It's no wonder why we get depressed in January. Suddenly all of the excitement just stops, right? It's awful.
Not wanting to entertain the stillness that lies ahead of us, here is a recap of what has been going on in my City of Light:
Photo by Lilian Lau.
Last week, alongside the extremely talented and word magician Jenna-Marie Warnecke, I read my work at Finding Noon's words + wine. The original reader was stuck in the States and as a last-minute request, Sylvia had reached out to the both of us to fill in.
In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was going to do it. Not because I didn't want to help out a dear friend but because the thought of reading my work to a room full of strangers terrified me.
The enthusiasm of Jenna's rapid response to confirm her participation was contagious and with a "no time like the present" attitude, I responded with a "oui."
Going through piles of my essays, blog posts, and notebook scribblings, I was not sure what work I was going to read. What would Paris' literary set who are coming out to listen to the works of the understudies appreciate?
Wanting one last bang for 2013, I opted for the scariest: a beta read of the first chapter of my manuscript that I had been chipping away at. While there is still tons of work ahead of me and I could hardly say I have a polished manuscript ready to send out, the audience gave me the response I was looking for: laughter. And it felt pretty much incredible.
Girl's Guide to Paris has also kept me busy out in the city covering events to write for the site. I took a tour at the fine jewelry house Mauboussin, giving me an excuse to head to Place Vendôme (an area I don't frequent) to enjoy a little Christmas cheer.
I also went on a fantastic movie tour with the new tour group Set in Paris. Just to name a few, the tour covered Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Midnight in Paris and Amélie film locations in the comfort of a cozy tour bus, with Abigail our witty guide who was brimming with fun trivia and gossip. Cinephiles coming to Paris, this tour is for you.
I'm still working on my article for the Girl's Guide, but you can check out Mary-Kay's write up on Out and About in Paris.
This is me waiting for Hemingway and T.S Eliot to show up on the steps in Midnight in Paris.
They never did.
And because it is the holiday season,
I threw an impromptu holiday party with friends where I served...
Lorimer Street Kitchen
Toasted Almond Cheese
Or what I like to call "Faux-mage"
Cheese made up of crushed almonds got the stamp of approval from even the French! No joke. This recipe is a must-try!
And no party would be complete without a photo booth. Je vous présente the Snowflake Photo Booth 2013!
As you can guess, the photos get sloppier and stranger as the night progressed, to be recorded as a batch of holiday memories shared with people I truly love. The night's end had me in tears because I was forced to say goodbye to Jenna who left yesterday morning to return to America indefinitely.
I have always heard that having to always say goodbye is the hardest part of being an expat, but not having had experienced it before, I never understood what the big deal was. Now I understand and it hurts so much more than I would have ever imagined. To honor her two years in Paris, I will end this post in her own words with her beautifully written piece Éphémère. So, what about you? How has your December been treating you?
