On a whim.

A fellow colleague of mine recently posted her bucket list and I have to say that I was inspired. Most people simply live for the moment, la vie Boheme, oui? Non. I like that she has goals, as so many of us have forgotten to take the time to reflect upon what we would like for our selves and those around us. We don't know where we're going, only that we hope to go somewhere nice and tropical for the upcoming summer vacation. If you are not like this, then congratulations! You've still got some of that old time jazzy soul! If not, well, maybe you should take some time along with me and think about what you want from life, as cliched as the saying may be. This is some important stuff that I'm talking about! So, without further ado, may I present.... *drum roll commences*... my own personal mini bucket list! 

1. I want to conquer my fear of fabric-upholstered furniture... in the future. Sometime. Eventually. Maybe. Down the road. The long and winding road. Up Mount Everest and down past the Mariana Trench. Then through the Lincoln Tunnel when the traffic is backed up and nothing is moving for more than a few hours. And then after I do all that over again... a few times... maybe.
2. I want to give my mom that one really amazing mother's day gift that she doesn't have to ask for and doesn't have to say thank-you to.
3. I would like to finish a project outside of school, on my own time. Write a little something. Compose a lullaby. Cast a spell on my evil dentist. Whatever works, as long as it's 100% complete and satisfactorily done!
4. I want to truly thank my dad for all that he's done for our family, and for his guidance and excellent parentage. I want to thank him for relating and understanding his and my common beliefs and raising me to believe that I can accomplish whatever I want to do (with the exception to stupid things - he's nothing if not practical).
5. I want to talk to that one person who I haven't talked to in forever and ask why we never talk anymore!
6. I want to work on a school project for longer than 3 hours without getting distracted.
7. I want to finish a project one week before it's due, at least once in my life! At this point, I might settle for finishing a project more than 12 hours before it's due before my high school career ends.
8. Je veux voyager en Europe avec une bonne amie!
9. I want to catch someone that I care about by surprise (a good surprise)!
10. And finally (for now), I would like to take a nice, long sleep and not have to work about any projects looming ever closer as I doze. And I would like to stop yawning!

And with that, adieu!

To Do in Paris, France

If I could choose to vacation anywhere in the world, I would choose... Surprise! Paris, France.

 We were asked to visit Lonely Planet: Online Travel Guide Extraordinaire. Truthfully, I could recite the following itinerary in my sleep - and, in fact, have experienced the trip countless times in my dreams. 

I realize that a trip to Paris isn't all that original. But I also know that, after the compulsory tourists touting wide-brimmed "JUICY!"-emblazoned sun visors and squeaky-hinged and gawky shades are dismissed, there are things waiting to be admired; people waiting to make a friend; streets to be traipsed down in the welcoming sun and cafés to linger in when the sun is hidden behind a wintry grey sky. 

Ceci étant dit, here is my dream itinerary:

I would travel with a close friend. It's not safe to backpack by yourself (so I've been told). 


I would love to stay as close to the heart of the city as possible but, considering my would-be shoestring budget, I would settle for staying in the outer regions and simply tour as I made my way closer to Paris 7 and le Tour Eiffel. 

I wouldn't stay for one paltry week. I would make the most out of my expensive plane ticket and stay as long as possible.


Accommodations: I would choose to rent an apartment, short-term. This way, I wouldn't feel rushed through the experience. I would hope for the experience to feel more authentic and less touristy than a hotel would feel. Plus it's less expensive. There are reasonable apartments for roughly 1,200 €, meaning $1,600 Canadian dollars. Split two ways, that's $800 for a month in the most-visited city in the world.

les crêpes de La Tour d'Argent

Food: Mmmm food. One of the seven wonders of living.

• La Tour d'Argent; ici, je mangerai les crêpes
• Le Grand Vefour
• Café Angelina - le chocolat ancien
• Ladurée - un macaron
• les autre petits restaurants qui reste en les "nooks and crannies" de Paris :)

Attractions: if I were to detail the entirety of my attraction wish-list, we would be here for quite some time. So.... here is a compact version, in list format!

• Montmarte
• le Tour Eiffel
• l'avenue des Champs-Elysées
• le Notre Dame
• le Musée d'Orsay
• le Louvre
• le Moulin Rouge
• l'Université Paris-Sorbonne
• un petit café où je pourrai regarder les gens vivent

Finalement, j'aimerais nous amuser et j'aimerais rencontre un ami ou deux.

Bon voyage!