If only Storm from Xmen existed...

So I will be leaving for Thailand later today, flying into Bangkok and then flying out the following morning to Surat Thani and continuing my trip down south. I'll be back on the 11th November...hopefully. The floods are making it impossible to plan for this two week trip, as well as causing chaos to Thailand.

Having booked these tickets in March, and only finished packing literally 8 hours before my flight, this reminds me of my trip to Nice. I was there for a month, and literally packed the day before (due to final year exams). So what does this Thailand and Nice trip have in common: last minute packing, trips without the family, desperately needed!!

Heres a picture of the beach by the Promenade des Anglais

Nice: Hot, NICE!, Sunny, Relaxed, Southern Mentality, Nicoise Salad, Socca, The Old Town

October = Halloween

If I associate September with Monza, as mentioned previously, then October has to be Halloween!

I went to Florida during October 2009, which I fully recommend to everyone. England gets COLD so its such a perfect temperature. Seriously though, all the shopping malls, theme parks and swimming with dolphins are just a bonus!!

In America, they like to dress up and make a big deal out of Halloween, something which hasn't quite caught on as much over in Europe I'd say. Even in the theme parks, visitors young and old dress up, and the theme parks lay on a big show with decorations and shows. They also had stalls so you could collect as much promo items as you wanted as you go along the park. I went to every stall, filling my bag as much as I could to combat my two decades of not experiencing a proper American Halloween... check out my stash!!

As for how they do Halloween in Paris, I still don't know. Last year I was living in the middle of nowhere and ventured to the City as little as possible in fear of finding a way back home to said middle of nowhere. This year I will be away, so theres always next year I guess!

Halloween in America: Sweets/Candy, Dress up, Pumpkins

Paris - j'habite dans le quartier "Touristes", et vous?

So, to help those apartment hunting in Paris, or even those already living in Paris. Here's a helpful map, and an alternative map*.


I find that learning the arrondissement order and which arrondissement the landmarks are will greatly help you when finding your way whilst in Paris. For instance, I know that I am on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank or South of the River) and if I am on the Pont des Arts, that huge building will be the Louvre, and right past that l'Opera. Or, if I feel like a wander and cross the river, I'll be in the 1st/4th arr, and can head on north east for Bastille/Republique or go left for Concorde and the Jardin des Tuileries (1st) which will lead on to the Champs Elysee (8th)


I think it's quite common to refer to an arrondissement when asking where do you you live/where is that etc. This is something I don't think I ever experienced whilst living in London. "Where do you live" "N7"..it would be more "Holloway Road Station" or "Angel" - station names

I guess I should really be living on the border of the 5th and 13th arr, then I'd be a Chinoise Touriste, which is more accurate than just "Touriste" ;-)

p.s. j'adore le mot 'bobos' - trop mignon

Arrondissements: Snail, Postcodes, 750XX

*Found on the internet

Can we imagine we're on a beach please?! It's getting cold..

Currently, I have this Leona Lewis/Avicii song stuck in my head. I first heard it in a shop, and thought it sounded Leona Lewis-y, and thought nothing more of it. I heard it again during my last holiday, and latest trip to Dubai, at Wild Wadi Waterpark. I finally had the time to find the song and now I can't stop playing it on my ipod and imagining I'm in Dubai.

I love when they play loud music by the swimming pool or at a waterpark. There's surely nothing better because in such situations you're on holiday and music like this just makes you smile and want to dance...am I wrong??

Also, as it reminds me of summer sun / beach/ heat / Dubai, it has become my own mental radiator because it has become absolutely freezing lately. So, if you play this song and look at the two photos I took this August, maybe you too can also be transported to the heat of Dubai at the end of Summer with me..

Wild Wadi Waterpark: Summer, Beach, Waterpark, Fun, Laughter





I Heart Spreadsheets!!

I work in Finance and I love my job. I know what you're thinking, "who on earth loves their job?!" but I really do, and that's not me saying it in fear that someone who works with me finds my blog by chance. And in my job, I work A LOT with Excel.

I firmly believe that learning by experience is the best way forward. I used to hate excel and not get the point of it (mostly because I didn't understand it), and now without it I'm lost. If you give me something, I'd say I need it in excel and I can data chomp at it to my hearts content. I've dreamt about work plenty of times, but I've never quite had the same level of dream my friend had once: he dreamt we were both in separate excel cells and could see each other but were restricted by the grey gridlines and we couldn't get out..so funny!

Anyway, lately I've been working quite late, and therefore have no time to think about other things during the weekdays. Therefore I found the most fitting photo for this post. It's a mug a friend bought me last year, and it sits proudly on my desk surrounded by tea*.

Excel: Pivot tables, Data filter, Gridlines, Vlookups, SumIFs..oh the list goes on!

* I don't care if that's extremely British, and I am denying the French way of coffee, but I haven't and doubt I could ever drink coffee..the smell puts me off faster than I could ever try to drink it