People Who Don’t Mind Their Own Business

I’ve decided that’s a new (or rather, constant) pet peeve of mine.
This afternoon, I went to get a cheese crepe at a nearby stand. I was famished and patiently waiting for the guy to start on my order, which he did right after grabbing a big handful of change and passing it on to his [...]

Seriously, A French Test?

After much procrastination (on Dman’s part) and paper-gathering (on mine), I’m finally about to receive my titre (or carte) de sejour, which is the first step to getting my French passport.
On July 15 (the day after Bastille Day seems appropriate, right?), I am to go for a medical examination and I’m supposed to receive my [...]

To Tip Or Not To Tip?

That is seriously the question in France. Obviously, the general answer is you don’t tip because service is included in your bill. However, it gets a little trickier because some people do seem to leave a little something at cafes, restaurants, for cabbies and at hair salons.
Dman tells me that a tip or pourboire (literal [...]

Feet First

It’s pretty much a given that French women are chic, have that certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to lingerie, sensuality, blah, blah, blah.
I’ll tell you where a lot of French women don’t have it together—their feet! In New York City, with its cheap nail salons at every corner, it’s rare to see [...]

Gee, My Ass Really *Has* Gotten Bigger

Among the many changes you go through when you’re pregnant—and they’re not all pretty, folks—the one that’s surprised me the most is that my ass has, yes, gotten bigger.
I’m sure this isn’t a revelation to most pregnant women, but I’m Asian and generally have no butt to speak of. Imagine my astonishment when I tried [...]

God, I Loooove Ikea

I know I should have grown out of Ikea by the time I graduated college, but I still love going there, looking at all their perfectly organized rooms, eating their sugar doughnuts and dreaming that my house could actually be that uncluttered if I just bought the right storage unit.
Actually, I think the French Ikeas [...]

My Pregnant Pause

Now that my tour is over and I’ve turned into something like a petite baleine (little whale) in stretchy pants, I’m officially announcing the impending arrival of my petite fille.
Since my brain can’t seem to handle much besides Harry Potter and everything baby lately, you may be seeing some more blogs about being pregnant in Paris. [...]

Not Again, North Korea… Really?

My Facebook page is littered with links to stories today about the two American journalists who were just sentenced to 12 years in North Korean labor camps. My heart goes out to them (they must be terrified) and their families, though I do believe this is probably another showboating stunt on the part of North [...]

In the Name of Love

I ran into a woman recently who I met last year and found wholly unpleasant. She gave off bad vibes, quite honestly, a mixture of angry, sullen and brusque. I saw her again last week and she was completely different, happier and warmer, and I had no idea what caused the change until I casually [...]