy many things...
Anyway, I'll write more.

Starting to get used to my new life

I'm starting to enjoy my stay in Shanghai ! Jetlag, sickness, weakness and lack of sleep are almost history.
I went to have a haircut for just 3€. Could you imagine ?
I live 20 minutes away from the center by taxi, that's not too bad !

Pollution is a problem, it really stinks all the time though...

I now have 3 days holidays, yeah I work on Sunday...

Hello from Shanghai !

Hey there ! I'm in Shanghai since Wednesday !
I'm still having problems with jetlag but otherwise everything is fine !!
The people are nice, the appartment is very big and not too noisy.
Here are different views from my appartment :

I'm in "holidays" !

I've just finished my 2-year of IT and Communication course !!! I'm so happy, no more computing course ever ^^.

I've learned a lot about the Web during these 2 years, met interesting people, had interesting courses (video editing,...), had the opportunity to do my end of first year internship abroad (Philippines), had funny nights out, and... the list could go on and on.

I've spent much of my free time shopping, playing the piano, the guitar, browsing the Web, going to the cinema...

Next year, I'll be in a business school in Bordeaux, still 2 or 3 years to go !

Tuesday, I'm leaving to Shanghai, where I'm going to do a 3-month webdesign internship. So looking forward to it !!! But um... with what's happening between Chinese and French right now... I should maybe avoid telling my nationality (wo shi faguo ren in chinese)... haha.

To finish on a musical note, do you know the french band Cocoon ? Well, you should !!!
I especially love this song.

Temporary lack of concentration...

It may happen to anyone...
These few days it looks like I'm unable to concentrate in classes... which are basically useless...
I mean, I have less than 3 weeks to go, huge projects to handle... and going to class is like... basic loss of time.

The real reason of all of this... is my departure to Shanghai... I'm already "in" Shanghai in my head...

I spend most of the time surfing the Web, looking for websites and forums talking about life in Shanghai... I learn a lot on what I can expect !!! Places to see, shopping, cost of life, nights out... So want to be there already !

By the way, the company where I'll work is a german company, vielleicht werde ich deutsch sprechen ? Kidding, it will all be in english, but imagine if I could catch up with my german, it would be great... speaking german in China... I've learnt german 6 years in high school, and read german news everyday. The thing is, I do understand everything I read or hear, but I never talk, so I never practice... Don't have any fellow german friend here haha. Na ja. I figured out I actually liked the german language and it even sounds good to my hears. I'm only saying that because the basic French thinks it sounds horrible and still caricatures german people speaking in a very harsh/cut tone (Nazi period ?), which I find completely stupid. I'm always trying to convice people it's not like that and it's actually beautiful, they never believe me.

Maybe just narrow-minded ? Yeah, dass denke ich.

Busy, busy, busy...

As you can see, my blog isn't updated very frequently...
Many projects in school... and... in less than 3 weeks from now I'll finish school !

There are still big projects awaiting, and no motivation whatsoever to finish them...

In the past months I've been looking for an internship in Shanghai, and after having conference calls and mail exchanges, I finally found one and took my decision.

I'm going to do my internship in a web agency.

I'm so excited to leave, as Shanghai seems to be very appealing, and cheaper in some ways ! Great experience lies within a few weeks... can't wait to go !!!

My presentation

Click here to see my video.
This is me... then.
Sometimes my accent is a bit weird...

You are the one that I want

This is a video clip my class realized last friday. We had a lot of fun !
I'm the first girl you see.

Don't stop the music

No, I'm not going to talk about the "oh-so-many-times" heard hit song from Rihanna.
No, I don't want to stop the music.
Yes, I love music.

Music is my life savior. Music is like love, it's universal. Music can't let you down, unless people. Music is always there when you feel lonely. Music makes you smile when you were sad.

I have this real addiction to music. I can't live one day without listenning to music. In the morning, I put my iPod's earphones in my ears and walk to school, same thing in the afternoon when coming home. When I'm at home, the radio, or music from my computer, is always on.

I also play the piano and the guitar. I've been playing piano for 12 years now. Once I've started playing, I can't stop. I like to play popular and pop piano, mainly from what I hear on the radio. I also play some classics as well.

I play the guitar everyday now. I just can't stop searching for songs on ultimate-guitar.com.
I like playing Incubus, Coldplay, Cranberries, Michelle Branch and Eagle Eyes Cherry's songs. The thing is, I learn new songs by myself, but I don't really progress. Strumming gets better, but not the technique. Lately, I also sing along. I've found out I could actually sing. I'm not saying I'm this big singer, but I remember all the times I would sing and enjoy karaoke times when in the Philippines.
Well, playing and singing is tough, but I kinda manage a few songs.
I'd really like to be part of a band someday... but at the moment, I'm too shy to sing to someone to know whether it's good or not.(well some privileged heard me... "how do you do to sing and play at the same time ?!")

Music is like a companion... In good and bad times, there will always be this good song which you will remember, which trully describes a precise moment in your life. Even when you party, there will always be the "party" song of a period.

Listenning to old songs can bring back the nostalgia and good memories of people and places... there are even songs you used to like that you will hate, because of this bad moment.

Well, I think you get the picture... Music is... life !

Long time no see

Hey everyone !
I've been quite busy in my life lately.

I have to decide to which business school I will go next year, here in Bordeaux. I already have to pass an exam next Saturday. I think I'll be ready for it, well I have to obviously !

The good thing is that I am now entering my 4th and last semester of school ! I will all be done with at the end of April. Then will start my internship... so looking forward to it.

Taking chances

Don't know much about your life
Don't know much about your world, but
Don't want to be alone tonight
On this planet they call earth

You don't know about my past, and
I don't have a future figured out
And maybe this is going too fast
And maybe it's not meant to last

Chorus :
But what do you say to taking chances
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay
What do you say ?
What do you say ?

I just wanna start again
And maybe you could show me how to try
Maybe you could take me in
Somewhere underneath your skin

Chorus

And I had my heart beating down
But I always come back for more, yeah
There's nothing like love to pull you up
When you're lying down on the floor there
So talk to me, talk to me
Like lovers do
Yeah walk with me, walk with me
Like lovers do
Like lovers do

Chorus

Don't know much about your life
And I don't know much about your world

Click.

Don't forget him...

Everybody now knows Heath Ledger died last tuesday. This is very sad news for his family, friends and his fans.
The Brokeback Mountain cow-boy will be remembered, that is for sure.
Only 28 years old and already gone, may he rest in peace.

We never change (Coldplay)

I wanna live life, never be cruel,
I wanna live life, be good to you.

I wanna fly, never come down,
And live my life,
And have friends around.

We never change, do we?
We never learned to leave,
So I wanna live in a wooden house,
I wanna live life, always be true,
I wanna live life, and be good to you,
I wanna fly, and never come down,
And I live my life, and have friends around.

We never change do we? No, no,
We never learned to bleed,
So I wanna live in a wooden house,
Making more friends would be easy.

O I don't have a show to say,
Yes, and I sing of a single day,
We never change do we?
We never learned to leave.

So, I wanna live life in a wooden house,
Making more friends would be easy,
I wanna live where the sun comes out.

Indeed I really think that we never really change. Of course, we evoluate, we take decisions, we change but not in that way. You will always go back to the real person you are, if ever you have found who you are.
I changed, but deep inside I'm still the same person. My tastes grew, but what I liked before, I still like. Purple was my favorite colour in high school, and still is, and the list can go on.
The Mariah Carey number one album I received for my 9th birthday, well the other day I listenned to it, and still liked all the songs. Weird.

End of the holidays...

This picture doesn't quite sum up my holidays (you can also find it on my french blog), but almost. Some reading, some Christmas gifts (I've become a "Heroes" addict, that's for sure), some chocolate, some shopping (I love MNG Jeans !) and some visiting. That's for the fun part ! I spent last week in Luxembourg.

I've also been looking for my internship in Shanghai or Luxembourg... I've been to so many websites and sent so many emails and applications... Gosh. And almost no answers... I hope I will find it in time.

And now, the sad part. End of the holidays. What, are you saying going back to class tomorrow ? Oh noooo. Time passes so quickly, which is a bad thing under these circumstances, but it is also a good thing. (the end of the year is near !!!). The end not's near, it's here. (Band of Horses, fools ! Excellent song by the way)

Belated...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008 !
May this new year be better than 2007 !!!