signs

I totally love this short film from the Schweppes Short Film Festival...

I'm terrified, though, that my life is going to be like this once I start working here in Europe...

perspective: 5 tammikuu 2009

There are so many pictures I have taken, so many things I want to write about.

But I don't have time.

A chat with Christian provided the answer: "Why don't you do a photoblog? Spend 10 minutes a day. Post a picture. Write one line. Done."

Brilliant idea.

And so, here goes the first of a series.

*Tammikuu is Finnish for January.




my first finnish word: kiitos (thank you)
[taken in a hesburger in halinen, turku, finland]

thoughts over a hamburger

A realization: living in France finally rid me of my fast-food addiction. For someone who used to eat burgers almost daily, I went four months straight in France without craving for a burger. I guess its because there are hardly any fastfood chains in France (or in Aix-en-Provence, at least) -- which proves I'm a visual eater? Out of sight, out of mind!

Anyway, Hesburger is the largest hamburger chain in Finland, and it's based in here in Turku. It's quite rare to see McDonalds here, but there's a Hesburger in almost every corner.

Good thing I don't have the unbearable cravings for burgers I used to have!

tervetuloa

That's welcome in Finnish.

Welcome to the land of a thousand lakes, reindeers, and the real Santa Claus -- Finland. Everything is covered in snow, it's surreal...

a snowy mist rises over halinen
[turku, finland]

a journey to another time

“Vivamus mea Claudia”

Let us live and love not listening to old men's talk.
Suns will rise and set long after our little light has gone away to darkness.
Kiss me again and again.
Let me kiss you a hundred times,
a thousand more,
again a thousand without rest,
losing count,
so no one can speak of us and say they know the number
of our kisses.
-Gaius Valerius Catullus


a horse-drawn carriage in central park
[central park, new york]

l'aéroport

the plane is on the move,
and the traces of the love we had in places
are turning in my mind
-airport, the motors



taking off from aéroport marseille provence
[marignane, france]

au revoir france

I waited inside the bus at Gare Routiere, looking outside wistfully as the last leaves of autumn clung to Aix-en-Provence's trees.

Outside, a couple was saying goodbye to each other, with whispers and kisses and longing glances. The man must have said something funny, because at that moment they both laughed. But when their eyes met, I could see how scared they both were, how hard both of them were trying to be brave enough to say goodbye.

It could have been me. It was the exact feeling that I had-- the sorrow of leaving and knowing this was it. The yearning, the wishing that I had more time.

But the world will spin madly on, even when you feel like standing still.

The bus started and I watched as they said their final goodbye. As the man boarded the bus, he pressed his hand against the window, staring at the woman even as the bus pulled away.

The bus rounded the corner, and for a moment I caught a glimpse of La Rotonde, its waters glistening in the morning sun.

Then it was gone.

The man ran to the back of the bus, waving to his girlfriend as the bus passed her solitary figure on the street.

But soon she faded away, along with my last vision of Aix-en-Provence. All that was left was the sound of the man crying softly to himself.

That was when I started to cry, too.

l'automne

autumn leaves under frozen soles
hungry hands turning soft and old
my hero cried as we stood out there in the cold
like these autumn leaves i don't have nothing to hold
- autumn, paolo nutini

autumn leaves blanket cours mirabeau, the main street of aix-en-provence
[aix-en-provence, france]

holding on & letting go

and maybe you wake up late at night,
wondering why you feel so tired.
well my dear, let me tell you now,
do you hear?
its only fear, its only fear,
its only fear...
that keeps you locked in here.
- it's only fear, alexi murdoch


padlocks on the pont des arts bridge
[paris, france]

rue de la glaciere

sleep again won’t come to me
i walk outside, the galaxies
and stars surround the whole world like a dome
i’m still alone
and i’m feeling like i’m a long, long way from home
- long way from home, jesse harris



taken while i was sitting on a random doorway, 2am, rue de la glaciere
[aix-en-provence, france]

mystery

i know you've given all that you could give to me
i know there'll come a day i understand
until then, i'll be trying to solve your mystery
and wonder why i couldn't make you stay
-legendary, lou barlow


saint-tropez as seen from the ferry to saint-raphaël
[saint-tropez, cote d'azur, france]

la crêperie

Ah, the French.

In the Philippines, when we think of street food, we think of fishballs, kwek-kwek, isaw, adidas, and other strange concoctions with funny-sounding names.

Of course, in France they have crêpes. Crêpes sucrées or crêpes salées, having a crêpe on a cobblestoned street in France sounds so much more sophisticated than saying you had fishballs sa kanto.

So anyway, it's way overdue, but here is my requisite eating-a-crêpe-in-France picture, on Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en-Provence's main street. The angry German behind me is my favorite dinner buddy, Flo (yes, Flo, you're my favorite!), who finally made me try a crêpe after one month of living in France.

Bon appétit!

comfort in your strangeness

Today I found myself sitting alone in the middle of a park, under the shadow of pine trees and a full moon.

Alone.

But not lonely.

*****

It has been a month since I stepped foot in France. As surreal and wonderful as it sounds, the reality is the first weeks were hell for me. Unable to speak the language, I felt lost and alienated.

I was in France, but my heart was not.

I roamed the streets with empty eyes. I looked without really seeing. I heard things without really listening.

I could no longer see the magic in ordinary things.

I felt like I had lost myself all over again.

*****

The nights have become chillier.

Summer is almost over, and soon I will no longer be able to swim in the pool or spend my weekends by the beach. I find myself wrapping my jacket around me tighter, digging my hands deeper into my pockets.

Yet with the change in season, I find my spirits lifting.

The streets seem quieter, calmer. Somewhere within, I can feel myself more at peace.

It has been a month, yes. It has been a struggle, yes. But there are three more months to go. So much more to experience.

It's high time I start seeing the magic again.

*****

Bonjour France.

I'm finally here.

ma maison

So, I moved... and of course, when you have a new place, you need to throw a dinner party!


our excuse: ethiopian new year!
(l-r) florian, nawaz, karun, gui xian, meseret, moi, and suds

More pictures of my apartment here.

the last day of summer

...and my first view of the mediterranean sea!


the calanques at cassis

[cassis, france]