Wednesday, December 19, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


One of the best scratch crew: C2C - Arcades. The video is in the complete post.


La suite!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


It's been a while since I offered a jazz tune: Aronas - Aronas.


La suite!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Shopping For Groceries


Each time I get somewhere, going for groceries is the first thing I do once I am settled.



When I just get somewhere and go grocery shopping, I almost always buy the same things. For breakfast, I will get some milk, some chocolate to mix with the milk, some biscuits, some Weetabix, some Rice Crispies and some Cranberry juice. For meals, I will get some Farfalle from Barilla, some smoked salmon, some bacon cubes, some sour cream, some bread for toasts, some slices of ham, grated cheese and some juice. I will also get some tea with special biscuits to eat with, some fruits and a few vegetables.
Except for the Cranberry juice and the brand of the chocolate, what I get for breakfast is exactly what I was having for breakfast when I was a kid; Cranberry juice wasn’t available in France at the time. I make croque-monsieur with the bread, the ham and the grated cheese, they would be exactly the way my mother used to make them if I would add some bĂ©chamel sauce. I make Farfalle au saumon and Farfalle aux lardons with the Farfalle, the sour cream, the salmon and the bacon cubes. I used to eat that a lot when I was at the university. It is quite fun to be regularly eating those things I liked when I was a kid but I will have to grow up at one point.
When I got to Nantes and opened the fridge to put my groceries I found to bottles of vodka, it is as good way as any to start. Cheers!


La suite!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


This is music that will get you all warm or help you spend a nice winter evening: Sebastien Tellier - Cochon Ville. The video is in the complete post.


La suite!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Marla


I probably have written this already: « le Cirque de Mafate » is really amazing, it is always a pleasure to go back there.



Great viewpoint to start the hike.



Here there is you, your hiking buddies and maybe a few cows.



I love the “beard” of the tamarind trees, they give a weird mood to the forest.



If you like to walk under the trees.



Or if you like to walk while gazing at a great view.



There is something for everyone.



Even for those who like to walk in the water.



La suite!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Straight out of UK: The Popables - Soft Crush Feat Rebecca Whelan and Donnie Numeric.



La suite!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Hard Fucking Day Too


And here I thought my problems were over.



This morning I went to the post office to get the debit card my wife sent via express mail. After my workday I went to the ATM closest to my place to get some cash, I would finally be able to pay my rent. I inserted the card, typed the pin code and selected 400€; the machine started working and then displayed that I could only withdraw 200€. I selected 200€ and got them. I inserted the card again, typed the code again and selected 200€ this time. And surprise I couldn’t get any more money. Nothing bothers me anymore so I went home and called my bank. I explained my problem to a woman, she told me that in France I could only withdraw 200€ from an ATM who doesn’t belong to my bank. I knew that my debit card allowed me to withdraw up to 700€ every 3 days in France. She corrected “yes 500€ at your bank plus 200€ at other banks equals 700€!” Can you believe such nonsense? The more things change the more they stay the same. With such a stupid system I will be able to pay my rent in 6 days, thank god my landlord is nice.
No need to tell you that I wasn’t a big fan of banks before but now...

La suite!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Hard Day Too


When you think it is over think again.



I went back to one of the banks where I could use my American Express card in the ATM. As I still couldn’t get some money from the ATM, I went in the bank hoping I would be able to get some money from the cashier. Hell no! The woman in front of me couldn’t care less about my problem and she sure wouldn’t get out of her way to help me. I called the American Express support line, the operator informed me that I had just withdrawn 200€ in cash and I could only withdraw a maximum of 300€ every 7 days as I was in France. She was surprised when I told her that my request to get 200€ had been rejected by the ATM, I then explained that the card was my only way to get some cash and asked if the withdraw limit could be lifted for the day. She said no. I then asked if there was a bank on the island where I could get some money from the cashier. Again no. What is the point of having this card to withdraw money? She explained that the ability to withdraw money was in case of emergency. When people have money issues, they usually need more than 300€. She couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything. This is a card that will definitely not cost me any annual fee once I get back to France. Thank god I have friends who lend me money!

La suite!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Hard Day


Sometimes it is just better to stay in bed.



Thursday was the big day, I had setup a nice week-end in Mauritius Island to go scuba diving. My suitcase was full with what I needed for 4 days of diving, reading on the beach and sleeping. The taxi dropped me at the airport, I gave my passport at the check in counter, the agent looked at it and told me that he couldn’t check me in because my passport would expire in 5 months. I went to the office of Air Mauritius to discuss this with someone, the hostess explained that there was nothing that could be done except contacting the consul of Mauritius to request for a dispensation, the approval for the dispensation would take a day. I had to board the plane the same day, not the next day so I asked her to refund my ticket. “I am sorry sir but this kind of transaction can’t be done in this office you will have to go to the main office in Saint-Denis”. It was like the only thing I had to do in my life was to wait in an office to get my money back, well as I was not going away for the week-end I had plenty of time. The plane ticket would of course not be fully refunded, a 15% charge would be applied and the refund would take a minimum of 30 days. What a bunch of thieves.



On the way back from the airport, I asked the taxi driver to stop at an ATM so that I could get some cash to pay for the fare, it was higher than expected has it was a holiday. I inserted my card, it came out instantly as the screen displayed “card expired”. I looked at the card, my face changed when I saw that expiry date on the card read 10/12 meaning the 31/10 at midnight. The taxi took me home where I got two American Express cards I didn’t want to take with me for the week-end, the expiry of one was 10/12 and the expiry of the other was 10/13. Only a handful of ATMs accept American Express cards in Reunion Island. I tried 2 ATMs with no success, the taxi was starting to get nervous when he drove me back home. Luckily the landlord was around and loaned me the money I needed.



I then went for a walk in the city to find an ATM where I could use my Amex. I felt joy rushing in when I found one but it left me as quickly as it came when the card was rejected because I used the wrong pin code. I rang my was who had travelled back home the day before and asked her to check the pin code, I tried with the right code this time but the card was still rejected. The anger started to rise but I told myself that the ATM recorded that I made numerous attempt with the wrong pin before using the right one so I went to look for another ATM. Lucky for me the ATM of the lask bank had a nice American Express logo, again the good pin was rejected. I called Amex support service and explained my situation, the operator could definitely see my attempt to get some money but each time the pin was wrong. I tried again with the good pin as I was on the phone with him but the result was still the same. I asked if he could reset the card but the only thing he could do was offer to send another card. That was so what I needed.



I walked home hoping I would be able to use my card the next day. Waking up this morning it downed on me that had I been allowed to fly I would have ended up in Mauritius with 100€ and an expired credit card, that would not have been fun.

La suite!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


An instrumental track for those who only listen to high quality stuff: Mr. Chop - Good Life.


La suite!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Sit back, relax and feel the bass: Chinese Man - Racing With The Sun.


La suite!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

I Am My Mouth


Today is a sad day, I lost my first tooth as an adult.
Today the dentist extracted one of my wisdom tooth.



I am seated in the dentist chair head backward. He just stuck a needle in various areas of my gum and I gradually am starting to lose some feeling in the mouth. He asks me to describe what I am feeling and when he is satisfied he starts working; he pushes, he pulls, he presses...
I am waiting for him to be done. I look at the ceiling, I look through the window, I look at his assistant then I look at the lamp sending light into my mouth. Thanks to this lamp I can actually see everything that is happening in my mouth. And just like that all the thoughts in my mind vanish and only one remains: I am my mouth. I could be thinking about much more interesting things but no there is only one thing in my mind. I have a lot of work waiting, I could be thinking about how I will manage what I have to do but no I am fixated by what is going on in my mouth. I just can’t refrain from laughing when the dentist takes a needle with a thread and inserts it in my gum. He is stitching the space left by my tooth to avoid any infection, this is the first time that I have stitches and they have to be inside my mouth. When he is done, he asks me if I want to keep my tooth, a picture of me running around with my tooth around my neck flashes but I am not 5 anymore so the tooth will end up in the rubbish bin.
I am not out of the woods yet, when will the pain start? In the meantime I am forbidden to eat anything until tomorrow morning, now this will be easy.

La suite!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


A song from one of my favorite bands: Hooverphonic - Heartbroken.


La suite!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Ilet Des Chicots


How about going back in time?



I went to Cilaos with some friends and we spent the night in “Ilet des Chicots”. To get there you have take a very winding road that will take you to Cilaos City (the road has 400 turns) then take a very narrow road. Between the winding and the area of the road where two cars can’t pass each other you have to park the best way you can in the few areas designed for parking. We ended up on a beautiful plateau after walking up some stairs, it was overlooking the road and offered an amazing view of “le Cirque de Cilaos” as well as “le Piton des Neiges”.



In Reunion Island the “ilet” are small villages with very few houses located in a cirque. In “Ilet des Chicots” there is only one house, it has a small dormitory, a kitchen and a dining room. There is no electricity and but there is running water, the owner is using a generator to power the lights and I guess he takes the water from a small river running higher in the mountain. A shower and toilets are located not too far away from the house and there are 3 individual bedrooms looking like wooden tents.



We were in this amazing place frozen in time and far away from the world even though the road was 5 minutes away. People were still living there 2 generations ago. They had chickens, goats and cultivated the land. In the family that owns the place the sons make medicine from herbs. They created terraces around the plateau and planted different kind of plants. When you stay there you get to have a tour and they will explain which plants are good and which ones are dangerous.



This is the perfect place to leave everyday life behind for a few days. Those who are afraid to be cut off completely should know that there is perfect cell phone coverage over there.

La suite!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Some Hip-Hop that gets you in a good mood: Camp Lo - Luchini. The video is in the complete post.


La suite!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Le Voyage A Nantes


I wrote this post a while ago but forgot to put it online.
What happens when culture takes over a city? You have to go to Nantes to find out.



Le Voyage a Nantes is a simple idea: how do you link all the cultural places in a culturally active city? The answer: organize a trip across the city. The organizers of the VAN decided to create a path to follow in Nantes. It would lead those following it through historical and/or cultural landmarks. Creating a simple walk through the city would not be that interesting except for tourists so artists were asked to contribute by placing some of their creations here and there in the city. Not everyone would like the idea but it would give the opportunity to some to discover something else and that is what matters. To follow this path, you just had to walk along the pink line painted on the ground.



I started my walk in “la Place Royale”, the fountain in its centre was covered by a mountain equipped for climbing. It was still possible to see the fountain but the fact that it was now in a completely closed space gave it a completely different vibe. I went through the “passage Pommeraye”, well known by the inhabitants of Nantes. The canopy allows the sun rays inside of the building. Its beautiful staircase is an invitation to strike a pose for someone to shoot or a reason in itself to stay there. I ended up on “la Place Graslin” and its theatre, headed next to the museum of natural history. I walked through alleys, went through a park, a dead-end, a pedestrian street...



I then followed the path to “l’ile Beaulieu”, it used to be only dock on the island, they now left the place to modern buildings. Whether they are for housing, education, leasure or work; the architects got the opportunity to create unique buildings each with its own identity. You must go see the famous “machines de l’ile” as well as the brand new “carrousel des mondes marins”. The ones who like basket will love the basket tree, while some others will go to Crepetown to snack on a crepe, watch some artists work or listen to live music.



I went to “Le Nid” a bar located on the last floor of “la tour de Bretagne”, kind of the Empire State building but for Nantes. This place used to be a nightclub but was abandoned when the club closed. Instead of opening a posh restaurant as it is often the case on the last floor of tall buildings, the mayor decided to open a bar for everyone. You will have to queue between 1 and 2 hours depending on the time of the day to get in but you will be able to have a drink at a very reasonable price while enjoying the amazing panoramic view. A terrace runs all around the building and it is possible to play the guessing game with buildings or simple enjoy the sunset.



I didn’t follow the path all the way to its conclusion but I really enjoyed what I saw. Such a thing in Paris would take days to go through but would be extremely interesting.

La suite!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


The summer is almost over but it is always time to party: Bob Sinclar - Far L'amore Feat Raffaella Carra. The video is in the complete post.


La suite!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Some days its better to stay in bed. When that happens listen to: Sporto Kantes - Wrong Day.


La suite!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


The Sound of the Day is back with this little jewel from UK: Maverick Sabre - Let Me Go. The video is in the complete post.


La suite!

Friday, August 31, 2012

It's Cold


I am abroad again and this means that this blog will come alive again.



I have been back on Reunion Island for almost 2 weeks now and I can say one thing for sure: it is cold here. Of course being cold is relative to each of us, the temperature can go up to a maximum of 25°C and gets as low as 10°C as soon as the sun sets. At this time of the year in Paris the warm weather stays as long as possible in the streets of the city. Things are completely different here, as soon as the sun has set the warmth is gone and the cold wind rules as king. One has to make a quick stop at home to get a sweater when going for drinks or diner if one doesn’t want to end up with a sore throat later in the evening.



The great thing in this season is that the whales are coming back to Reunion Island to give birth. Everyday it is possible to witness a mother whale and her newborn swimming quite close to the shore. There is no need for a boat, the road that are along the coast offer great viewpoints to witness their amazing ballet. There is one simple rule: if you see more than 3 cars parked here and there along the road you know that a whale is around. There are of course places where you will be sure to see whales all the time: Cap La Houssaye (where I saw my first whales of the year) and Cap Mechant. I will try to take a boat ride to be able to take closer pictures of the whales and maybe if I am lucky I may get a few underwater shots...


La suite!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

On The Road To Clisson


I went on a drive to Clisson with my scooter.



The scooter is usually the best way for me to move around a little bit freely. It gives me the possibility to visit places located around Nantes. I followed the advice of one of my colleague and decided to go visit Clisson, the town like many in the area has a castle because it is located close to the old border between France and Brittany.
I checked Google Maps before leaving to look at the right way to get there. I learned that it knows how to give directions for cars and for walkers but doesn’t know what to do for motorbikes that can’t go faster than 50 kmh. I modified the calculated route to use only local roads instead of highways and high speed roads, I was given a drive time of roughly 45 minutes by the route calculator which meant around 1 hour drive with my scooter.



The weather was sunny and warm, I almost left wearing only a t-shirt but changed my mind at the last minute to go grab a jacket. I had forgotten that the wind can be quite strong in this part of the country and was reminded every bit of the way. Here I was driving on small roads from Nantes to Clisson, this was the kind of thing I rarely do and I truly loved it. I drove through the outskirt of Nantes and through the boring areas with only shopping centres; once I was out of those I could see fields of grapes everywhere those grapes are used to make muscadet wine. I had absolutely no idea that this region was where the wine came from, I think I will take the time one week-end to go see wine producers to learn a little bit about the wine production in the area and its history.



I am spending so much of my time travelling that I never get to visit France so it is a real pleasure to drive through those small villages, to see the muscadet fields and to check those houses built so long ago. I sometimes felt like stopping to ask people how there life was, it must be so different from mine. I was a little bit hungry when I reached the village of Pallet, I expected to be able to buy something to eat in a bakery but no shop was open. I did a quick survey of the village and yes all the shops were closed, only someone from Paris would expect shops to be open on a Saturday afternoon everywhere in France. While looking for an open shop I saw a banner promoting the 24 hours table tennis event happening in the city. Those not interested by table tennis could go visit the museum of Nantes vineyards. Definitely something one should not miss.



I passed by the Lu factory (the brand is extremely famous for its biscuits in France), I don’t know if I was hallucinating because I was hungry but the area around the factory smelled like biscuits. As I didn’t find a place to fill my belly in Pallet I considered breaking in the factory to steal a box of biscuits. Had I done so I would have probably been caught and I am sure that the security team would tell me that I was not the first one with the same stupid idea. Clisson was anything but disappointing. It is a nice little town where life must be sweet and relaxing. The weather was great and the castle was standing proudly on a hill. I spent the whole afternoon walking around in the streets as well as inside what remains of the castle. This is typically one of those places that I really enjoy but I know would never be able to live in. The place is so peaceful that I completely understand why people prefer living in such a place rather than in a bigger city.



I was about to leave to drive back to Nantes when my eye caught a group of old-timers playing some kind of game. At first I thought they were playing “petanque” but they were in fact playing “la boule nantaise”. The game is roughly the same but the balls were bigger and made of wood. I looked quite intensively at the game as well as the people playing it. There were as many males as females, as many young people as old people; there was definitely a family vibe to the place. I must have stayed a full hour watching what was going on, next time I am in Clisson I will give this game a try.

La suite!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Here's some electronic pop: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden. The video is in the complete post.





La suite!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


A wonderful wonderful song: Adele - Someone Like You.



As a bonus today, you get a mashup between Adele and Daft Punk mixed by Carlos Serrano: Adele And Daft Punk - Something About The Fire (Carlos Serrano Mix).



La suite!

Monday, May 7, 2012

On The Way To The Office


I wake up, I take a shower, I brush my teeth, I get dressed, I eat breakfast, I hop on my scooter and I go to work.



On the way to the office I see people hurrying to the subway station. I see those that seek protection from the rain under the bus stop. I see the smokers during their first cigarette break of the day. I see the kids rushing to not be late at school.



On the way to the office I see those living in the suburbs coming to work in Paris. I see the inhabitants of Paris going to work in the suburbs. I see those stupid assholes who believe they can drive and text at the same time. I see the couriers on their scooters acting like they own the road. I see the workers who build the new streetcar line. I avoid the traffic jammed caused by the work done on the road by sneaking in between the cars.



On the way to the office I drive along old warehouses turned into offices. I drive along the shops that provide clothes, bags, shoes and accessories from China for the shops in Paris and its suburbs. I drive along a junkyard were so many trucks are coming to get rid of some metal. And I drive along the gipsy camp where the electric box close to the camp is often broken into so that the gipsies can get free electricity.

La suite!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Today We Vote


Today is an important day for the French, we get to decide who will be our next president.



First let’s start with a quick look at all the candidate:
- A former judge born in Norway.
- An economy teacher devoted to the workers cause.
- A woman following in the footsteps of her father.
- An essayist who wants France to colonize the moon.
- An union rep who believes capitalism can end.
- A politician who left the largest political party on the right to create his own political party.
- A man who used to be on the right but now thinks the answer lies in the middle.
- A man on the left who announces that change will come with a revolution.
- A man on the left who has been waiting for his time to come.
- A man on the right who believes that nothing is impossible for him.



10 candidates, one choice is supposed to be the good one but what happens if the good choice is not among those 10? The electoral campaign was really not interesting, the leading candidates conveniently avoided all the serious issues like education, employment, health, youth, Europe... The other candidates on the hand kept throwing around silly ideas after silly ideas. The less worst of them will have to be chosen.
While I was writing this, it started raining stones outside, this will give one more reason for people who are undecided to not go vote.

La suite!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Here is something completely outdated that sounds nice: Vinnie Who - Remedy.



La suite!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


The 3 voices of Philadelphia are back: Boyz II Men - Flow.



La suite!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Paris Stories


There is nothing better than to spend an afternoon under the warm sun to feel like writing.



I am now back in France and I am lucky enough to get a sunny and warm weather. It is such a joy to feel the warmth of the sun at this time of the year. You can clearly see Paris changing when it is starting to be warm. The terraces in front of cafes are packed. The girls are prettier. All the parks that have a little bit of grass get invaded. More people are smiling. However one should not hope that the average stress level would go down, I am wondering why. When I go to places where the sun is always shining, the people living there are always relaxed but it seems that the inhabitants of Paris know that a nice weather never lasts and prefer stay stressed. It’s a shame they are missing out on how nice it is to be relaxed and I know what I am talking about.



The other day I was explaining to a colleague that it is much hotter in Reunion Island than it is now in Paris. I appreciate the weather even more here because it is so unusual in March, I plan on enjoying it as much as I can because who knows how long will it last.



With such a great weather you just have to go for a walk in the city. It is really nice to get lost in the streets. You will see nice areas, cool bars you will want to try, restaurants with mouth-watering menus. You may also stumble on a political rally as it is presidential election year for us French: relaxed atmosphere under the hot sun along “le canal St Martin” with a brass band, you can listen to the speech of a locally elected official while dozing under the sun.
Isn’t life great?

La suite!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


After electro time, it is R&B time: Mary J. Blige - Midnight Drive Feat Brook Lynn.



La suite!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


The electro mode continues with something made in France: Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending.



Birdy Nam Nam - Written In The Sand.



La suite!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Saturday, March 10, 2012

I Love Jersey


Instead of being bored in Jersey why not go visit Saint-Malo? That is what I have told myself since I have been in Jersey. I would have liked to write about how I loved the city and its little streets but this post will be about something else instead.



I should have been travelling back to Jersey on Sunday around the end of the afternoon but once I got to the ferry terminal for my check-in I learned that the departure time for the ferry had been pushed earlier because of the weather.
- Hello, I am going to Jersey.
- The ferry left at 3 PM sir.
- 3 PM? It was supposed to leave at 5:30 PM.
- Yes but the departure time was moved because of bad weather.
- And you guys don’t warn people?
- We did call you but didn’t reach you on Saturday.
- On which number.
- +44xxxxxxxxxx
- You have the right phone number but the battery on my phone was dead.
- We also sent you an email.
- I doubt that, I quickly checked my email yesterday evening and didn’t see anything.
- I assure you that a mail has been sent.
- Can I use one of your computers to check my mails?
- Here.
- There is indeed an email from your company but why was it sent on Sunday morning? 5 hours before the new departure time doesn’t leave time to get organized for someone who is not from around here.
- The email is only being sent when we can’t reach a person on the phone.
- That makes no sense, sending an email doesn’t cost anything.
- ...
- I suppose that this sort of things happen often, what is your course of action in those cases?
- There is none.




- I have to be at work tomorrow morning.
- You can catch the plane flying from Dinard tomorrow morning, you will be in Jersey at 1 PM.
- I guess there are no earlier flights.
- No.
- Is your company paying for the plane ticket?
- No, you have to pay for it.
- At what time does the ferry get to Jersey tomorrow?
- 2:15 PM.
- This means that I have lost a day of work, thank you very much.
- ...
- How does this work? Are you in charge of finding me a hotel for the night?
- No, you have to do that.
- Will your company pay for the bill?
- No, you have to pay for it.
- Well that is nice, I miss my ferry thanks to you and I have to pay for my hotel.
- You couldn’t be reached there is nothing more we could do.
- I don’t know, maybe sending an email as soon as you know the ferry time will be moved wouldn’t be a bad idea instead of sending it 5 hours before the departure time.
- Do you want to see the manager?
- No, I don’t want to fight with someone who will tell me that there is nothing he can do. I will find a hotel, send you the bill and your company will see what happens if they don’t want to pay for it.
- Take care.



I went back to the ferry terminal the next day and checked in. I then headed to the customs booth and gave my passport to the agent. He looked at my passport, put it in the reading machine, took it out, looked at it again and showed it to his colleague.
- Do you have another means of identification sir? Like a driving licence for example?
- No I don’t drive.
He looked at my passport again.
- I have been travelling for ten years with this passport, I can assure you that it is legit.
- It is weird the machine can’t read it.
- It happens from time to time but I have a ferry to catch.
- Alright, safe trip.
- Thanks.
I took my passport and went to the waiting room but before I got there one guy stepped in front of me and showed me the infrared machine. No other travellers had to go through it I was the lucky guy of the day, this is what we French call “to fit the part”. I put my bags on the conveyor belt and went through the gate. On the other side I was not surprised when the guy asked to look at my backpack as if toiletries, a multimedia hard drive and some comics could be dangerous. It had been a while since this kind of thing had happened to me...



I was in Jersey 1 hour and thirty minutes later and I went through the customs again. This time it was the same thing. The agent looked at my passport, put it in the machine, looked at it again and called a colleague so that he looked at it. He said to me:
- Do you speak English?
- Course I do.
He kept looking at my passport.
- I assure you this passport is valid, it is not the first time I have been on the island.
- How long are you staying on the island?
- 4 days.
- Where are you staying.
- In a hotel in the city.
- Do you have something to prove that?
- Listen, the last thing I want is to stay on this island. I am only here for 4 days.
- I hear you sir but I have to find out why you are here.
- I am working for a telecom company.
- Ah yes? And what are you doing there?
- That is none of your business.
- Do you have another means of identification sir?
- No I don’t drive.
- Don’t you have a business card with your name on it?
- My name is right there on the passport with my face on it, there was no problem with my passport at the airport when I got to the island a few days ago and I am late for work.
- I am here to check whether you can enter our country or not so do as I ask.
- I don’t have a business card.
- Could you fill this form for me sir?
- What a waste of time!
I start filling the form.
- Could you fill it over there?
I look around and there is no one in the room except me and the customs agents.
- There is no one in the room.
- Fill the form over there sir!
- I am in nobody’s way.
- I have to speak with my colleague.



I moved away from the customs booth to fill the form and brought it back. The two agents started comparing what I wrote on the form with what was on my passport. It was pathetic.
- I will need another means of identification sir.
- So what was the form for?
- Do you have a credit card?
- I have 3 where you will find the name that is on my passport.
The guy took the 3 cards, my passport and left. I stayed with the first agent who kept looking at the form. I took my phone out and started calling the colleague waiting for me.
- You can’t call sir?
- People are actually waiting for me at work so I have to warn them.
I explained to my colleague that I was still at the customs and I didn’t know when I would get to work. I third agent came while I was on the phone, I was very popular.
- Can you give the name of someone I can contact where you work.
I reached for my phone, dialled the colleague and handed the phone to the third agent.
- You can talk to him right now.
The agent took the phone but instead of starting talking he just wrote the name appearing on the screen and the phone number. He was probably thinking that I only needed 2 seconds to create a fake Jersey phone number with a real person on the line. I took the phone.
- The customs agent asked me about you but he doesn’t want to talk to you, he will probably try to reach you through the main office.
- Seriously?
- I kid you not. Sorry for the wasted time, I will work from my hotel. I will let you know when they release me.
- Do you want me to come and show them my badge?
- No don’t waste your time, it really isn't worth it.
I hung up and started talking to the two customs agent.
- Do you know that it is not the first time that I come to the island? I don’t know why there is no problem with my passport at the airport but there always is a problem when I come with the ferry.
- I don’t know what to say about that.
- You don’t say! How do you explain that your colleagues at the airport don’t have a problem with my passport when you do? Is the passport database they use different than the one you guys use?
- ...
- The worst thing here is that I really hate coming to this island.
The guy who took off with my passport came back.
- We are terribly sorry for the delay sir, you may enter the country.
I took my passport, my credit cards and didn’t even look any of them in the eye when I left.



I almost came back to ask for their name but what good would it do? I think that I shouldn’t let people who are not worth it ruin moments of my life just because they can. By pressing charges I would I kept that story with me for quite a while, today I move on.

La suite!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


I little bit of electro music is always good for the ears: Nero - Me And You (Danger Remix).




La suite!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

My Sound Of The Day


Here are two songs that sample a classic that i love "Unlimited Touch - I Hear Music In The Streets": Paul Johnson - Hear The Music.



Rampage - Take It To The Streets Feat Billy Lawrence.



La suite!

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Week-end


What is the recipe for an excellent week-end? You have to spend time with people you love, you have to do something outdoors, you have to meet new people and you have to learn something you.



Waking up on Saturday morning was tough. It was quite a while since I last woke up with an aftertaste in the mouth. Two friends had come for a drink the evening before, we finished late and ended up drinking a lot. I had scheduled a dive at 7:30 AM, I was following a training allowing me to dive as deep as 40 meters under supervision. I had slept enough to be in a good shape but that weird aftertaste in the mouth just wouldn’t go. I was lucky to be on a boat with divers who had full autonomy under water, we had to wait for them to finish their dive to start ours so that gave me time to drink enough water to get rid of that aftertaste. For my training I had to repeat the same exercises at different depth. I had to be able to jump from the boat and meet my instructor and fellow divers 3 meters below the water level without stopping to check my equipment on the surface. I had to remove my mask underwater, put it back on and empty it from any water to be able to see clearly again. From time to time I had to give some air to one of the divers faking he didn’t have air anymore. The most important one was to be able to stay at the same depth by achieving neutral buoyancy during the decompression phase without using the swimfins. The dive went pretty well, I was quite at ease underwater even when I had to completely remove my mask, put it back and empty it (I used to hate that). I still have 2 dives left to conclude my training.



On Saturday I went to a party in a nice house with a great swimming pool. The house guest was living alone in that place that could have easily accommodated a large family. One of the girls at my place the day before had invited me, I met some interesting people and had a lot of fun. When there is a swimming pool at a party one can be sure that someone is going to end up in it at one point. We played Uno Sport in the swimming pool, it is like the Uno but the cards are made of plastic so that they can be used almost anywhere. Here we were in the swimming pool at 11 PM, there was not enough light around the pool so we used headlamps to light the floating tray where the cards were. Some of the girls were cold in the water they were wriggling all the time and the boys were going in and out of the water the same way a piston would. The intermission of the party came when champagne was served; the second part of the party then started when everyone started playing tarot. I was back at my place at 5:45 AM, it was a very long time since I had played cards all night long.



I received a short message at 8:25 AM, a friend was telling me that he would be late and would be picking me up at 8:45 AM. We were supposed to meet at 9:00 AM to go to a rope course. I jumped out of the bed, brushed my teeth, went to the kitchen to put a bowl of milk in the microwave, opened the fridge to grab anything I had that could be used to make sandwiches and threw all that in my backpack as well as something to drink and some plastic glasses. I had eaten half of my croissant when I heard is 4x4 coming in the alley leading to my place. I finished the croissant with one bite, drank the remainder of the milk, checked I had everything I needed in my backpack and left. We went to meet two more friends before heading to the rope course park, I was so tired that I felt asleep in the car. Still I was fresh enough during the 2 rope courses available for adults. We spent 3 hours in the park and enjoyed every minutes. We then looked for a quite to have a picnic and headed to a black sand beach once our bellies were filled to spend the afternoon.



The friend who had picked me at my place had brought a kite and showed us how to use it on the beach. I had always seen kite flying as something not very interesting and quite boring but that quickly changed when my turn to fly the kite came. I think I must have scared a few beachgoers who must have thought that the kite would end up falling on their head. With my experience I had the kite fly close to the heads of a few people but thankfully each time I lost control the kite crashed where there was no one. After a few attempts I managed to have the kite fly from left to right and from right to left at different speed. I was astonished by the way I would feel the actual speed of the kite. I would sometime brace myself in the sand to make sure the kite would not make me lose my balance. I discovered kite flying thanks to the same person who introduced me to boomerang throwing, I am extremely thankful to him for that.



I fell like a log in my bed once I was back to my place. The alarm on my phone didn’t even ring on Monday morning allowing me to sleep one extra hour, it seems like I really needed to rest.
I have a hard time writing these days so you won’t read me for a short while but don’t worry I will be back. Enjoy your week-end.

La suite!