There's Internet, and there's Internet

In honor of having internet in my apartment today for the first time in nearly a month, I thought it be fun to upload some images of my favorite advertising I've seen around the city. It's only appropriate to start off and celebrate being connected with Orange's [France Telecom] "there's internet, and there's internet" campaign.Only in France would you see sex ed meet "[wo]man's best friend" in a public service announcement around town by the Mairie [mayor] of Paris:
And who knew encouraging students to buy student transportation passes could be so refreshing, and incorporate contemporary design styles so well. P.S. I'm constantly looking for examples of good/interesting/clever advertising - both print and televison - for a class I'm taking, so if you ever come across anything good, please do shoot it my way :)

Boarding Pass - Pia Jane Bijkerk

After my mini sabitical from Boarding Pass, I'm so happy to be back and in full swing. Pia Jane Bijkerk is one of the most talented women around from her work as a stylist, to her most recent work as an author (you must see her book, Paris: Made By Hand if you haven't already!). She is truly a woman of the world, originally from Sydney, Australia, spending lots of time in Paris, and currently calls a beautiful houseboat in Amsterdam home. Pia's style is so calm and romantic, and inspiring in how she manages to capture a handmade feel in the digital world we live in. {Thanks so much for the inspiration, Pia!}
last trip taken:
Paris, France
next trip on deck:
Sydney, Australia

one place you would go back to again and again:
there are so so many! But I do love Vancouver and Vancouver Island, I could go back there time and time again.
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
hmm, that's tough. Of course I tell everyone they must go to Australia at least once in their life - it's an incredibly beautiful country.

preferred method of transportation:
I am really loving the train.
place you've never been but dying to go:
I made a pact to a dear friend that I would visit his homeland Tibet, when it was free/ autonomous. In the meantime I do what I can to help bring peace to Tibet.

place you'd never go back:
I don't like going to touristy places and avoid them like the plague. But every now and then I find myself in such a place for work, or by chance and I always make a mental note to never come back. Some touristy places are unavoidable so in these cases, I always search out the hidden treasures.

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
My first trip back to Europe from Australia in 15 years was poignant, to say the very least. It will be the subject of an upcoming book.

how do you prepare for a trip?
with a few mental check-lists, a pocket full of maps and contacts, and a very loose itinerary.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
I make very brief notes in my diary and pick up little leaves or flowers from wanders and press them between the pages. Sometimes I will take my journal if I know I will have the time to write. And of course I take photographs. And most recently I've added soundscapes - I create about 3 little sound recordings which I combine with my still photographs and post on my blog.

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
The landscape. The trees. The nature. I love nature and I love how the flora and fauna changes from region to region. I also love to capture 'the light' which is always so different in each place. And also interiors - I am so inspired by how people decorate - or don't decorate - their home.

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
It completely depends if it is a work trip or for pleasure. If I'm on holidays I actually refrain from picking up the camera. As I am shooting all the time for my work, I see everything 'through the lens', even if I'm not shooting so the only way I can take a break from this is to ensure I do not have a camera nearby, otherwise I will see everything as a potential photograph. So, on holidays I take about 10 photos! On a work trip, it could be hundreds.

what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
I'm not sure if anything I take could be called designer! I'm pretty practical when it comes to traveling. And I just use what I have - interestingly enough, with the intense travel I've done in the last 3 years, I only recently bought a proper suitcase! I am still yet to buy a decent carry on bag. My travel camera is still the same 400D I bought 3 years ago. I carry 2 lenses, one of which is a wide angle. I have just added a polaroid camera to my travel kit - it is such a great way of making quick, beautiful memories as you can write on it and stick it straight into your diary. And my sketchbook /journal is a moleskine.

Links:
blog
soundscapes
portfolio
book: Paris: Made By Hand


Click HERE for more inspiring Boarding Pass responses from amazing designers and travelers from around the world!

Portes Ouverts

This morning in class, my professor remarked that of the 20+ years he's lived in Paris this is the best fall weather he's ever seen. I fear by typing this I'm jinxing my good luck, but seriously in the 4 weeks I've been here now, it's been sunny and gorgeous for all but like two or three days. We're all trying to soak in the sun before the long, dreaded Paris winters. But fall is definitely my most favorite season in Paris. Something about the layering of clothes, yet still being able to picnic outside, along with falling leaves - it adds charm to charm. It's also the season for many Portes Ouverts, or open studios around the city. This weekend is kicking it off in Belleville. Click here more info about the flyer above, and here for the studios below.

You Rock My World

Every since I first studied in Paris in 2001, I learned that Paris had a love affair with Michael Jackson. I quickly gained an affinity for his song "You Rock My World" which was the favorite of my hip-hop teacher. Despite the fact that he [my teacher] didn't speak English, it didn't keep him from loving the song week after week in class.

First off, the ode to MJ above, in the courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo contemporary art museum is made completely out of duct tape, which is impressive to say the least (at the bottom in sharpie it said "tapeography by Lagouette"). But nothing brings me more joy in the city than when I wander by the Champ de Mars and see this informal "troupe" of dancers who only dance to their favorite Michael Jackson hits. They actually seem to be there all the time with the same basic crew. But really, it's the kid who couldn't be more than 6-years-old that I really adore the most! He's got some moves.

p.s. this was shot literally behind my apartment last week :)

The Prequel

So yesterday's post of my epic Saturday really started out with a simple trip to the Jeu de Paume to see the Planete Parr exhibit before it closes on the 27th of September.

While the bulk of the exhibit was inside, I actually fell in love with the free portion of Martin Parr's "Small World" exhibit just outside the Jeu de Paume at Place de la Concorde in the Tuilerie Gardens. His photographs shot over the past 20 years of were a fascinating look at tourists and tourism in our globalized world. Just as the subjects in the photographs tend to be more interested in the kicknacks and souvenirs of the world's most popular sites, somehow the photographs themselves are way more interesting than the shots most people capture at these world sites.
I tried to recapture the photographs with my own look at tourists interacting with them. Can you say fanny pack?
Then it was the awesome chair I then snagged around the big pond in the Tuileries, not far from the museum. (Also proof of the heals I ran in from yesterday's running in circles saga).
Everyone taking in the sun.
People everywhere.
Just another day at the park. (And then the rest of my day happened).

My Glamorous Life

For the past few weeks I have this fear that my friends feel like they think I'm too good for them or don't care about them. My average email response time of 5 minutes, now three weeks later, is still to be determined. The reality is that I'm just really busy, disconnected, and running in a lot of circles. Here's a tale from yesterday of how fun life in Paris really can be.

The day started off with an awful head cold, feeling like I should stay in bed all day. Instead I opted for Option B - explore Paris and run errands. By the end of the day I felt like my head was going to explode from waiting in lines, but all that mattered was that I had pillows in one hand, and a cheap iron that the saleswoman convinced me would break in three months in the other (it's ok, I don't iron much anyway). On the way out of the metro on my way home, I saw the Orange [France Telecom] store open and decided just to humor myself I'd inquire for about the 20th time if there was any idea when the new shipments if iPhones was going to arrive. C'est arrivée! the salesman says, "we close in 15 minutes." I think I looked sad, shocked and pathetic all at once, as I announce, please, let me run home and get my paperwork so I can get the phone I've been waiting for nearly a month now. Today. He obliges, and I seriously start running down the street, trying to look like one of those fabulous French women in the Dior perfume commercials, but miserably failing, as I have my large shopping bags in tow. But if there's anything I learned how to do in Baltimore, it was to how run in heals (the buses are so infrequent, it became a necessity). So there I am, running 4 blocks and up my 5 flights of stairs to my apartment, in my dress and heals, forgetting instantly that I really do deep down feel like crap.

I throw down my jacket, grab my passport and any piece of paper that the system of French bureaucracy could ever ask for. I don't even take the time to go to the bathroom, because there are more pressing matters at hand. I mean, what if the iPhone that I've so patiently waited for sells out by Monday? A mere 45 seconds later, I'm back out the door, running down the hall, but not before severely bending my key which is still in the lock. It's a hopeless cause at this point, and I run back to the phone store, now with a lighter load, and striving harder to pull off the Dior-girl look, but really only caring about getting my phone. I'm forced wait at a crosswalk, at which point I have a moment with a homeless man, who helps reassure me the proper way to say "I broke my key" en francais. Even the man without a home has pity for my situation.

Bon. I arrive at the Orange store, and I think the man who told me to run was impressed by my speedy return. No, non, he was not closing early today. I knew exactly what I wanted and only got hung up on the fact that "unlimited" text messages between 8pm and 8am does not in fact mean "unlimited" text messages. So all is good, while they're entering my information, I repeat the words that the homeless man echoed to me, J'ai cassé mon clé. Really all I needed to do was to hold up the key. We all agreed on three things 1) it'd be better to go to get a replacement than try to bend it back, for fear it'd break and 2) it was getting late and most places would be closed 3) I was screwed. So with my brand new iPhone in hand, I sprinted out the door to try to find a solution as how to actually get back into my apartment.

Of course the first place I went to - as suggested by one of the gentlemen at the phone store - was closed. But then again, it turns out it's closed every Saturday. Then as I held up my key and spoke in my now nearly perfect French (as aided by the nasal congestion of my cold), I ask the woman to tell me where I can go for a new key. She looks up and happens to see a beautiful blue sign with a yellow key on it down the street. My savoir.

I'm tempted to take pictures, because the weather is beautiful, lighting perfect and cafes around me brimming with people, but, first I had to complete my mission: the key. I get to the shop, the door is open, but there's a man with a cane in the doorway that tells me it's closed. So in my cute dress and heals, I hold up my key, and in French say, I broke my key. And by the luck of god (or something like that), the shop owner, still inside the quaint shop that makes keys and fixes shoes and hasn't changed in the past 50 years, has pity on me. Like magic he makes me a new key, and just as I pay my 5 Euros (I secretly wanted to pay him 50) he saved my life. At that moment, the tip of the old key broke in two.

So I headed home. But it was not without first encountering a "fairy princess" wearing a long white gown and holding her father's hand as they walked down the street. She stopped at a storefront window just her height and tells her Papa to look at the bracelet. He responds, Oui, c'est magnifique. I had my phone, I had my key; the world seemed right again.

Until I got home and remembered I still don't have internet (that's a whole other story), and therefore could not activate my new phone. While I was thankful to actually be in my apartment again, I was still disconnected from the world. Rather than letting my body rest, I knew what I had to do: go to McDonald's. As far as I'm concerned McDonald's is one thing, and one thing only - the mecca of free internet.

Something about a trip to McDo just seems easy and straight forward. This was the one time I was wishing there was one closer to me, but I figured I'd settle and just walk to the closest one I knew of. It was still far enough away I considered Velib, until I remembered that my biking skills are still about that of a 3-year-old, and on my one bike adventure around the Champ de Mars I managed to sustain a minor shoulder injury (yes, I realize that takes mad skill to hurt one's shoulder on a bike), so I opted to walk - still in my heals, of course.

Never before had the golden arches glowed like they did now. Until I got closer. The place that had been open just one week prior was now fermer pour travaux. After my day so far, I couldn't say I was that surprised. It would have been really awesome at that point to pull out my iPhone to find a desirable McDo location for me to go to, but wait, I couldn't use my iPhone because I was looking for internet to activate it.

Lucky for me, McDonald's was kind enough to include a map of the two closest locations. So I hopped on the metro to the closest stop. I couldn't help but notice that it was one of those metro stations that you literally went down only to go up again, and right to go left again. But the good news is I got there. I got to the McDonald's - probably one of the nicest ones I've ever been to - didn't bother to stand in line to purchase anything (it's one happening spot in Paris on a Saturday night), sat down, connected to iTunes and activated my phone. And with the click of a button I was back in business. To give my thanks to McDonald's I ultimately did wait in the long line of Parisian teeny-boppers and learned that fast-food in France is not only not fast, it's not cheap either. Rather than scoffing at the 2,50 Euros I spent on a Sprite, I decided to walk away and appreciate how far I had come with my day. Besides, the Sprite did wonders for my headache and cold.

So that, my friends, is how I spend my days in Paris. If this is what getting a phone involves, I can barely contain my excitement for my carte de sejour....

[Now to get internet in my apartment, and Boarding Pass will be back in order!]

Rendezvous Paris

One of the things I love most about Paris is it becomes a meeting place for all. This morning I was lucky enough to have breakfast - croissant and chocolat chaud under the heat lamp of a Parisian cafe on Rue Montreuil - with the lovely and talented London based illustrator Trina Dalziel. It was such a treat to meet her in person and talk about design and life. Of key discussion was how busy life can become but it's important to always take time each day for the things we live (as evidenced by her recent sketch of a cafe she visited).
Up next: Arkitip + Steven Harrington issue release and installations TONIGHT at the Palais de Tokyo.

The Sweet Life in Paris

Today marks two weeks since I arrived in Paris. There hasn't been a dull moment. French bureaucracy has kept me on my toes and running around in circles - literally. And if all the walking I do on a daily basis doesn't kill me, the hike up my 5th floor (that's 6th floor American style) is sure to keep me winded without fail. It feels like I'm part of some evil weight loss challenge on The Biggest Loser, despite the fact that I'm in bonne forme! There's no need for me to lift weights anymore, because by the end of any given day, my bags probably weigh more than I do. I'd rather carry more than I can handle once, rather than dare taking the trip upstairs one extra time. And while my "quaint" and "charming" apartment (that's code for 10m2!) is tres petite, it has everything I need, and in arms reach. (I bet you can't reach your arm from your bed to the shower to the refrigerator!). The only thing I'm missing these days is internet access (hence the lack of posts). However, for the moment, that's probably a good thing, because after the first week of class I'm still in complete denial about the insane amounts of work ahead of me. Still, there's no place I'd rather spend my time in 10m2, as a frugal grad student, reading all the time, than in Paris. I've interviewed around and found my preferred crepe-man (he's from Sri-Lanka and happy to let me practice my French on him), I love the woman at the boulangerie who wears so much make-up she'd put Dolly Parton to shame, I'm in awe that I've gone running around the Champ de Mars (my new backyard) twice this week now and both mornings have literally run into someone I know. La vie, c'est bon!

Speaking of the sweet life, I'm excited for David Lebovitz's - author of The Sweet Life in Paris - book event tomorrow. Hoping to pick up a tip or two about Paris when I'm there!

P.S. Lots of great Boarding Pass features soon to come. It's just a matter of finding the time to upload them. In the meantime, check out the archives!

Book Review: New Mexico - a guide for the eyes

I vividly remember my first trip to New Mexico: giant blue skies and adobe everywhere. But really, the coolest thing in my 5th grade eyes was that the local chain pharmacy didn't look like your typical strip mall pharmacy, it looked like it was straight out of New Mexico! I was instantly in love with this place that didn't attempt to be like every other city in America, but rather stood out, literally, with a style of its own. But what did it all mean?
A chain store shadowed in the facade of adobe architecture, may not be authentic [New Mexico], but for me it was a stepping stone in understanding and inquiring about the meaning behind a new place. As a kid my parents were my guides. Somehow they just seemed to know everything and where to go. I never remember traveling around with a guidebook (why, when you're father is a walking map of the world?). Obviously, we survived the trip just fine, but surely there were unanswered questions after it all, but most likely any guidebook wouldn't have answered any of my questions, let alone teach me new meanings I never would have thought to ask about.
Several months ago Elisa Parhard (you may remember her from this Boarding Pass), a cultural anthropologist, contacted me about her new book series: "Guide for the Eyes." The concept was simple enough - taking a hundred images from the local landscape - foods, icons, traditions, folk art, symbols, souvenirs - and using these gorgeous snapshots as a way to experience the place. Quickly the book becomes a treasure hunt of new things to try on your travels, but is equally as beautiful as a coffee table book. It's vicarious travel at it's best, and more insightful than any travel guide you'll find on the market, and visual references make it easy to explore.
As you make your way through the book alphabetically, you come across the mundane and the magical. For the first book in the series, New Mexico: a guide for the eyes, you learn things you'd never expect, from what makes a good breakfast burrito to the fact that blue doors on adobe buildings aren't just there to look pretty (the blue color is symbolic as it wards off evil spirits). And while (sadly), I likely won't me making it to New Mexico anytime soon, reading through this book makes me feel like I was there (and once again secretly wishing I had come up with the idea for these incredible clever guides first). You chuckle along the way as "lowriders" and "aliens" weave their way along site rich traditions and history, but the result is a compact guide that is true to the place. And, not to worry, Elisa includes some of her favorite "not to be missed" places in the back of the book if you're still looking for a more traditional guide. {Congrats, Elisa on your first book!!!}

Click HERE find out more about (and pick up your own copy!) of the Guide for the Eyes series. Stay tuned for the next book in the series, all about Japan (the true inspiration behind the project)!