Liberté, liberté, chérie

Amour sacré de la Patrie
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs !
Liberté ! Liberté chérie,
Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (Bis)
Sous nos drapeaux que la Victoire
Accoure à tes mâles accents !
Que tes ennemis expirants
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire !
Aux armes, citoyens !
Formez vos bataillons !
Marchons, marchons !
Qu'un sang impur...
Abreuve nos sillons !

Ouéééééééééééé. But before i explain anything, a word of advice for those who might visit Lille in the future; never take the tramway with a full bladder.

I'm free!!! I AM FREE!!! Free like a bird. I'm like a bird flying way up high in the sky. I finally got my titre de sejour. After all these years (yes, plurial, a year and five months in more than a year thus the plurality), i've been caged in France (but that didn't stop me from crossing the borders), i can finally walk, run, jump, swim, fly or even kangaroo-hop around Europe anytime i want (if i want to of course; so don't expect me to hop all around europe like a kangaroo). The ride back to Lille in tramway was certainly a good one. I was actually smiling all the way back from the OMI (office de migration internationale), no wonder everyone was staring at me, but who cares? I'm FREE!!!

So what's the big deal having this titre de sejour thingy? Well for a start i get to move around freely in all 25 European Union countries without having to apply for Visa. And I am now eligible to apply for the housing aid from the french government which might result in me having to pay only HALF of my 200€ rent. Basically that is it. But there're also other stuff that i can now do, applying for a Visa credit card for example, which was not possible before.

Today I saw a car (probably belgian) with the licence plat 'KGB 007'. I knew it, James Bond is actually Russian.

Ich gehe am Schweiz im Urlaub

Last Monday's IT test was... boff, a whatever test by a whatever professor. Accounting first test was fine 16,5 over 20, the second one was OK i guess, though I'm not sure if my way of closing the accounts meets the french standard. English test was postponed to after the holidays. Ahh... enough alking about tests, let's talk about the holidays instead.

I have decided to head south instead of north (if you're here to experience the northern weather you'd understand), and so i bought a TGV ticket to Grenoble. I'll be staying in Awad's and i'll meet Fifi and Dinie there, and maybe Ustat too. Then we might be going to Geneva in Switzerland, the to Lyon and then I'll head back to Lille. I'll be getting my titre de sejour in a couple of days time, so going to Switzerland shouldn't be a problem. I really do hope that nothing will go wrong on my convocation day; InsyaAllah. Can't wait for the holidays to start.

N9UF

It's been a while since i last updated this blog. Well I've been busy with projects and tests. But that didn't stop me from having fun thorugh out the week. I just got my cable. Woo hoo. Last year I've been using Wanadoo from France Telecom for 30 euros per month and i get a 512kbps cable internet. But this year I've decided to take N9uf telecom instead. With only 35, you'll get 1 Mbps cable internet, cable TV, and illimited phone calls in France. So that's why you can see me online on MSN even if it's 3 am in France (don't get me wrong, it's the computer, not me who's not sleeping).

There are almost 40 channels i think, but not all of them are worth watching (who would watch the Sailing Channel anyways). But I'm quite happy that CNN, SkyNews and CNBC are included in the basic package. But it would be more fun (in my point of view) if the History and the Encyclopedia Channels are included as well (what are you laughing at?). Alas they are not. And luckily they do not translate everything in French. At least i can still watch Jay Leno and Jerry Springer in English. Oh talking about Jerry Springer, i just watched it for the first time today, and I find it's crap.

But no i do not get stuck in front of my tele all the time. Most of the time i'll turn it off at 2005 hours, after the news headlines, but sometimes I also leave it on until 2100 hours, right after the news. So mom, don't worry about the TV thing. But if I'm lucky enough not to have any homework or project or tests to study for, my tele becomes my second best friend in my room after my computer. Talking about my room, i think it's exactly the same size as my room in Malaysia, except that it has a kitchen and a sink in it. Yeah i think so. The bed is at the same place as my bed in Malaysia, the table as well. Instead of the cupboard with drawers that i have at home, i have my kitchen, instead of my bathroom door, i have my wardrobe, instead of my wardrobe, i have my door, and instead of my door i have my sink. Yup, it definitely is the same size.

Love Actually is all around

It’s official, Love Actually has become one of my favourite movies (remind me to update my Friendster’s profile later). I spent the whole day downloading the movie in Syazwan’s place, and it was worth the wait. Actually I’ve seen the movie last year (rented it form the renting Lachine in front of my house in Colmar), but I didn’t really had the chance to actually follow the story carefully since I watched it while I was cleaning up my room (a usual Sunday morning activity apart from going to laundry that is). And I have completely forgotten about it, until a classmate talked about it the other day when were talking about movies (just to impress them, I said my favourite movie was Amélie Poulain ~ a big French movie hit, and it’s not totally not true, it is one of my favourites)

Love actually talks basically about love, of course. And the story tells us about different love stories that happen in everyday lives, from a 10 year old to the Prime Minister. My favourite couple would be Alan Rickman (the guy also acts in Harry Potter movies playing Severus Snape) and Emma Thompson. They play the role of an ordinary married couple with two kids. The husband has an affair with his secretary, wife saw him buying a necklace and thought it was for her, but found out that he bought her a CD instead. Pretty banale as the French would say it, common stuff. At the beginning of the movie, the narrator tells us that his favourite spot would be the arrival halls in airports because there, you can see a lot of love and love actually is everywhere. Note to self: observe the arrival hall at the Gare Lille Flandres next Saturday.

I’ve never actually considered British movies to be as good as the Americans. But they actually are. Love Actually, Bend it like Beckham and of course Harry Potter (It’s American but with 100 percent British actors, though I have to say some of the actors in it can not act). But of course the movies that I just stated above are the big hits. The thing is, it’s quite hard to find British movies in French DVD stores and also on the net. When I was back in Malaysia last summer they were showing Little Britain on Star World. It’s a series about Britain and its people. Rather funny if you ask me, though some of the jokes are really (and when I say really, I do mean really) lame. I watched the whole season 1 the other day in Syazwan’s house.

Britain, Britain, Britain, we have running water since 10 years, and we invented the cat.



Today I’ve actually sent the dedication emails to Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia for the Salam Aidilfitri / Salam Perantauan section. I hope I didn’t miss out anyone (and that is just impossible since I end my dedication with dan kepada semua rakyat Malaysia). So just keep flipping through the papers these following days (I really do hope this year they’ll publish it, I was devastated last year)

Api!!!!

I was watching a movie, and was at the climax of it when suddenly the fire alarm broke out. I ignored it thinking that it was a false alarm. But after a few seconds it didn't stop, so i began to worry. I looked outside my window expecting to see smoke but i saw none (saw a large spider spinning web under my window instead). So i thought it had to be a false alarm. So i continued watching the movie. But the alarm went on, and i really began to worry. So i put on my socks and my shoes, taking my own sweet time, and coolly went out of my room, locking it, and went straight outside. It must've been a good 10 minutes after the alarm broke out. But as soon as i was outside, the reception lady said to everyone who was outside (me, 2 girls who just came back from Auchan, and 2 guys who didn't look as if they cared if there was really a fire) that it was just a stupid false alarm caused by someone whose hands were itchy enough to push the emergency button. I went straight away inside after that.

But imagine if there was really a fire. It took me 10 minutes to evacuate the building! Now that's a pretty quick reflex.



I just saw the latest Harry Potter movie trailer the other day and it makes me wonder; why does the boys' hair gets longer as they grew older? Does this mean they'll have a knee-length hair in movie 7? And i thought Horgwarts is a boarding school? You wouldn' find anyone with hair THAT long in my boarding school.

mots fl�ch�s 

20 minutes lille 

20 minit setiap pagi

What do we (or should) do 20 minutes everyday? Exercise? Maybe. But that's not the answer in my case. I would rather say ----> mots-fléchés (crosswords)

In Lille there are a few free newspapers. There's metro, lilleplus and 20 minutes. Among the students, the favourite is 20 minutes. Some say because it has brighter colours ( which is true, if you compare it to the other 2). But for me the reason would be the crosswords.

The free newspapers (aka tabloids) are available at the métro stations. Since I live with in campus and need not to commute by métro, I deliberately go to the station every morning on the way to class just to get my copy of 20 minutes.

Sometimes people ask me "Do you about the bla bla thing? It was in the 20 minutes this morning", and I'd go "Heh?" because normally i jump straight away to the crosswords page, like most of my classmates (and those who don't do crosswords too because in the same page you can find the horoscopes of the day).

I usually do the crosswords with Johanna and Hélène (they're damn good), but there are also Guillaume, Alex, Loïc and Quentin. My classmates always say that it's incredible for someone who's not francophone to do the crosswords in french. But i don't think so since it sometime keeps on repeating the same words with the same clues. And I usually find words that has to do with general knowledge instead of language fluency (egyptian symbols for literature = hiéroglyphe), or words that has to do with tropical countries (tropical tree = tamarinier).

O Canada

Je (re)viendrai à Montréal

You might ask what the hell is the Canadian flag doing in this entry? The answer is easy, because i feel like going to Canada.

Yesterday i was watching Star Ac' (French Akademi FAntasia), and they were having a special Soirée Québecoise. There was a québecoise student, a québecoise teacher, Celine Dion who's québecoise, and Garou who is also québecois (you might not know hm since he's a francophone singer). So while watching it, it came to me; Why not go to Montréal this coming holidays; Toussaints, Noël, Hiver or Pâques.

So I did some research on the net and found out that the ticket to Montréal is expensive, almost as expensive as the ticket back to Malaysia. Well maybe that's just because i was searching tickets for Christmas. And since the other holidays are sill far away, I couldn't find tickets during the holidays (airlines usually issue the prices only a few months before the departing date). And since most of the flight has a stopover in the US, i think i'll have to pass Montréal (because of immigration issues; need to demand a visa from the US embassy in Malaysia etc.) I guess all the direct flights have been fully booked for Christmas.

Aihh... I really wanna go to Canada, especially the Québec Montréal area. I mean where else in the world can you find a place where you can speak both french and english without having any difficulties? I've heard the québecois french accent, and i find it quite interesting. It's like speaking french with an american accent. But that doesn't mean that the québecois are drifting away from the french. Bien au contraire. It's them who try to use the least english possible in everyday life. In France you can see everywhere stop signs with the word 'STOP' on it while in Québec, it's 'ARRÊTE'.

What's certain is that I won't be going to Canada. At least not yet!

Salam Ramadhan dari Perancis

Début du mois sacré de Ramadhan 1426

Le Conseil Français du Culte Musulman, réuni lundi 3 octobre 2005, nuit du Doute, à la Mosquée de Paris déclare aux musulmans de France que le premier jour du mois sacré de Ramadhan pour l’an 1426 de l’Hégire sera le mardi 4 octobre 2005.

Nous implorons Allah pour qu’Il accepte notre jeûne et qu’Il nous comble de Sa Clémence et de Sa Miséricorde.

Docteur Dalil Boubakeur Président du Conseil Français du Culte Musulman

Kalau dekat Malaysia, bunyi dier lebih kurang macam ni

Setelah diperkenankan oleh Duli-Duli yang Maha Mulia Majlis Raja-Raja, saya sebagai penyimpan mohor besar raja-raja melayu dengan ini mengisytiharkan bahawa tarikh 1 Ramadhan 1426 Hijrah jatuh pada Selasa, 4 Oktober 2005 Masihi.

***Selamat Berpuasa***

puasa tu biar penuh, tak puasa, tak raya!

Autumn in my heart... bwerk

It’s raining outside. Yep, autumn is here. In fact it has been here since the 21st September. Autumn can be lovely, but it is also undeniably a depressing season. All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey. It’s such a lovely sight to see when the wind blows off dried leaves from the trees. But the air is cold and wet. It rains almost everyday. Whenever I sit beside the window looking at the rain pouring down, my thoughts will drift off to another world, a world of my yesteryears. And add a slow and sentimental music to that, and that’s all I need to feel depressed. Oh, autumn is such a peculiar season. And I love it for what it is.

Enough talking about autumn

Toussaint holidays are coming. Where should I go? How should I spend a whole week off? I was planning to follow Syazwan to London, but then I still don’t have my titre de sejour yet. Thinking also of going to Lyon to visit Fifi and Dinie, and join them and Awad to Genève in Switzerland. Now that the Swiss had voted for the Schengen Law; crossing the border would be as easy as crossing the street. But then the cheapest return train ticket is 70€; the same price to get to London. I was also thinking of going back to Colmar, to visit the profs and also the other Malaysians, and most importantly to pay my last electricity bill. But it costs 70€ as well. Belgium is an option, but certainly not Brussels; I’ve had enough of that dreadful city. Amsterdam would be nice. But the thing is I don’t have anyone to go with. But since Irfan is coming, why not ask him to come along with me? Or maybe I should just stay at home and study? Now that’s a good but boring option.

I was waiting for a metro yesterday when the guy who is normally inspects tickets was putting up posters on the glass dividers between the platform and the tracks. It says

In response to a nationwide strike
The tramway and bus services will be interrupted on Tuesday 4th
The Métro and suburban networks will function normally
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused
Have a nice day

Now that’s something weird. You go on strike (which is the first French national sport), you warn people about it, you apologise for any trouble caused, and you bid people a nice day. And they’re nice enough to let some of the services run normally.

Ah yes, yesterday was my brother’s engagement day. Happy engagement day to both of them, him and his fiancée. I would love to attend the ceremony but I’m half a globe away. If going back to Malaysia is like going to Brussels then, I would certainly be there. Now I have to start thinking of what to call my soon to be sister in law; Kak Long? Kak Intan? Now that he’s engaged, I feel like getting engaged myself. Anyone interested please give me a call and we’ll fix the date! (Ha Ha Ha)

the 6th book, as good as the 4th My favourite has got to be the goblet of fire followed by the halfblood prince, then the prisoner of azkaban, the philosopher's stone, chamber of screts and lastky the order of the phoenix

the three main actors. ron played by rupert grint, hermione by emma watson and harry by daniel radcliffe... ugh when will anyone ever realise that he can not act? but as for emma, now that's what i call a star. plus, she's getting prettier in the upcoming 4th movie 

Harry Potter, the boy who lived

I like Harry Potter, and yes, if you ask me whether I'm a potter maniac, i would say yes. The books are just magical. Once you start reading it you can not put it down. My potter mania began when i was in form 2. The Potter mania had just begun in Malaysia at that time. Since everyone else was reading it, i told myself what the heck, i should try and read it too. And i got hooked by it. I started with the 3rd book. I just can not put it down. I finished it in 3 days time, which is already extraordinary to my stardards. It was the first book that i actually read word for word from the beginning right to the end with the interest of actually finishing it. Come to think about it, it was harry potter that made me start reading books in english. Anyways, I continued with book 1 and 2 ( which i had to reserve in order to buy it in MPH). And I actually did influence Hasnan, my best friend in SMSU, to read the book and he also got hooked with it. Book 4 came out in 2000 and i was proud of myself for finishing the whole book. Between book 4 and 5, i was at the peak of my Potter-Mania-ness. I collect everything that has to do with HP. Boardgames, card games, memorabilias, and of course the books. I have 3 Book 1, 3 book 2, 2 book 3, 3 book 4, 2 book 5 and 1 book 6. Oh yeah... I am a potter maniac. I have a box in my room full of HP stuff. In 2001 the first movie came out. They were looking for someone to act in the movies, and they put up a website for appilications. I, of course, applied. But they turned my application down with the excuse saying that i am not British. Ahahaha. And since the first movie I have never failed to go watch them with Hasnan. Now that the 4th one is colming out, and I'm in France, i kinda feel sad for not being able to do so.

Book 6 has been out for quite a while. Since July i think. But i didn't actualy felt the urge to buy it since i was kinda dissappointed with the 5th book. But i just bought it recently in a hypermarket, and I finished it last night. 607 pages in 4 days. The previous book that i was reading was 540 pages long and it took me 2 weeks. Last night they had a special midnight launch at Furet du Nord. It was the launching of the 6th book in French. The book is at 23,50€; which is expensive.The English version is only 15,99€. I however did not go to the launch since i didn't feel really well (Demam).

To me Harry Potter is not only a book. Though it may seem childish to some, I find that the recent books are more matured and are for matured readers aged 15 to 18. I won't deny that i myself sometimes get fed up with the story where Harry seems to have the answer to his problems and with the fact that he always win. As i told you before, the books are magical. Everytime when i read it i feel like i'm in another world. A world where nothing can go wrong, and even if it does, it doesn't really matters because everyone else will accept you just the same. Wouldn't it be nice to live in the world like the one in the books?

I quote this from a book that i read recently
People who read books are those who can't face the reality. They try to escape from reality by letting themselves drift in the world of fantasy that only exists between the reader and the book. In fact those who read are those who can not accept who they are and they try to make themselves feel better by living in another world that seems fairer to them

And i wouldn't say it' not true.

comedians imitating harry pooter's characters, one of them is holding a cup full of uncooked pasta 

Books are all ready for the midnight launch