Last weekend had the ideal autumn weather, stunning blue sky, warm sunshine and fresh air. All my heart has been cheered up. Getting up at 11am, I said to myself I must go out and do something before my departure at 2.30pm to British Museum for Hadrian exhibition.

East End where I live actually has not attractive park or good reputation in London. So I thought about the Colombia flower market that I discovered with a friend two weeks ago. I felt that our “spacious” flat needed a bit green and live.

Colombia Road is nearly 20 minutes by walk from my place. The shortest way is to cross Brick Lane street where is inundated by Indian restaurants and grocery shops. The street was crowed! Not only all restaurants were full, but the street on Sunday morning were full of free marketers, people who hang out, rock musicians, stereo with jazz. All of these were bathed in an odour of curry melt with onion hot dogs. It was around lunch time. People were eating outside on their feet or sitting on terrace in a plastic plate. I was sure that they enjoyed much their lunch because the curry with sunshine should be tasted.

Fifteen minutes later, I finally passed Brick Lane’s crowd and turned to a quiet small street. Although there are a lot of council buildings, they look like tiny and well organized. In the small park between the buildings, people relaxed on the lawn with children and dogs. Little by little, I heard happy noises; the flower market was close now. Then I saw the small coffees in the corner of street. Turning to left, here the market! I fell in love with this place immediately!

For people who love flowers and plants, here is the heaven. I could only name a few common flowers. But there were so many with all kind of colours! Flowers were shinning in the sunshine. The picture in front of me reminded me Van Gogh’s Mediterranean’s paintings. Sellers shouted prices with their strong British accent. I saw an early teenager boy helping his parents wiping flowers. His little round face was covering by sweat. How sweet he was.

The street was so narrow and people were so crowed that we could nearly advance. But nobody complained, we waited people and queuing with smiles. Unfortunately I had no much time to enjoy all flowers stands and boutiques. Sooner I crashed on a Dracaena Marginata of over one meter high and bought it my beauty.

Holding the plant in my arms, I felt leaves touching my cheeks softly and heard their whistles. It was so life. Again, I crossed Brick Lane with my huge plant. People were still eating, talking, drinking and hanging around.

Two girls stopped me and asked where they could find the flower market. I indicated them happily because it reminds my own experience of searching the place two weeks ago.

I arrived at home and put my beauty near the window in the living room. My arms were a little bit sore, but I was very pleased.

Je n'ai jamais eu autant de plaisir de faire des rangements a la maison comme j'avais eu avant hier. Il y avait encore quinzaine cartons dans la petite chambre du sud qui remplissaient presque toute espace. Je me demande qu'il y avait encore dans ces cartons. Il etait presque dix heures du matin. j'ai fait pratiquement une nuit complete malgre le decalage d'horaire.

J'ai commence par nettoyer des placards et tirroires vides. Certains etaient tres hauts. J'ai du prendre l'echelle. J'avoue que ce n'etait pas la partie la plus plaisante. J'avais un peu peur de tomber de l'echelle. Et puis, j'ai commence a sortir dans des cartons des objects bien emballes par des demenageurs. Il y avaient en general trois ou quatre couches des papiers. Je devrais deballer des papiers doucement comme chaque object etait un tresor. Petit a petit, je me retrouvais des objects si familiers dans notre appartement a Paris, au 5eme etage, 10 rue Thureau Dangin. Des objects sur la chiminee etaient purement decoratifs, trois cadres de photo, une boite en boit, une boule en glace que j'ai achete a Bruxelle lors du mariage de Hanna, un petit chamaux en cuire... Ensuite, j'ai trouve quelques peu objects de la cuisine que l'on a decide de garde, une assiette que JP et Catherine a offert lors de leur diner a la maison, un bol en terre cuite que j'ai achete a Portugal, la plaque chaussante sur laquelle on a fait la fondue chinoise... Et puis, il y avaient des vetements, autant de vetements d'hiver qu'on a plus besoin a Hong Kong, une ville du sud et bien chaud. J'ai range tous les chantailles et manteaux tout en haut des placards que j'avais peur de monter a l'echelle. Je sais que je n'aurais pas besoin de monter de nouveau depuis un moment.

La decision de destiner chaque tirroire etait aussi intense. Telle tirroir est plus pratique de ranger telles choses? J'ai enfin des tirroires separes dedies aux sous vetements et des chaussettes. Une grande evolution pour moi.

En rangeant, tant de souvenires me reviennt, nos jours a Paris, en France ou notre amours naissent, germent et grandissent.

En rangeant, je me sens enfin chez moi. 

 

 

The weather was exceptional nice during two weekends. I enjoyed tremendously the early spring in London. The sky is so transparent and azure that you can see far away. It’s still quite chilly, but in the heart it became warmer and warmer.

I never realized that the early spring could be so stunning and breathtaking beauty.

When I finished playing badminton today at 5pm, the day was still light. I think the long winter does definitively terminate.

 

Abercrombie, bullshit clothes but amazing boutique in London! It becomes so trendy that I just want a T shirt with "Abercrombie". 60£ for two simple T shirts made in China. I can't say that I'm not a fashion victim.

Stardust, bullshirt history but cute actor, Charlie Cox. I'm happy with that.

 

It's getting colder and colder but I'm happy that Christmas is close. I can dance in the snow shortly!

 

 

Jin Xing The Closest - The Furthest

Wed 31 Oct at Robin Howard Dance Theatre

 

Jin Xing said:

The instrument in tonight's performance is called Gu Qin. "Gu" means "ancient", "Qin" means "String Insrument". This instrument was invented more than 1000 years ago. The length of the GuAin is 365 centimentres to reflect the days in a year. The original instrument had only five strings representing the five elements of Chinese culture: gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

In ancient times, the instrument belonged to the emperor. Through the sound of the instrument, the emperor had many prolems in the contry. He felt five strings were not enough for him to connect with heaven, so he added a sixth string. When his son took over the empire and faced even more problems, he added the seventh string. If our govenment today still used the instrument to connect to heaven, I don't know how many strings they would need to add. Later in history, the GuQin was not only for the emperor but also played by intellectuals and poets to express their feelings of life. L

et us listen to the sound of the sky, the sound of the earth. Between sky and earth is us - human being. These sounds I feel so close to me and yet at the same time so far from me. The only thing I can do is dance.

 

Her dance is beautiful and breath-taking, at the same time close to me. The calligraphy with humain body could be so beautiful and authentically. Black silk is so imaginable.

In addition, her personality touched me. I know why and how she sucess in today's jungle world. We should have more artists like her in the world.

 I was wondering to buy a mobile here because I got my first pay! Unbelievably I didn't get the mobile I want (Nokia N95) because I've no credit history in this country!

I spent around one hour with the lovely vendor of Phones4you to try to get the credit check out, but it declined. I should wait for six months to get enough credit history. It's crazy!

Never mind. I'll get one finally.

 

 I loved this three-day trip in Warsaw. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet so much polish people. Whom I met speak so well English that I don’t feel that they are Polish. Warsaw looks like a Chinese city, economic booming, no character buildings, huge commercial malls… I feel the city is between other west European and developing countries. Anyway, it’s an interesting place.

 

I went out in Wednesday evening with two colleagues, a Holland girl and a Czech guy. We had dinner in the Old town which was as picturesque as other European cities. The Czech guy is a middle-age, five-languages-speaker. His Chinese impressed me. After one beer and a glass of red wine, he began more excited and recited two Li Bai’s poems! I’m ashamed that I don’t even know one French poem.

It was a lovely evening. I ordered a Goulashes soup which was quite good. We talked a lot of interesting things in which I want to mention is Thor Heyerdahl and his boats manufactured from papyrus.

I know now where the word paper comes from!

 

Now I'll enjoy the long weekend bank holidays here. It'll be warm and sunny, finally.

It's the first working day in Warsaw. The hotel is very nice and there is a big SPA. But no time to enjoy. Still work late for a stupid updating for a difficult person. Nevermind. Met a Czech who can speak in Chinese.

 

It should be an exiting for my first billet of my blog. Before I came in London, it was very exceptional that I opened my laptop on Saturday night! How enjoyable now for me to leave the office at 5pm, come home fifteen minutes later and go to cinema at 6pm.

 

I would like initially to see Bourne Ultimatum tonight, and then I saw Rush Hour 3. Maybe it’s a non intellectual challenge film, but I like Jackie Chan with his madcap (evervele in French) jokes. At the beginning of the film, I recognized Los Angeles, its traffic and its small downtown. I was so impressed by the traffic there. It is unlivable in a so huge “city”. When I drive in Paris, I say always that I’m killing myself because of traffic and stress in driving. Compared to LA, Paris is a small cake.

 

Rush Hour is not a European truc, but it is a big deal in US. It got 49 million dollars tickets sales compared to 5.4 million of Harry Potter. But if you are not Chinese or great fan of Chris Tucker, I do not recommend it to you.

 

I was a little bit sad to notice that Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are getting older. They were not young man like ten years ago. Like your parents, you know that they are getting older, but you don’t want to recognize it. I think it’s the last time I go to see Rush hour. Or maybe it’s the last Rush Hour! It’s nice to hear “brotherhood”. Does it still exist nowadays?

 

Then when I came back, I read the lovely mail from my dear…

 

It should be an exiting for my first billet of my blog. Before I came in London, it was very exceptional that I opened my laptop on Saturday night! How enjoyable now for me to leave the office at 5pm, come home fifteen minutes later and go to cinema at 6pm.

 

I would like initially to see Bourne Ultimatum tonight, and then I saw Rush Hour 3. Maybe it’s a non intellectual challenge film, but I like Jackie Chan with his madcap (evervele in French) jokes. At the beginning of the film, I recognized Los Angeles, its traffic and its small downtown. I was so impressed by the traffic there. It is unlivable in a so huge “city”. When I drive in Paris, I say always that I’m killing myself because of traffic and stress in driving. Compared to LA, Paris is a small cake.

 

Rush Hour is not a European truc, but it is a big deal in US. It got 49 million dollars tickets sales compared to 5.4 million of Harry Potter. But if you are not Chinese or great fan of Chris Tucker, I do not recommend it to you.

 

I was a little bit sad to notice that Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are getting older. They were not young man like ten years ago. Like your parents, you know that they are getting older, but you don’t want to recognize it. I think it’s the last time I go to see Rush hour. Or maybe it’s the last Rush Hour! It’s nice to hear “brotherhood”. Does it still exist nowadays?

 

Then, Paris is alway so magnificent, delicate, elegant... for each second in its life!

 

Then when I came back, I read the lovely mail from my dear…