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I Love Google Maps I just discovered that I can see my place in France on Google Maps, I love!  Labels: La Dolce Vita, Travel $1 in my moola box | link | email this post Send Yourself to Paris When I miss Paris, I indulge in some of my favorite things that transform me (in my imagination? lol) to Paris    1) Surround yourself with little Parisian things: a t-shirt, a small cosmetic pouch, ladurée, & many post cards of Parisian café chairs and tables   Photos courtesy of Daemonds foods & Bobbette and Belle 2) Bake Macaroons: I have attempted making macaroons once before (mine turned out like cauliflowers gone bad) You might have better luck with a better recipe on Desperately Seeking Macaroons - i'll try this recipe soon, je promise  3) Give yourself a break on a Louis XVI chair and.. philosophize about your life, ..dream beautiful. 4) Listen to Peter Sarstedt: I simply looooove this song  5) Get a fluffy poodle: and adorn it with a rhinestone collar, ..and if you wish not to have a real one, go to the nearest Accessorize shop and buy a cell phone charm version ;p 6) Take a virtual tour through Saint-Germain: ..walk by Les Deux Magots, the Dior boutique, and the seafood restaurant tucked on the left sidestreet, ..mmMMmmm View Larger Map   6) Send your Pet to Paris to window-shop: Carol Gillot from Paris Breakfasts paints gorgeous water colors of your pet windowshopping in Paris. I'm soooo sending my horse and Tantra there =D & I say horse because I haven't made up my mind whether I'd want her to paint a portrait of IB or Sultan yet >_<  7) Have a cup of chocolate: preferable in a glass cup, with a biscuit in the beautiful outdoors (a la Paris)  8) Hang it on your front door: A typical door knocker in France is one made with brass, a hand holding a pomegranate -- buy it here     9) It's all in the wallet: keep photos of Paris' shop fronts and cafe chairs -stacked & otherwise- in your wallet, take them out while waiting for your appointment at the clinic, or while getting electrified in your painful laser session - guaranteed to make the pain subside. 10) You are the one for me, for me, formidable: ..and finally, sing along Charles Aznevoure You are the one for me, for me, for me, formidable Labels: Books, La Dolce Vita, Music, Travel $3 in my moola box | link | email this post My Delicious Valentine       The few days before valentine's day are always fun (& kind of cheesy). My friends and I scout for 'V-Victims' (valentine's victims), you can tell who those are by the matching red shirts, the red lipstick, the rose, and even sometimes a decal sticker on the bumper of their vehicle. Sad. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against a celebration of love, but I just don't see why someone would wait 365 days to tell someone "I love you" or buy them a gift. That, in addition to fashion crimes committed on that day made it register as a cliché in my mind -for the most part, that is. Instead of spending Valentine's day with love, I opted to spend it doing something I love. A workshop with Monsieur Pierre-Hermé, the master chef behind the delicious hug-like macaroons at Pierre Hermé of Paris It was so interesting because there it was, our chance to ask the world's best macaroon maker about the validity of the many macaroon-making myths. The eggs, for instance, are aged before use in the fridge for 3-4 days uncovered, no egg white powder no nothing. All fresh, all accessible, and all feasible. I had him sign my recipe notebook in which I write down the recipes I've invented, it felt like a blessing from the Godfather of master cooks to be honest. Now, my recipe note book has this glow of holiness around it, and holds many small dirty secrets of experienced cooks. Je t'aime Pierre Herme! Je t'aime, je t'aiiiiiiiime Labels: Cookingfessional, Domestic Goddess, La Dolce Vita $3 in my moola box | link | email this post In The Absence of a Blogger When I sat down to write this post, I hesitated for nearly 10 minutes - Where do I start? Do I pick up from where I left, ..or do I omit the past month from the chapters of the blog and pretend the pages accidentally fell out of the book? I think there's no better way to communicate an emotion than the unrehearsed version of it. Same goes to writing. I'm sorry, I am terribly sorry for many things. I am sorry for our loss, I'm sorry for not having the time to reply to your emails and some of the comments left here (please know that I read them all, everything). And I'm very sorry for making my blog second priority over the past month. Will it ever happen again? je ne sais pas but I rrrrrrreally hope not. What was keeping me away? Well, for nearly 2 weeks, my ISP denied me access to my FTP server (yep, seriously) it took several troubleshooting tickets and a myriad of phone calls to get that activated again, it turned out to be a 'small' technical error (to say the least). Next, and more importantly, I was living the drama of moving from one continent to another. I never knew that the logistics involved in decorating a place remotely, implementing plans, and organizing matters for a move from Abu Dhabi to France could be SO consuming. Lesson learned? Never trust a domestic curtain maker, EVER. After four months of rigorous selection of fabrics, matching, and mind sucking attempts to a fruitful imagination, my interior contractor decided to give me the boot, 1 week before agreed delivery date (which was by the way 5 days before booked shipping date), his explanation was that he was running under capacity due to a new project on board, outfitting of a wedding and the couple's new home. What is it about us in this part of the world? Why does everything have to stop with no chance of competition when it comes to the mention of a wedding? After a series of mini nervous breakdowns, I knew I had to recollect myself, it was time for critical thinking (a course we took at college a century and a half ago). I knew it was a lost battle, and I couldn't afford to spend the time eating myself up on his shortcoming. Instead, I picked up the phone to my own version of 911 (a.k.a. Lamya) & asked her for help. After two days in Dubai, maaaanyyy hours flipping through rows and layers of fabrics at Silk Land & Co. and by some twist of fate (& a lot of luck, if I may add) we met Mr.Sanfoor, my Merlin in this entire pursuit who made EVERYTHING sound possible, despite the slightly confused look on his face. I decided to commission him for everything; the curtains, the cushions, the bed covers, bed skirts, and everything else -- to me, it was a leap of faith (well I had no choice really) and to him, it was "this crazy lady from Abu Dhabi who wants everything done in 3 minutes"      Mr.Sanfoor kept to his word and delivered the first batch 3 days after the date of order. The batch contained: - Bed cover + bed skirt of the master bedroom (my room)       Two days later, the second batch: - 2 fionka foot stools for the living room And yesterday (or the day before? I lost track) I received a 3 seater sofa for the living room, 2 curtains in taupe, and adooorable fionka bed covers for the twin bed room. It was a relief. I am now eligible to write a book titled "How to Decorate a Mansion in 48 Hours" and if anyone argues with that, I'll punish them by introducing them to Mr. Ditching Contractor.    The moovers came by for packing yesterday, and with everything box the sealed I felt a slight comforting breeze of relief. Bit by bit, my place started going back to its original condition: neat. They then headed out for the storage I have in Al-Wathba for the bulk of the stuff, ..they're still packing. It's amazing how us girls in our culture almost never go through experiences like these, ..we grow up sheltered, our life planned for us in ways precisely fitting the mold of the norm. The first time my mom heard me say that I intend to decorate my place on my own, with the help of my loyal crew comprised of a slightly overweight lady (Naima), a maid that doesn't know when to stop laughing at herself (Serena), a driver who uses classical arabic as his main form of communication (Rasheed) and a bunch of spoiled -but nonetheless courageous- tiny dogs, she went insane. She still doesn't think it's a good idea. To tell you the truth, neither do I. But what I know is that a bad idea is not bad until you've tried it and experienced it for yourself. As far as I'm concerned, everything is possible - we just often don't believe it is, or are too afraid to have a go at it. I don't know where I'm going with it, and with my increasing responsibilities at work, I know I won't have the luxury of time to spend reasonable amounts of time there. But I have plenty of ideas for the place, ..and who said you have to see the whole staircase before you take the first step? I'll opt to take the first step in faith, and wait for the next one to unfold - one at a time, one pleasant event at a time. This post may have been longer than what your appetite calls for, but it's only a portion of what I have to share. Had it been not for my soar and tender muscles, and the smell of my warm bath luring me to it, I would have spent the night writings.. I miss you x Labels: Deco, Domestic Goddess, La Dolce Vita $7 in my moola box | link | email this post A Christian Report           Joy is state of mind and being, engrossed in pleasure of the moment.. Joy is walking 75001, the first arrondissement.. Joy is sticking out your tongue to catch that falling snow flake.. Joy is being on 19 rue Jean-Jacques RousseauStepping into Christian Louboutin's workshop was like being taken on a preview of girl-heaven. The welcoming staff and atmosphere made me feel right at home, ..with ballerina's and opera singers rehearsing in the studio next door, a charm of the ordinary filled the place, and before I knew it, real world vanished like phantasmagoria, and story-book world simmered like an animated sea. I was taken on a mini-tour and was introduced to a lovely group of people who output 4 pairs of shoes per day, I was then shown the different kinds, colors, and finishes of leathers -all the possibilities and options, Oh mon dieu! I've had several sûr measure experiences before with shoes, but none were as thorough and detail-oriented as this one. Feet are drawn, molded, and measured up & down, left and right.. diagonal too (seriously) I could hear the fun and satire steps of ballerinas going en pointe on the parquet floor, giggling and singing.. void of cohesion, void of formIt would take several trials (& several months) before my form is ready to be used for shoe making, until then, I'll be waiting in anticipation.. J'adore Christian Louboutin ♥ Labels: Fashion, La Dolce Vita $12 in my moola box | link | email this post Bringing Home the Birkin    Finally, it's here ♥ Can you imagine the flutter-a-skip through out Faubourge St.Honoré? J'adore Paris ♥ for many reasons obviously, but this one is just one more. More eye candy for you:  Chanel dolls  Christmas tree at Gallery Lafayette   Printemps decorations  Le Bristol ♥ +++ +++ +++ +++ In 2009 I.. - Moved to Aerospace Industry - Made a foreign deal - Got a new horse - Loved, beaucoup - Laughed, beaucoup - Gave up on some friends - Made new friends - Tried to learn how to forgive, ..still trying - Completed 1 painting. Seriously. - Won 7 tickets to Egypt. Never went to collect them. - Got a place in France - Slept through new-year's eve In 2010 I wish to.. - Continue loving everything, beaucoup - Laugh more - Teach Rawan that it's okay to hug your friends. In fact, it's okay to hug everything (trees inclusive, watch Avatar & you'll understand lol) - Decorate my place in France, work in progress - Find the perfect Louis XV chairs - Do more for my people - See Lamya, Yosor, & Moza more often (or convince them to move to Abu Dhabi) - Have Noura, Alia, and Reem over for Salama-Sundays ;p *nudge Alia* - Pilates for breakfast - Improve my French - Make up my mind - Execute the 2 plans I have been cooking in my mind, successfully ;p Bonne Année to everyone ♥ Labels: Birkin, Fashion, Hermes, La Dolce Vita, Pony Tales $6 in my moola box | link | email this post |
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