Just Because.

It's a long story so I won't go into it, but basically within the first two weeks of my internship, everyone at work found out that I could sing. And I was embarrassed that my secret got out. My boss asked me why I sing and I tried to come up with a really good justification. But then he answered for me. "Because you like to. Because you want to. Right? That's important to say."

And I though, Huh. Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess because I haven't really owned it yet, I often feel like an imposter, like I don't deserve to sing and I should keep it to myself. So then when people find out, I get embarrassed and feel like I have to explain myself. I'd never considered that I could say, "Because I enjoy it" and leave it at that.

Fast forward to this evening, when I walk into a gift shop to buy the thing that I always buy for myself when I travel to a different country. The shop is tiny and is run by a kind Indian man. When I walk in there's large screen in the corner playing a music video, featuring a man singing in a language that I don't understand.

"That's me," the shopowner says. "That's my video. I sing in French too, for Les Bleus even." And then he precedes to play a song of his recorded in French, and tell me all about how he sings what he wants, when he wants, whether people like it or not.

He runs the store.
He chooses what music to play.
He plays his own music.
He tells customers about it, whether they ask or not.

He sings because he wants to, and that reason alone is enough.

Learning to Walk

While walking "home" from work yesterday, I glanced at all the people around me going this way and that way. And a thought came to me.

There was once a time when none of these people knew how to walk. Not one of us knew how to walk. We couldn't do it. At one point in time, learning to walk was our biggest obstacle. We wanted to move, but it took many, many tries.

And now look at us. We're all walking like it's nothing. We do it without thinking. It's almost like breathing.

So I was thinking about all this and I wondered,

What other things are there in my life now that I "can't" do yet? 

Maybe all of those things are just like learning to walk.

"Paris"

My favorite Taiwanese singer, with his new song about the city I'm currently living in. When I watch it, for almost every scene I'm like, Yep, been there. Yep, know where that is. Haha.

It's a simple song and I don't understand a word. But it's smooth, as is to be expected from the "Soulboy" Khalil Fong. Enjoy!

La Fête du Cinéma (Tuesday)

I wasn't planning on doing anything yesterday after work. But then I remembered that it was the second-to-last day of La Fête du Cinéma, where you can see any movie in any theater for just 3,50€. That's a steal, because I've paid anywhere from 6€ to 12€ depending on which theater I was at and whether I got a discount for being under 26 or not.

I went to Cinéma des Cinéastes which is at a walkable distance for me. It's an art theater that shows mostly independent and foreign films. It also has only 3 "salles". But it's big and it's clean, and it has an industrial-themed interior design that I haven't seen in a theater here before. The room that I sat in was especially impressive. It was a true movie theater, emphasis on THEATER. Never been in anything like it.

My selection this evening was an Israeli film called Le Procès de Viviane Amsalem (Gett). It was in Hebrew with French subtitles, with the exception of some dialogue spoken in French. This film is a courtroom drama that follows a woman's 5-year ordeal trying to get a divorce. Apparently, in Israel only rabbis can grant divorces. But the rabbi judges presiding over Viviane's case refuse to make her husband agree to the divorce unless there is a good reason. And apparently, no longer being in love with someone, being miserable, and simply not wanting to be married to someone anymore aren't good enough reasons. Especially not when the wife is the one who wants out.

I know she's a fictional character, but the things this woman went through! I kept thinking How dare they?! What right does a woman have in this world, really? How dare they?!  Plus the film hit a little too close to home for me, reminding me of how much my mom suffered when she and my dad were getting divorced. The movie ended, I walked out of that theater, and I was absolutely livid. I've had emotional reactions to plenty of films in the past, but I don't think I've ever been this furious. I stomped my way "home", on the verge of tears, and I had to call Ma to vent about what I'd just seen. That's how angry I was.

My anger aside, I think this film is excellent! I would recommend it to anyone interested in women's rights and the ugly and complicated nature of divorce. Prepare to be outraged though, and you might cry an angry tear or two.

Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JULY
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY

Musée Guimet + Palais de Chaillot + Isumo (Sunday)

I couldn't let myself stay inside all day again, so I went to Musée Guimet, also known as Le musée national des arts asiatiques - Guimet. T recommended it to me, and it's one of the few places I haven't been already.

Before I could get out the door though, R-M and M were cleaning house and started having me try on clothes out of the blue. M especially was steady pulling things out of her closet that she didn't wear anymore (or had never worn) and having me put them on. Meanwhile R-M was giving me one old accessory of hers after another. It was like one of those makeover/shopping spree scenes that you see in movies. I was too grateful and confused to do anything but laugh.  How did I end up staying with such generous people? And how am I going to fit all of this in my suitcase?

Once I put all the clothes in my closet I headed to Musée Guimet, which was only a bus ride and a short walk away. I have to say, this museum is magnificent! It's not very big, but whoever curated this place was very thorough! I started my visit at the "Harunobu, un poète du féminin" exhibit on the third floor and explored my way down from there.  This exhibit showcases ukiyo-e and nishiki-e artist Suzuki Harunobu's woodblock prints of women going about their daily lives, many of which are accompanied by poems.

The thought that kept coming to me as I walked around the rest of the museum was, Buddhabuddhabuddhabuddha rockin' everywhere! (Does anyone remember that song?) Never have I ever seen so many statues, figurines, engravings, weavings, and paintings of Buddha in one place. Never. My first stops after Suzuki Harunobu exhibit were the Japan and Korea sections of the museum, so when I saw Buddha sculptures in both I wasn't surprised. But then I went through the China section, the Tibet/Nepal/India section, the Afghanistan section, the Cambodia/Thailand/Vietnam section... and there were Budda-related pieces in each and every one of them! Buddha was literally everwhere, and I was delighted! They have a lot of works with other themes as well, but if you're interested in Buddhism, Buddha, or anything having to do with the two, then Musée Guimet is a must!

I spent about three hours there and then walked down the street to Palais de Chaillot. Don't ask me when and why it was built, what's in it, or why it's important, because I don't know. All I knew was that you can get a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and the skyline from there, so I went for the sole purpose of getting a look and snapping pics.

As expected the place was full of tourists, but most of them knew well enough to get the shots they wanted and not be too much in other people's way. What I found most interesting there (other than the Eiffel Tower, of course) was that Falun Dafa was there demonstrating against live forced organ harvesting in China. The protest was peaceful, with music playing, a man  saying something in Mandarin through a bullhorn, and a group of people standing in neat neat rows still as stone, with the exception of a few slow choreographed movements.

I went "home" after seeing all there was to see. I thought I was done for today, but then H asked me to meet for dinner. Our options were limited since it was Sunday, so we decided on a Japanese restaurant called Isumo. It wasn't all that special as far as Japanese restaurants go, but the decor was really interesting! Red and black furniture with black-and-white walls and blue lighting. Sounds like it'd be a mess, but it actually comes together really well. And what's most important, H and I had a nice time eating and catching up  after not having seen each other in about two weeks.

Now that I think about it, I ended up seeing and eating a lot of Asian things this weekend. That totally wasn't planned but I loved it all!

Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY

Vlog Coming Soon? (Saturday)

On Saturday I spent most of the day recording a vlog, watching Japanese dramas, and watching the rain fall outside my window. I went out only once, and that was just to have dinner at Zafran again.

Below is my favorite snapshot from the vlog. It's also the first photo I've taken of myself since being here. I feel pretty good about what I recorded, but editing is going to take me a while. Will it ever see the light of day?*

*(Hint: Yes, it will.)


Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY

La Défense + La Princesse Kaguya (Friday)

Friday night was another movie night for me! As usual I went to a new theater this time as an excuse to visit a new part of the city, and this time my destination was La Défense.

La Défense is a major business district in the Paris Metro area, but it's not actually part of Paris proper. This area was purposely built for business purposes, and here you'll see all the skyscrapers and high rises that aren't allowed in Paris (they would ruin the city's image and take attention away from the Eiffel Tower, apparently). So even though I didn't go very far, technically you could say that I ventured outside the city! Had to get on the freeway to get there and everything!

I was heading to UGC Ciné Cité La Défense to see Le Conte de la Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語 / The Tale of Princess Kaguya), which is a Studio Ghibli adaptation of what is thought to be Japan's oldest folktale. Kaguya comes to Earth from the moon, and a bamboo cutter finds her in the form of a small infant in a bamboo shoot. She is raised by said bamboo cutter and his wife, who recognize that she's a divine gift and thus groom her to be a princess. The film portrays her life from infancy to princess-hood to her return to the moon.

I'd originally planned to go to the 7pm showing, but it took two buses to get over there and I missed it. So I had almost 3 hours to spend until the next and last showing at 9:45pm.

The bus stop I got off at is in the middle of this huge plaza that holds a mall called Les Quatre Temps and the not-as-famous-as-it-could-be Grande Arche de la Défense. I climbed the steps to stand directly under the arch and get a view of the scenery on both sides.

 After taking in all I could, I descended the steps and walked around the mall for a bit. Out of the many food options available I settled on a stand called Bretzel Love, which is like Auntie Annie's in the States but with a greater variety of options and slightly larger pretzels. I passed by one when I went to the movies at Forum Les Halles a while ago and have wanted to try it since. Now was my chance! I had their Las Vegas bagel (turkey, avocado, tomato, and mustard) and a cinnamon "bretzel". Mall food that did not disappoint!

I then headed to the theater (which is attached to the mall), and waited another hour and a half until La Conte de la Princesse Kaguya started. It. was. amazing! Such a beautiful film! The story was rich, the animation was clean and uncomplicated, and there were so many life lessons you could take away from it. My favorite lesson was that we have to be mindful of how we raise girls, what we mold them into, and the ways in which we tell them what they can and can't do. This was my first time seeing a Studio Ghibli film that isn't Miyazaki Hayao's work, and I have to say that they've really outdone themselves with this one! I would recommend this film to everyone, especially children, and extra-especially little girls!


I rode the metro "home" after getting one last look at la Grande Arche in the dark.

Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY