Photo Gallery

Just a reminder for you folks wandering into this blog.

For a better collection of the photos from Paris, click HERE

For the digital pics and videos, click HERE

Or if you want to see my entire gallery of photos and videos from various parts of the world, just go to the MAIN MENU.

Let me know if you would like to have some of them in their original resolution.

Enjoy!

PARIS Day 08

Leaving Paris

After last night's experience, I thought to myself. Should I spend 60 Euros with one Parsian but a garanteed and smooth arrival at the Aeroport, or should I spend 8.20 Euro with many Parsians and an unknown journey to the aeroport?

I choose the 8.20 option.

In my mind, I just wanted to leave the hostel, the metro, the city... I decided to shut my emotion during my journey to the aeroport, expecting the unexpected, and be numb to all the experiences I was going through.

At the Metro, I tried to buy the ticket to the aeroport. The staff at the station was unhelpful. I looked at the ticket machine and couldn't figure out how to use it, so I asked the person next to me for help. He operated the machine once and I remembered the steps. So I tried to do it myself.

First of all, there is this roller under the screen that has no indication on what it is or how to use it. It turns out to be the scroller for you to navigate the interface.

Secondly, there is a multi-language option, but it's on the second page.

Thirdly, the machine I was using has no accepter for paper money, only coins and credit cards.

Fourthly, the machine rejected my credit card.

Lastly, I switched to another machine that took cash, but couldn't figure out where the ticket was dispensed. Then I found out that it was in this pocket below the controls. Again, no indication, bad human factor design.

I had one medium sized luggage on rollers, however, it was almost impossible to get through the metro gates with it. I didn't see any gate for wheel chairs either, so I had to get through the gate, and dragged my luggage from under the rotating bars.

Then I realized how unfriendly the metro stations are for the physically disabled. From one point to another are flights of stairs after flights of stairs without escalators in most of the stations. I saw a handicapped individual dragging his legs up in one Metro station with no one to help him. I wonder if this is another Parisian wonder.

Then at a metro station where I had to change train, I came across this choir, singing a song that sounds like Russian. Somehow, it felt like a "mission accomplished" fair well song for my journey. I wanted to stay to listen to it, but time was catching up with me after spending 20min on the ticket purchase. I did take a small portion of the song with me:



So after that, I took the RER train to the CDG aeroport, where the lines are long and slow. I was emotionally numb, so I didn't care anymore. I was glad that I got onto the plane fine, and on my way out of the city.



On the plane, just as I thought it was over, I started having extreme headache from the two nights which I spend in the cold. Plus the dry environment on the plane, I was also suffering from dehydration. It was not a happy ending for me. And back to Detroit, I had a presentation to prepare 2 days later, but crippled by the massive headache that just wouldn't go away. Paris was haunting me.

Nonetheless, I felt much better the day before the presentation, and was able to put it together. It went well, I was happy, and it was time to move on.


I don't want to discourage anyone from having any anticipation for going to Paris. That was my experience, which is probably unique. I know Laura will be saying "Sorry" for my experience, but I don't think this is her responsibility either. It's an experience and no one's responsible. I myself cannot guarantee that you will have a pleasant experience if you were to visit Detroit or Taiwan. Maybe you will hate it. Who knows. I do look forward to visit other parts of Europe, include the rest of France. My Parisian experience will only shape my impression of the city and no where else.

Hope you have enjoyed reading. Please be sure to check the gallery of photos HERE

And my digital pics and videos HERE

If you would like to have the photos in their original resolution, feel free to contact me.

Later!

PARIS Day 07

This is the last day I will be in Paris as a tourist.....

Wait, they said Metin's room wasn't going to be heated....

MY ROOM WAS COLD AS HELL!!!!

The heater in my room wasn't working and I was in full winter gear, wearing my snow coat, wool hat, jeans and socks, but it was so cold that I COULDN'T sleep!!!

And guess what, when I told the receptionist that the heater didn't work last night, she said," WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?"

So it's MY fault after all! Great!

The breakfast was AWESOME. Coffee/tea with plain baggett, with the option of butter or jam!
(When WonHo said his Korean hostel gave them rice and kimchi for breakfast, I almost wanted to kill myself)

So off we went on our adventure in the urban Parsian jungle.

This morning, we decided to tour the Louvre... LOUVRE!!!



Yes, it's the Louvre, the gigantic museum that is a must see! We heard that it's so big that it will take quite a few days to see everything. Well, that's not our intentions, but we still want to cover a much ground as possible.



First of all, I don't think anything I say will be able to describe the shear size of this museum. The main entrance is the glass pyramid which leads you into the basement. This makes it very easy to find the entrance, because it's right in the middle of the square, and against the surrounding classic architecture, this modern/international style glass and steel structure was an easy find.







After watching the Da Vinci's Code, I really want to see the inverted pyramid, so that was the first thing we did.







Another thing that I noticed was, the museum was packed with Japanese! This is the second time when I am in a major museum packed with Japanese visitors. The last was in Taipei's National Museum. It almost seems to me that if you want to find a Japanese, go the the museum! Wait.... this doesn't really sound like what I mean.... oh well, maybe it works the other way too.

So we started from the Greek art, then to the Egyptians, then to the early ones such as the Mesopotamians and the Islamic art. Metin, being from Turkey, became my convenient guide to these parts of the world that I am unfamiliar with. I used to read them in art history textbooks, but seeing them in person is magnificent. On top of that, with Metin's lively description, I felt that everything I've read in the textbooks suddenly all make sense now, and I was able to appreciate those early art much more. I think I learnt more in that 4 hours than my entire 4 years of undergrad art history classes. Thanks Metin! Next time, come to Taipei and I will do my best!



I find this very animated... Almost like a creature that you will find in Pokemon


A very very very very important piece of paper......


I think this is the Italian art section... I can't remember. Well, the Louvre is not something that can be captured with a camera lens, so video clips become more suitable.



Sculpture garden


Oh, and of course, the Mona Lisa



After seeing the great pieces from the Mesopotamians, the Mona Lisa seems a little underwhelming. Maybe it's the fence that prevented us from appreciating it in a closer distance, but if there wasn't the crowd around it, I would have not noticed it presence.

During the tour, Metin made an interesting but true point. I hope he's not going to get mad at me for putting this here. Basically, he said that the Louvre is big and magnificent, but it is also the representation that the French is the world's biggest thief, because they didn't get all this great collection of foreign art by trade! They have wars with other cultures and smuggle artifacts out of their place of origin. Therefore, another way to look at the significance of Louvre is, it's the biggest evidence of French's crimes on other cultures. I think the French are proud of it.

Oh, and we met WonHo 3 times in the museum, to a point where we felt that it's fate that wanted us to travel together, so that what we decided to do. Cheng Fei was with us too!

Next, we went for the boat tour. Well, I am not going to post any photo or video because the weather wasn't ideal and I think I've covered most of the sites already. It was more like nap time for me, which I used efficiently.

We got off the boat at the Effiel Tower. I have seen the tower at night, but this was the first time for Metin, Wonho and Cheng Fei, so while they were all excited with the blinking lights, I was taking shelter from the cold breeze in the telephone booth.... meh.





FRENCH PUPPY!!!


During my tour de Paris, I noticed that small dogs like Jack Russel Terrier and Bigels are very popular. While we were making our way to dinner, this little guy popped out of nowhere to intercept us.... We certainly gave in to him.



It seemed that he knew we were hungry, but hey, even though I'm a Chinese, I don't really eat everything! So he unwillingly returned to his owner, who's a Chinese too. Maybe that's why he wanted to come with us instead....


For the last supper in Paris, we decided to go to this little Chinese buffet style cafeteria, because I simply want to eat something that I am familiar with! It was nice, the girl was nice and friendly. Even though English was the language between us(Turkish, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong where the girl is from), we felt like we hav been on the same boat for a long time. This was also the first time that I had a comforting meal in Paris. I think everyone was satisfied.

After the meal, my stomach started acting.... from lunch I think. We had to head for Laura's place, but I decided that I needed to unload myself first, so I went back to the hostel and.... wait, I really don't need to include this...

Anyways, we headed to Laura's place, met her friends, had our cute little strawberry pie which Metin, who bought it thought it was cherry, then headed for the Monterey where her friends will be performing at a small bar. We got there, but the bar was too smokey for my liking. Soon after, a few of us decided to leave... sorry Laura.


The Last Straw?

So far, my experience in Paris has been hampered with my encounters with Parisians. A few words come to my mind. Rude, disrespectful, inpatient... I don't think this has to do with the fact that I am a tourist, foreigner, or a non-French speaking person. I think this has to do with how Parisians have chosen to deal with the diverse Paris population of immigrants and tourists. I can understand their frustrations, but look at New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Washington DC. They understand that cultural diversity and tourism is already in integral part of their lives and they have learnt to live with it. Paris, being such a beautiful city, should cultivate beautiful people with beautiful personalities. That's the experience I was hoping for.

On my way back to the hostel, I took the metro. The metro station has platforms on two sides with the track in the middle, so you see the passengers who are going to the opposite direction across the track.

So I sat on one end of the platform, and on the other end, same side, was an old man asking for money. Street beggars isn't an uncommon sight in Paris, and since I live in Detroit, I am not uncomfortable with this. However, something extremely disturbing happened.

A guy from across the track, on the other side of the platform grabbed a bunch of change(coins) and threw at the old man across the track.

The coins scattered and fell onto the track. The helpless old man then climbed down the platform, onto the track to pick up those coins, while everyone watched.

One lady yelled at the old man in French, perhaps to tell him to get back up, but no one did anything. The old man then tried to climb up. He had difficulty, but no one did anything either. His second attempt helped himself up the platform, then....

That same guy threw another bunch of coins at the old man again.

The same thing happened. The coins fell onto the tracks, and the old man climbed down to pick it up.

I don't know what that guy was thinking. I don't see any entertainment value in this. If he really wants to hand the coins to the old man, he would have either threw it coin by coin, or make his way to the other side of the platform. Plus, by judging the way he tossed the coins, he was aiming at the old man like he's a target. It was definitely not a "delivery".

Detroit is full of homeless beggars. I have countless encounters with homeless people asking me for money. Some are more proud than the others of what they do, but everyone treats each other with relative respect. After all, we are all just a part of this social fabric. We need each other, and we should respect each other.

I think this experience sealed it for me. I have no desire to go to Paris again unless I have a specific purpose to be there.

This night, the hostel did not give me the "extra privileged" blanket that they promised, claiming that they don't have any left. Well, they run a hostel, and they don't have an extra blanket? Fantastic!

PARIS Day 06

From today, we are on our own. No more escorted tours, no paid meals, no private transports, and certainly no more 5-Star accommodations.

Now the journey REALLY starts, and hello PARIS!

I overslept at the hotel and barely made it out before the check out time was up. After bidding good bye to friends, Metin and I, with Joao and Tengam took a taxi to the hostel I will be staying for the next 2 days in Bastille.

So we got a taxi in front of the hotel, but for some reason, the taxi driver was not happy. For what? I don't know. But he was just not happy for the whole trip. He was pissed with us. But we still paid him with whatever amount he asked for, because I wanted to get the hell out of his life just as much as he does.

Bastille, according to some friends, is popular with students. I equate it to the "West Gate Place" of Taipei, but not as saturated with meaningless fashion craps. I don't know if I can say this is the representation of young Parisians, but I can see a lot of energy around this area.





Somehow I like this idea of graffiti on commercial vehicles. If I am a business owner, I will buy a white van and invite local kids to personalize it.







As we arrived at the hostel and left our luggages, we decided to head for the Notre Dame since Joao and Tengam needed to catch their flights soon.



I don't know what to think of the Notre Dame. I am not a Christian, so perhaps I would be much more emotional if I am one. However, I have to say that I have never been to a more highly crafted architecture in my life. The Notre Dame is an architectural feat of its time. I think it still in even for today's standards.



The weather wasn't exactly the best. Rainy, cloudy cold and misty, good photography was made very difficult. Nonetheless, it's the interior of Notre Dame that forms the experience.

One of the first things I looked for, is the buttress arch supports on the ceiling that I've read over and over again in art history textbooks.



The inside of Notre Dame is really dark. I wish there's more light, but with the weather outside, it will be difficult. This, however, made the stained glasses especially significant.





Much like Chinese religions (Buddhism and Taoism), candles play an important role in prayers and wishes, almost like a representation of one's presence.





So it was time to say good bye to Joao and Tengam as they headed back to the hotel then to the airport. Metin and I looked at the sky, and then the map, and decided to visit the Arab Museum as I heard the architecture was interesting. Well, from the outside, you can't see the interior, and I was curious, so I bought our tickets hoping to see something interesting inside.



However, the interior was completely covered by the exhibition set ups, so it was nothing but black drywalls. Disappointed, we walked out, and then realized this on the other side of the building.






These are basically mechanical windows made of Arabic patterns, that will open or close. From the inside, you can see very interesting mechanical parts that facilitate the movements, but we didn't see it move.


It was getting dark, rainy and cold. We decided to head to the Centre Pompidou. Due to the lack of light, I didn't take anymore photo, but this is where the digital camera comes handy.



No photo does not mean no video. The first exhibition we saw was the various architectural projects done by Richard Rogers with the idea of flipping an architecture inside out, exposing the elements that are usually hidden inside the building. I think if we just look at the Pompidou, it's hard to see what exactly he mean. However, when you see a collective of work with the same principle applied, you get it, and I think it's marvelous.

Among all the architectural models, I was particularly attracted to this one. It's a model to explain urban plans. In this case, it's Shanghai. The table itself is an interactive display. It tells stories by changing the display itself. For example, to show the time changes of a day, the shadow is animated to demonstrate the changing position of the sun. It then explains different districts by different colored lights. It's almost too futuristic, yet the technology behind it is extremely simple. I wish it's fully interactive, which the audience can wave across the space to access different portions of the data.



Other experiences at the Pompidou...

Well, Metin and I went to visit other exhibitions on the upper floors, and we came across the Philippe Starck collection. It's a corner dedicated to Philippe Starck's works. Some of which looks like works from his model making class from his college days. Well, first of all, I don't think Philippe Starck deserves a spot in the museum, at least not yet. Secondly, I don't think all of the things on display deserves to be displayed. It almost looks like he's such a god that any crap he accidentally produces are regarded as master pieces.

In a separate room were the chairs he designed. One of which is made of Carbon Fiber. It's a production chair. I reached my hand to it.... "DON'T TOUCH!" The museum staff yelled, like as if it's some thousand year-old artifact. Oh well, maybe I shouldn't complain about a museum staff doing her job, but I said to Metin," How ironic that it's a product that I can't touch!"

I will never ever want to have any of my designs in a museum.

French Ergonomics and logic

Metin needed to use the internet and it seemed that the computers in the Pompidou library have internet service, so we decided to do that. We walked around the glass partitions but couldn't find the entrance, but we found the exit with a guard who told us some instructions in a mixture of French and English. We felt weird because if the library is in the building, and that the exit is in the building, then why isn't the entrance in the building?

So we went to the information desk. The only person at the desk was helping someone else, so we waited at the empty counter beside it. Then another service staff came around. He saw us, but he didn't come to us. Instead, he stopped at 2 counters away from us and told us to go to him...... Hmmm.... I don't understand this logic.

So we asked him about the library entrance, and he said something that doesn't make sense too. Basically, we had to go out of the museum from the main entrance, walk around the museum to the back of it and enter from the rear into the library. As I said earlier, if the library is in the museum, why do we have to do this to get into the library????

So we did, and realized that there was no signifier or proper signage that directs people to the library entrance. It's like you have to be familiar with the Pompidou to know about the library entrance, a little local secret for the chosen ones.

So we went through the security and had our bags checked again, and queued up for the computer usage. We got our numbers and proceeded to the assigned computer, then very soon, I realized that the French keyboard is different than a standard keyboard! The Q and A are switched in place. I have to use "shift" to activate the "dot" and a bunch of other things that I had to figure out. Why? Is there something about the French language that requires such alteration? I have used the Japanese keyboard and it's different because the Japanese language is VERY different from English. The French.... I don't know. I can't really judge because I don't know French, but they are all based on alphabets aren't they?

After the Pompidou, it was almost 10pm and we decided to head back to the hostel.
Back to Bastille, we showed our receipts and they threw us the keys. Yes, the staff at the counter simply tossed the keys onto the counter. The only other occasion that I have done this is with dogs.

So in the morning when we checked in, they told Metin that his room has no working heater, and they are willing to give him "extra" blanket, which is nothing but a whimpy piece of thin rug. Well, the staff at the desk said he knows nothing about any free extra blanket, and didn't give it to Metin. No refund or whatsoever either.

PARIS Day 05 Part II

The D-Day isn't just about the presentation to the jury or the press presentations, but the award dinner itself. This is the first time where we need to be dressed up, and see our models for the first time.



The event was held in Palace de Tokyo. Don't ask me about the name, I still don't have the answer. It's a cool space nonetheless, and the setting was unique. There were a lot of people, a mixture of Electrolux staffs from all over the world as well as invited journalists.

So before the dinner began, we were busy checking out the models while people come around to ask questions.

Hey look, two hot ladies checking my pot!




Well, I don't have too much to say about the dinner. I was away from my staple food for too long and I missed rice and chopsticks. Plus, I don't think any of us, the contestants, had any appetite while our stomaches hung in suspense....

Nevertheless, I didn't win the 5000 Euro!!!

Let's take a last glance at the models then...

PARIS Day 05

The D-Day!!!

This morning, we waited in the cold conference room, tortured by the wait for the call that tells you "Your're next!"

Yes, it was the presentation to the jury. My strategy was to take it easy, and I had no regret, so there wasn't really much to talk about.

So it's our time to rock!
After the presentation, we headed to the Effiel Tower for the press presentation. So I got to see the tower again, this time, in the day.



Not only that, we got to take the staff elevator to go to the first deck!






So the presentation was followed by media Q&A, which was a little underwhelming. Nonetheless, the camera crews took advantage of our boredom and put us on casting roles again!



Arrhhh!!! See, my camera is bigger, time to surrender!






Well, there isn't much to talk about the press presentation itself, but getting down from the tower was interesting. I think I found a more severe photo addict than myself... check out this video with sound turned on.



Well, he's just killing memory space whereas I have precious negatives to be stingy about.

Last but not the least, I think the people who are the most willing to speak English in Paris are the Gypsies.



"Sir, do you speak English...?"

"Hrmm... not really, plus, I only have dollars, not particular worthy now."

PARIS Day 04

Day 04 started early with the "secret design tour" organized by Electrolux. It's basically a visit to a few studios(stores) in the St.Paul District.



St.Paul District is basically a small community where some designer item stores and art galleries concentrate to create this "central" for design or art related business. Well, during that morning, we were dropped off at the front of the village entrance and we were asked to wait... it was cold, and the ally was narrow, which meant we were standing in the shadows instead of the warm morning sun.





Then our alternative personalities became useful, which is when we displayed our hidden acting talents in preparation for the up coming Cannes Awards. The camera crews started to pull some of us aside for interviews, and have us have conservations that doesn't make sense, but pretend that they are meaningful and engaging.





So we finally got to continue with the tour, which started with STUA, then continued with another company(which I don't remember the name as I left the brochure somewhere else) that makes metal, medical-like chairs. This company were founded by Russian immigrant to France after the WWII. As their facility was beside a crutch factory, they eventually used the rubber leg structure as their chairs' legs. This, not only has created a weird yet interesting aesthetics, produced a very solid and a firm feeling as you rest it on the floor. What's even more interesting to me is, a chair with such rich local culture and origin has found it place in the North American market, where a typical user may look at the chair and will never know about its history unless being told.





BTW, another unique feature about these chairs is that they stack vertically. Usually, as chairs stack, they tend to lean forward, so there is a limit on how tall you can stack them. The metal chairs are more like stools with chair backs, so they can stack vertically without any limit, as long as the bottom chair can hold the load.

Next we visited a gallery with a furniture collection. We are told that each of the wood pieces used to build this collection are well traced, which mean you can find out exactly where it was cut from, how it was handled, by who and so on, claiming that we can use this tracing system to track the material, therefore ensuring its sustainability.



Well, too me, this is nothing but a pile of scrap wood.
Does "traceable" make it sustainable?
I think this is just another "green wash" attempt, that "green design = sustainability"
First of all, the way that these furniture are constructed is simply inefficient. The furnitures itself performs in poor efficiently too. Then it is said that this is a limited edition, an art collection to be exact. So without an user context, how can any be sustainable? Sustainable to do what? Again, either that this is just another native artist trying to say something that isn't valid, or that he's banking on the notion of this "sustainability" fest. Not impressed!

Then as we got done with that tour, we noticed something going on at the end of the corridor. There was an artist wrapping public objects in kneaded wood, as a form of "graffiti" while being interviewed. Hmm..... if it's about justifying graffiti, then where's the police? Where's that fear, excitement, and the spontaneousness of graffiti? From what I see, no one's objecting her actions, and it seems that she prepared the wool things before she even got there! That's not graffiti! And she's not making a mark!







Well, despite all theses exciting things happening, I was more attracted by the laid back lifestyle that are apparent in the area, like old man walking his little doggy companion, as well as the captivating toy store.






Lunch was horrible with under cooked meat and weird salads, but it was fun, because somewhere in the world, this piece of paper is floating around.







That night.... wait, did we have sushi or was it the night before? Nevermind, I am tired as you can probably tell from the lack of details. I will leave the rest of the story to tomorrow and hopefully, I can complete adventures in Paris.