. . . je taime Paris . . .

13.02.09, 645pm. still to early but then again, i clearly remember mom saying that its better to be early then be late. around an hour more to boarding the train from Geneva to Gare de Lyon... darn its cold. i dont know what else to do except stand around with my backpack facing the bitter cold of winter. even so, i'm still pretty happy n excited. i'm like, Gosh darn it! i'm going to Paris. after all these years dreaming, it now has come true. all alone going to Paris... well, i'm gonna meet my uncle n friends there but scratch that. i've always dreamt of going to Paris since i could remember. i haven't slept much since yesterday. did my laundry at the crack of dawn. all because of going out with Pepe for pool again. i've been going to Sphere for so many times already, yet i can't even shoot the ball straight... i had to minus off some clothes coz i needed spare room for other items to be sent back to Brunei thru my uncle. of all that i could remember, i forgot one particular thing, the Paris guidebook. darn it. i've marked so many things on where i wanted to go. al the hassle of buying the damned thing n i forgot about it on the important day. simply perfect. then again, theres owes some books lying around there i assume and i could always surf at a cybercafe for info. but of course, 2 places are obviously easy to remember, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

This is also probably the longest ride i've ever been on a train. usually its the normal Versoix or Rolle... and also that 5 minute ride from the airport to town n vice versa. finally at 720pm, i boarded the train n started my night journey to Paris. its estimated that i'd be in Paris at 1049pm. i dont mind the long journey. i just hope theres still some buses running around. i've gone thru the buss routes n schedules for a number of times, i hope i get it right as well. Jeez, n i got a msg from uncle saying that its nowing as eff in Paris. i'm praying for a sunny weather though... how am i gonna take pictures if everything is white as eff? thats something to think about later i guess. for now i'm enjoying the train ride. i thought it would be rough and noisy but apparently its not. maybe an occassional tilt, shake, bounce or rattles but nothing serious. the passengers are quite enough. normal strong aromas of coffee and red bull for those who have to be awake throughout the night. oh yeah, speaking of night, its one thing i regret. its all pitch black outside. i cant see anything. but then again the ticket was cheap so i regretted my regrets. hehehe... btw, taking the train to paris from geneva n vice versa at night is cheaper. something for those who are on a tight budget e.g ME. 196 francs aint that bad of a price.

oh yeah, tommorow is Valentine's Day. not that i give an eff a

bout it coz i know Muslims arent supposed to celebrate it. but i can already imagine that couples in Paris would be all colored in red. no wonder my colleagues were peskering and annoying me saying that i'm gonna meet a chick there... what the use of that particular day? i dont see what the fuss is all about. n its really stupid. remembering n appreciating ur partner for a day? eff that. i dont even have my mama bear around. thats already worse *sobs*

my first impression of Paris wasnt at all what i expected. i was greeted by the stench of a day old pool of piss from god knows who as i exited the train... all the way to the main entranceof the station. phew! obviously all shops were closed, not that i care coz i was well fed, rested n still anxious to decide whether or not i should get the bus or taxi. knowing that i am such a great bastard on not spending too much money, i went for the bus. so what? i'm admitting it. come on, when u live in the part of the world where the motto goes 'no money no talk' you aint got no choice but to keep on strangling yourself from getting to lenient on spending. dont believe me? thats up to you. anyway, one bus ticket is like 1.60 euros while a bunch of 10 carnets (as they call it) costs 11.40 euros. i wanted to get the carnet bunch but i was low on cash and i'm not the type to swipe my credit card often. the bus regulations are quite similar to Geneva except that your ticket has to be confirmed through a machine on the bus n u can only use the ticket once. actually i like this method. makes thing more proper. i had to walk a bit to the apartment where my uncle was staying with the rest of the family but considering that it was the night before V-day, the walk was pretty lively. people here n there bringing flowers n gifts for their partners... cuddling, smooching, exchange of words... ahhh... pathetic. i only say that coz i'm alone without the other half ;( then again, why d hell would i celebrate it. you ask me the real reason why Islam is offended by V-day? i dont have an exact clue. but i'll get back to you once i have info on that matter.  moving on.

getting a hotel apartment is essential for those travelling and on a quite tight budget. thats my own personal point of view which i agree on. you kind of supress ur expenses from eating out too much. food is unsurprisingly expensive in these parts of the world, unless you wanna expose ur tongue to various tastes of Paris. whatever rings ur bell.

14.02.09, i find that the apartments in Paris are well facilitated compared to Geneva. i went to a friends' apartment where she was staying for the past few months n i was actually dumbfounded that her apartment was way off better than mine. small yes. but the necessities are ridiculously great. free wifi, washing machine, microwave, open kitchen... its like going thru an IKEA showroom. n btw, i couldnt understand French language well enuf but i could understand a wee bit. but for one thing i'm sure, i could understand the French in France very well compared to Geneva...

to be continued