Musée du Quai Branly, Les Ombres

The Quai Branly museum is located at 37, quai Branly - portail Debilly, 75007 Paris. It is a beautiful building covered with live vegetation, not too far from the Eiffel Tower. It features indigenous art notably from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Tickets are EUR8.50 for adults and free for those below 18 years of age, and free also for those who are unemployed (isn't France great??)

In general, I do not like museums. I just don't! That does not mean that I'm not cultured, however. I just do not appreciate endless halls of art and the throngs of people pondering over a painting of dead fruits. This museum however, my husband and I visited during the month of August, vacation month. All the Parisians flee the city, and you get tourists here and there, but in Paris you ALWAYS get the tourists here and there and everywhere. Anyways, in August, the city is empty. That's why we took the opportunity to checkout Quai Branly.

The museum is not too big, which is a HUGE advantage point for me. In total we spent about 3 hours in the permanent and current exhibitions. The lighting in the museum was very somber, and that made me sleepy. However, at the first sight of an African mask from the 17th century I paid attention once again. In the end, everything kinda looked the same to me. I was not mesmerized, and I was disappointed that there were no exhibits from the Malayan continent.

So, you should go if you told yourself that you MUST visit a museum in Paris, but you can't stand the endless halls of the Louvre. You should NOT go if you're expecting pretty and colorful artwork. You should be somewhat careful if you're with young children, for there are many depictions of the male genitals in 3D. And some sculptures in compromising positions. But obviously some parents don't care, there were tons of kids when we went..

On top of the museum (my favorite part) is the restaurant Les Ombres. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! It is somewhat pricey for a restaurant that does not have any Michelin stars. Expect to pay about EUR100 per person without any alcohol. But the menu consists of specialties from Brittany (where my husband can trace back his roots) and it is delish! Call at least a month in advance for tables on Fridays and Saturdays, and at least 2 weeks in advanced for other days. Do not forget to request for a table that faces the Eiffel Tower. Though cliché, the view is breathtaking...

Metro: Iéna
Photos by Me

Christian Louboutin

About 5 years ago while living in NYC, I discovered my love and obsession with Christian Louboutin shoes. Subtle, not that widespread just yet, these red soled beauties managed to suck drool out of my mouth (although I must admit that it doesn't take that much for me to drool over when it comes to shoes..)Its platformed 5 inch peep toe heels is the ultimate classic and should only be owned by selected non tacky women who appreciate its simplicity that oozes elegance, not teenagers and mistresses who live in Miami. Unfortunately, Louboutin shoes have been copied and sold on the internet for 1/5 its original price- this disgusts me.

Christian Louboutin, a French shoe designer born in 1964 launched his line of high end women's shoes in France in 1991. He has brought a new meaning to stilettos, reviving almost vulgar cabaret style shoes into sleek, sexy and creative designs for chic women today. Cheapest pairs start at about EUR350, and it goes up to thousands of Euros.

In Paris, Christian Louboutin has 3 boutiques in only the trendiest neighborhoods. If you are looking to buy a pair, I suggest that you go to the original store on rue Jean Jacques Rousseau in the 1st arrondissement. The salespeople are rude, arrogant and unfriendly, but this is what you will have to deal with to get a pair. Usually, my husband will put up his snobby French attitude to actually get service. Stride in, be snooty, and speak in English. That should intimidate them into doing their job! The store on rue Fauborg St Honoré may be slightly bigger (with 2 floors) but they never have the "normal" sizes (37,38). These shoes run out fast, so as soon as a new collection comes out, GRAB EM! During the sales, only the craziest aka ugliest seasonal shoes will go on the rack. The classics never do...

Photo courtesy of Google Image

Second wedding!

Second wedding to the same man, that is.. Sorry for ignoring the blog, we have been away for 3 weeks in July in Kuala Lumpur for our second wedding celebration. It was the most beautiful night of my life, with the first half being traditional malay. Jean looked like a malay Sultan, complete with songket, keris and all sorts of bling! We walked into the Sultan Ballroom of Le Meridien KL accompanied by traditional gamelan music, followed by a silat performance before the prayers.

For the second part, we changed into a dress and a tux to continue the second half in a more western style. I danced my last dance with my father, and then my first waltz with my husband. It was magical and would do anything to have a 3rd wedding! ;)

Photos courtesy of Saiful Nang and Fuad Topa of Candid Syndrome

Macarons

My husband calls me a "gourmande", which simply means someone who likes to eat, and one who likes to eat a LOT. One of the simple pleasures in life that I have discovered in Paris are macarons. No, they are NOT meringue like fluffy little goodies that taste like coconut, like most people think. These babies are little delicacies shaped like a tiny burger, with flavors that range from simple vanilla and chocolate, to haute couture flavors like vanilla olive oil and wasabi pistachio.

One very famous brand is La Durée, the main boutique located at the edge of Place de Madeleine. Tourists from near and far queue up to get their share, but me, I pass by and shake my head. I make my way down Rue St Honoré, then a right on Rue Cambon and VOILA the best chocolatier and macaron maker in the world, Pierre Hermé. To all Malaysians, take my word, Pierre Hermé's macarons kick every other macarons' butt!

They are so so good, that I BEGGED my husband for a Pierre Hermé macaron "piece montée" (wedding cake) for our wedding in Paris. 2 flavors that we absolutely adore are Caramel Beurre Salé (salted butter caramel) and Fruit de Passion et Chocolate (passion fruit chocolate)

Photo courtesy of Google Image

Les Arrondissements

Paris is divided into 20 "arrondissements", meaning neighborhoods. Shaped like an escargot, the 1st arrondissement starts in the heart of the city, and goes around clockwise. In general, the central and western arrondissements are considered to be more chic and bourgeois, ie. more expensive to live in. My mother-in-law's husband recently explained why this is so to me. It is all because of the wind! The wind apparently blows from west to east, and all the pollution ends up on the eastern side. So logically, back in the day, the poor people ended up with the eastern neighborhoods and the richer in the west. And that has mainly stayed until today.
However, there are many pockets of nice areas in each of the eastern arrondissements that have risen over the years. Bobos have picked the 3rd, 11th, 19th and 20th arrondissements as "cool" spots to live in.

Excusez-moi, parlez vous anglais?

Most foreigners start with this phrase. "Do you speak English?" Often, they are shocked by the quick response of "non!". Well, if they didn't speak English, they wouldn't know how to answer the question correct? The first rule of the trade here in the City of Lights is to try your best to speak French, even though speaking French to you means repeating phrases out of a guidebook. The French people like seeing this, foreigners struggling so hard to speak their language, and you'd be surprise to hear them *finally* making an effort to speak English!

Not everyone is as anti-English speaking as I make them seem to be. There is a growing number of Bobos (short for Bourgeois Bohemian) who are young international Parisians with open ideas of mixed marriages and very influenced by American ideals. Many salespeople in department stores and luxury stores are also more than happy to practice their English with you.