Paris : Day 1

[there's a problem with uploading photos/attaching files so i can't put up the photos for now]

it's been a really tiring day
we touched down at 630am..
as usual, i tried to take some pics.. but this was all i managed

--> Lights at Charles de Gaulle airport

:(

i hated the stuffiness of the baggage claim area
it was so crowded.. and damn hot

the plane was really crowded too.. and i went to the toilet only 3 times..
i spent my time watching 2 and a half french comedies
Hors de Prix (Audrey Tautou as a fortune hunter), Prete Moi Ta Main, and Desaccord Parfait
i liked them
but i cried during the last film..
haha

The driver was waiting for us once we exit
as i followed the driver (that the office sent) to the car park, i couldn't help noticing many heinekan bottle caps buried in the cement
what gives?

i encountered the famous paris jam at 720 in the morning
our driver's name is Nebil; he looks like he's originally from the Middle East
and he drives like a race car driver
quite scary.. but we'd have spent hours in the jam otherwise
even with his super-aggressive driving, it took us 45 mins (usual - 20 mins)

our hotel is a little hole-in-the-wall place despite the name (Grand Hotel Dore)
it's right opposite the office..
everything is miniature; the lift, the rooms, the toilet
there's only one lift and there's no more room once i enter with my luggage
i find it all very amusing..
but alvin says he can't fit onto the toilet comfortably
ahahaa

paris at this time is in sepia
and this is a picture of the view from the hotel lounge at 1pm (with my SE W810i)

--> The sidewalk

we had lunch at a cafe nearby .. where the chairs were crammed too
Lys says that.. in paris, space is a problem
the one thing that is big though.. is the portions
i had pasta with salmon.. and it was huge
but Megali, the marketing girl, finished everything.. plus bread
O_o

work started during lunch..
and i have to say it's really not true that europeans are laid back about work
we had a quick lunch, rushed back to office.. and the training started
since they tend to slip a lot into french, i was always trying to guess the words in English
it's good practise for me i think
i also notice that it's only the girls who go "Alors..."

so we covered PediGuard (Olivier) and PLIF and TLIF(Anne-Virginie)
somehow, i was stressed enough to stay awake and actually absorb most of it
(i'll seriously 'lose face' if i dun know my stuff apart fr the fact that i'll be the only tech rep in asia)
Olivier gave us a standard quiz to fill up.. !! and it had 64 questions!!
we were supposed to finish at 530 but it stretched til 630 with each of us taking just one toilet break
it's like going back to school.. almost fun :p

when we finished, it was cold and dark outside.. with a strange glow in the sky
we went to look for food after dropping our laptops in the hotel
since it's downtown, we saw many shops..
and one of them was selling long coats (Men's) at 767 euros!!!
that's after discount i think...

we found this little pizzaria called Cap 'Taine on Rue Taine..
haha.. cute pun or what?
i asked the propreitor if he speaks english (in french).. and he understood me
:)
i thought the painting on the wall was unique
so i asked permission to take a pic

--> Cap'Taine

so we had minestrone soup (which tastes nothing like the one in sg; it's really nice),
and i had very-creamy-with-scary-raw-egg-on-top carbonara for dinner
and.. what do you know? we were talking about work again
:(

the plan was to go to the supermarket on the way back
but it started drizzling so we came back to the hotel
whoever told me i can go out in paris after work is crazy...
it's barely night and i'm dead tired

tomor, we're gonna kill a pig or two
and we'll get to try out the PediGuard ourselves

Anne-Virginie told me not to have a full breakfast
...