I know it’s a sculpture but in reality, does the leaf always stay in place to discreetly cover over, you know… there?
Chat
Day at the Museum
22 JulIt’s another hot day and a very long queue to see Mona Lisa!
The hubby and the brother went off for their business meeting, so I am left to discover Paris on my own. Donning my super comfy Blundstone walking boots instead of sandals, I took the train from Gare de L’est to Musee du Louvre.
I am determined to visit the Louvre this time as I missed it on my last trip here, back in 2008. And being a single person tourist today, things are moving quite fast. Good.
The buzz inside is so reverberating. Didn’t realize that the lure of art is so strong for people from all over the world.
Sculptors amazes me. They get so right into the details of the anatomy right down to the butt crack! Lovely cheeks, no? This was just a small detour before the big attraction.
Ceiling art are also amazing pieces of work. How do these artists endure the neck cramp painstakingly getting the details for us to appreciate? I get a neck cramp by just looking at all these!
Like every other ardent tourist, I made my way to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa.
Alas! Being a short person I can’t even get close. This is the closest! I think it is overrated. At least cameras are allowed unlike the Sistine Chapel where everyone has to be hushed while being ushered in.
Mona looks green, probably from all the attention and nausea from the noise and smell. Hahaha….
Why is she such a fascination? I think it is more of the ‘been there, seen it, done that’ syndrome that people are thronging Room 6.
The crowd is just too much and I am getting a headache from it all. So am plugged into my music to drown out all the museum excitement which I don’t really need as I explore and jot my observations along the way.
I attempted again, sucker for the ‘been there, done that’! And succeeded to get a closer picture.
I find this picture comical. How does one go to war without any loincloth or something to cover that part of the anatomy?! Aren’t they putting themselves at risk for such exposure? Tsk! Tsk!
It is interesting to note also that while sculptures are crafted with so much details on the body muscles and hair on the head and crotch, all sculptures do not have armpit hair! Maybe this is deemed ugly that can mar the beauty of the body?
I have been wandering through the many halls housing many themes and era of art pieces. Three hours into my exploration, I have walked 2.78km and took 7948 steps and burnt 164.1 calories. Yes, I am one of those who likes to record my physical efforts. I lost my pedometer awhile back but thank goodness for the iPhone, I have an app on it to do the job!
Paris is Hotter than KL
22 JulAnd so the holiday begins! With the different time zones between the two cities, we get an extra 6 hours after traveling for the last 18 hours to arrive at Hotel Magenta on Boulevard de Magenta, Paris.
Firstly, Paris is hot and feels way hotter than KL. The train ride from CDG to the city was a total sardine experience, packed and sweaty, long and cramped, confirming the sweltering heat. The train broke down after one stop and all passengers had to disembark to change train. What a start!
We finally got to the hotel and the front desk guy told us it can get to 34 degrees this week! Dang. But reassured us the room has air-conditioning, phew, thank goodness.
I managed to FaceTime the girls at the airport but the 15 minutes ended way too soon. And it’s too late to contact them now. No, I am not missing them… I am on holiday, remember?
It’s amazing the trouble we endure and go through with the journey to lead to a good vacation, which is the prized experience at the final destination. Despite with the extra hours gained, I feel tired and should hit the sack soon and be fresh for the next day.
Chat
Being Spiritual
21 JulBeing spiritual means going down the drink’s list of Dewar’s Whisky, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin and Absolut Vodka on board Air France to Paris!
I don’t think I am missing the girls, yet.
Chat
Etihad & Air France code sharing
21 JulWhat started out as code sharing between Etihad and Jet Airways turned out to be Etihad and Air France instead.
The first leg was 7 hours, leaving KLIA at 3.30am and arriving AUH 6.00am, Sunday. The next leg is timed for 6 hours and 40 minutes, departing at 9.00am. It’s a fuller flight so seat swapping looks unlikely. Oh well.
But at least no crying toddlers….
Chat
Which Time Zone Do We Follow?
21 JulI don’t normally eat lunch at 3.30pm; it would be more like an early afternoon tea but we are being served food again on board at 3.15pm (KL time), 11.15am (Abu Dhabi time).
It’s hard to follow whose time zone to adhere to when the airlines are following their schedule but your body follows your own.
I feel like I have been eating too much and too frequent!!! Maybe it was the Bacardi coke, taken so early that is causing the confusion….
Nonetheless, hubby and I both opted for the chicken stroganoff with rice (over the other two choices) as we figured the Asian in us will miss rice for the next few days being in Paris.
Wondering what M1 and M2 are up to as I chow down on airline food.
Chat
The holidays begin?
21 JulFlying off at three in the morning is something new as we normally do more sane departures for our other escapades. Like a zombie, we boarded to a half full flight and a couple of screaming toddlers.
I guess getting four hours of sleep is sufficient. In transit at Abu Dhabi now before the real holiday kicks in!
Let’s Climb a Tree
19 JulWe have a lovely but skinny Frangipani tree at our back garden. One day the girls declared, “We wanna climb a tree!” And so the hubby indulged them as I watch their monkey acts from inside the living room.
Climb a tree? Hah! How sad my girls don’t know what climbing a real tree is all about as their antics brought back memories of me and my tree.
I grew up in a big house with an equally big garden. And there were trees, lots of trees. Thirty six of them. Sometimes, somethings in life you remember forever and this is one of them.
I remember going through a phase and would be counting every single tree in the compound, playing authority with a clipboard and going around the compound doing a census on trees. I don’t know why I did that but I was obsessed with it, doing it every evening. And of course, the result showed 36 matured trees. My mother loved her garden, full of flowers, plants and trees.
And I loved my tree. My tree was special; it was a matured mango tree and had sturdy branches snaking out as if it was creating a nest with spread out fingers. I would climb my tree every afternoon and sit there to daydream. The branches were so thick that I could lie down anywhere I fancy and stare at the leaves or beyond. One day while staring, I discovered caterpillars! Here, there, everywhere. Eeuuww. I stopped hanging out on my tree after that.
But the fact remains, today’s children hardly has the opportunity to experience what we experienced. Climbing trees and catching little fishes from the drain (as what the hubbby used to do) are deemed activities of the dinosaur era, for people like myself and the hubby. We may have one tree for the girls to attempt now but sadly our drains are all covered up. Development and time plus technology has rendered many classics to be obsolete today.
Can Dogs See Color?
18 JulThis is about official pet number one, Rooney. We think he likes the color orange or rather, he only sees the color orange.
Why I say this because the toys that we get him can range from many colors but the orange colored ones last the longest playtime. A replacement frisbee for the orange one—in the same shape and size but in green—did not even warrant a day’s play. A blue & white bone hardly gnawed to the core while anything orange lasts so long!
When we discovered his preference for the color and not the object, both M1 and M2 would be mindful to select an orange colored toy for him whenever we visit the pet shop.
His recent orange & yellow chicken was chewed till the guts came out. Then the cat, which was a darker shade of orange, lasted less than the chicken. I surgically gave the cat another live but since then, with its orange shade turning brownish, the reincarnated cat has been neglected.
Currently, he’s just all over his basketball. At the right bright shade of orange, we all agreed that he only sees the color orange.
Remarks