Bye bye nono...

I was secretly happy that the month may is coming to an end

and nothing unlucky had happened 

except that i caught a cold

and the bad news had to arrive, nono left us...

Is strange how im usually awake after 9am these days

and on last thursday i accidently set alarm at 7am.

Maybe is fate or nono sent me a telepathy,

my sister updated me that nono was vsick in the hospital

and awhile later we chose to put him to sleep as he was suffering.

It was so sudden.

Despite i suspected that nono is sick because he lost a lot of weight

when i saw him in February

or i always told husband that nono is old and will leave soon,

i never expected it to be so sudden.

Nono has been with us for 13 years.

He is sort of my first official pet,

minus the tortises, fishes or hamsters i "killed"

I remembered that we went to shop for a dog with my family

we never thought to choose a maltese

and what caught my eyes was in the group of malteses,

he was sitting there and dragging himself with his front paws,

probably because he has an itchy butt

but it was enough for us to choose him to bring home..

He was so cute.

He was definitely more active than the normal maltese

Constantly playing chase,

peeing in wrong place and hide in his "prison" whenever we wanted to scold him,

scaring me by barking non-stop at a dark corner when i was home alone with him,

Or "dragging" me when i bring him for walks...

After my dad's stroke,

he will always laid beside my dad's chair

keeping my dad accompanied and enjoying the tummy rubs...

nono also has to endured the bad haircuts that i gave him at times...

I think i became much closer to nono after my dad's death

I forgot the reason why i was sleeping in the living room for awhile,

and nono became my sleeping companion every night

at times, i was so scared that i may accidently crash him while sleeping

that i will wake him up in wee hours to check if he is alive

or laugh at him when he is dreaming...

I rmemebered that once we went for a holiday and placed him at the pe hotel

the pet hotel called us as nono was not eating or drinking 

and wanted us to bring him home

Luckily PT was around and told us how happy nono was happy to see him

Nono ate and drank so much when he went home

Such a cowardy dog but always first to help us check when a cockroach enters our home...

During my depression,

he will be the one licking my tears

and do nothing beside me to give me some comfort..

I rmemebered once I was about to take my pills to suicide

and found that he was drinking out of my glass of water

I gave up the thought that night because it was like him telling me not to do it

Sadly, years on i shifted with my sister

while nono continued to stay with my brother

So my time with nono reduced except when i went over to my brother's home

luckily, the kids loved to have nono around...

and i believed he must love all the attention from everyone...

Before i came to paris, i stayed at my brother's home

and had more time with nono

but i was always so busy with work

and nono was older and less active

but he still do come over and sit by my feet while i worked at nights...

Since i relocated,

we can only visit nono once a year when we visit my brother's home

husband always remarked how nono seems to recognise me

even though he has not seen me for awhile

and at times slept beside me when i fell asleep on sofa watching boring CNY tv shows...

It is so strange to know that i will never see him again

for my next trip back to Singapore

how i will miss his loving personality and peculair smelly smell

but im sure he will be in heaven with my dad and babies

and someday, we will meet again.

Goodbye my friend...

Going back to the prefecture

Since our appointment was at 9am,
we left home at 730am
in case of traffic jam or long queues
yes, even with appointments, there's the queue to get into the prefecture
surprisingly there was no jam and queues,
we reached at 805am
and need to stand and wait in the cold
my toes were freezing at 2deg
and we definitely pitied the babies and kids with their parents.


after we entered, we handed in our appointment letter and waited to be called
unlike in Paris, there was no separate seated counters, just standing counters,
where you can hear everyone.
suddenly we realized how luxurious it was in Paris.
probably 10mins later we were called
all went well, we submit our documents
and received a letter to indicate we are in midst to renewing my visa
but they did gave me a temporary visa
in Paris, they gave us without us requesting
here, we asked and they referred us to another counter
anyway, we asked when I can request for my 10years visa,
he answered that he is unsure, maybe 3/5 years after marriage but better for us to check at next counter.

when we went to the new counter,
the lady informed us that her computer is down
lucky we had a note from the previous counter
and she told us to come back in 10mins
she then prepared for my temporary visa
and it was done!
we asked about the 10year visa and she said the same, she is unsure is 3/5years.
ehm..then who will know??!!

well, at least all is done and we can fly back sg
for the 10year visa, I guess we will stress in the 2nd half of 2016...

The worst that can happen

I wanted to take time to blog about the new year eve party and resolutions
but end up what happened today deserved to be blog immediately
Yes, i cant go back to Singapore as planned (5Feb)
we have to postpone our travel plans 
because of the "famous" french administrations
Argggh

So, the story started in November
that I being kiasu told the husband that we should go change the address on my visa
to ensure that when its time to renew my visa
at least ill be included in the new area and not in paris.
Yes, i know i shouldnt wait till november to change my address 
I should be more kiasu to change asap after we shift
Since my visa expires on 10 Feb,
the person told us that we can come back in december to renew my visa and change address at the same time
or change address now and they will mail me in mid december for the renewal appointment
changing address first gives me a better sense of security, so we did,
which took a month to collect my card with the new address but same expiry date

Since the person advised us to wait for the letter,
we did and based on her advice to only go by the prefecture to take an appointment in January
if we did not receive the letter,
we went down today
and it suddenly all became our fault,
well surprise surprise...

No 1: Although my address was changed, my info was not in their system
thats why no letter was sent

No 2: I was to take the renewal appontment 2 months before the expiry date
which means in december
but we heed her advice and only came in January
and it became our fault to come too late to ask for an appointment

No 3: We book a flight on 5th Feb to be back for CNY
and is our fault to book a flight near my visa renewal date
based on the nasty lady who spoke to us
I should never book a flight near to my visa renewal date
thanks for telling me that we should give up visiting my family for all the CNY from now on

It didnt help that the lady was really insisting thats its our fault 
and really really rude
I was so afraid that husband was going to quarrel with her
and we end up in jail for being argressive towards public servant
Anyway, we were at a losing end, no point engaging in a losing battle.

Finally, she gave us a choice of 8 feb or 11 mar for the appointment
Given like 30s to choose, husband went ahead to choose 11 mar so that we can continue our travel.
Even though it will mean my visa will expire and we will have no idea what to do then
I put the husband aside to convince him that 8 feb will be better 
as it will still be within my valid visa and things will proceed as how we did it last year
and giving up airfares etc will be much easier to handle
then to take on 11 mar appointment
unsure whether the france embassy in sg can give me some sort of visa to return to france by 11 mar
or miss my holland trip
And i cant decide which is of the lesser evil between the france embassy or prefecture
but im sure the airline will be much easier to handle
Any problem that can be solve by money is not a problem.

So, we decided to go back to the lady to change to 8 feb
she was damm pissed off
claimed we should have made the decision just now in that 30s
or we should retake a queue ticket (we queue for 1.5hrs to see her before)
She was so nasty that she said she will put a note on our appointment
that we will not be able to change again because we pissed her off.
I was just holding husband to prevent him from getting upset with her.
Well, the famous french administration at full bloom.

The whole news made us feel really bad
but i wondered if the lady was nicer or more respectful
maybe we will feel much better 
than her style to add salt to our wounds...

I guess we have no time to self pity 
We need to move fast to reduce the money damage.

Updated:
Husband decided to write a complaint letter
I guess for us, it was to give a feedback and hope it wont happen to others
We definitely don't expect them to reply us 
or rather reply us in 2 weeks
but end up, we received a reply in a day...
To our surprise, they emailed us a new appointment for 20/1!
Which means we may still be able to proceed to return SG as planned.

We should be happy but I think we kinda persuaded ourselves to go back in june 
that we are kinda having confused emotions
I have cancelled some stuff but the main airtickets are still here
I guess I will only truly celebrate after Wednesday
Just in case we will be disappointed again

*Fingers and toes crossed*

Durians!

After all the tempting fb post
I finally got my craving satisfied!

although they sell durians here 
at the asian supermarket (10€/kg)
I dont have the confidence to:
- choose a good one
-carry spikey fruit in metro
so, I bought a box of frozen durian!

Initially I was afraid that it wont be good
since vietnamese version of durian is hard
they claim our version of durians is over-riped
with the asian supermarket full of vietnamese stuff
I was worried that it will be their version of durian

After 2-3hrs of thawing,
I was happy to smell the familiar stink
and super glad the flesh was soft!
in the end, it tasted the same
as our normal durians!

Husband dont mind the smell
and finally tasted his first durian
well, in singapore he tasted durian puree
I will say he is very brave
he wanted to vomit at first bite
but thereafter enjoyed it
and want to share my precious durian

It is not cheap (5€/box of 4 seeds)
but im glad to know I can have durians!

Roles in life

Last week, i was complaining to husband (as usual)
and i think what i said made him feel really bad
But i guess is normal im feeling this way
especially now that im on holidays and staying at home to avoid the sun, haha

I miss the different roles i used to play in my life
I know with the technology advancements, eg whatsapp, FB
im still playing these roles virtually (mentally and emotionally)
Yet, i cant help missing to be physically involved in these roles.
As usual, i should do something about it than complaining
or licking my wounds and indulged in self pity
but is hard.

Being a daughter
Maybe because we are at the stage of looking to be parents
I reflected (brain fuck) myself about my parents
how they did so much to provide for us that we can achieve what we have now
Seems like an investment with no repayments 
I have done little to thank them or do something nice to repay them
For my father, is a little too late to do anything

For my mother, I think I spend more time being bochup or getting pissed off at her
She may not be a perfect mother
but Im not a perfect daughter too
I guess distance makes the heart fonder
I start to appreciate what she did for me
Like how she often cook mee hun kway for me and tell me is so easy
when i try to cook it here and realised how much effort is needed

Frankly, i dont think i have a close relationship with my mum
I know i should call her more often than once a month
Part of me just want to call her when i have good news to share
I think this is common throughout my current relationships with everyone in Singapore
I dont want people to worry for me while being 6000+km away

In Singapore, i used to be so lazy to go out on weekends with my family
or worked so much that i dont even see them much on weekdays
and now, I actually miss (regret) for not doing that 

Being a sister
I think im really lucky to have a good relationship with my sister now
When I was really young, I think my sister took up the mothering role
LIke reading me stories during blackouts or feeding me when i was lazy to even hold my own spoon
We didnt have a good relationship in our teens because i was been a bitch
But as adults, we managed to build up our current relationship
that Im always so thankful to have her as my sister
And is not a surprise how I (even husband) feel closer to her kids than my brother's kids

At times, when she share with me her issues with my mother
I wish I can be there to share her burden
If im living in Singapore, maybe the pressure for caring for my mother can be lessen
well, at least my mother will have me as another outlet to vent her frustrations
Yet, there is not much that i can do for my sister
Although I can only see her once a year,
I hope I can still be a good sister to her like how she is to me for so long

When I was really young, I am closer to my brother
because we often gang up together to bully my sister, haha!
We do not speak often even when im in Singapore
But i do appreciate how he do take time to spend family time with us
whenever im in Singapore

Being a friend
Everytime when im in Singapore or friends come for a visit
I really enjoyed all the time with them
Of course, I enjoy having friends to verbal diarrhea and speaking in Singlish,
i realised what i missed the most is being a friend
being someone they trust to tell me stuff or ask for advice.
Im glad that husband's friends include me into their group
but I really miss being a friend as myself and not known as cyril's wife
I always suffer from friendship withdrawal symptoms after SG or visit
I never knew how hard it is be away from friends
Or maybe, i miss this part of me when im with friends

Yes, i can make new friends here
Im blaming that im too old and lazy to develop friendships 
Especially friendships that took so many years to build and maintain
The old jokes and how well they know me
I do not have many friends
but is crazy how my closer friends now have known me for so many years
and i miss this kind of connection

Being a colleague
I never ever expect myself to miss being a colleague
considering that I work better individually and dread teamwork
But i actually miss having a group of people working towards same goals,
with same knowledge and complaing about the boss
Now as a babysitter, I should be happy how is really an individual jobscope
However, I miss having people at work

I think the new role of being a wife is what i enjoy
Sadly, im not satisfied having a solo role in my life
Maybe someday when i take on the role of being a mother
life will be better for me
or maybe not
Hell, Im missing everyone back in Singapore...

First gynae visit

Compared to dentist visit, I think gynae visit is scarier by 2000x
After dragging for the longest time,
- waiting for my social security to be approved
- finding courage
- searching for english speaking gynae
- Finding more courage
i finally went for my gynae visit!

I think my last visit was few years back for pap smear
I told husband that I really need to find someone who speaks english
because the last thing I want to struggle with is French
while being naked and in a very vulnerable state.
Lucky that i live in Paris that English gynae is quite accessible
however, most of english gynaes are private and charge a higher rate
types of doctors in france:
- Type 1) Public: fully subsidised by the state (Fees set by state)
- Type 2) Conventional : Partial subsidised
- Type 3) Non subsidised
Sadly, most english gynaes are type 2/3 and located in the expensive neighbourhoods

Our family doctor recommended me to go for a type 1 hospital with english gynae
sadly, the earliest appointment is in September
So, i decided to just google and chose 1 English gynae of type 2
Made the call and appointment was in a week!

I started researching about gynae visit in france
and is quite scary of all the stories that i read online
- gynae who lost the case file
- gynae who overcharged crazily
- to strip totally naked for the check up (no growns etcs)
- to strip in front of the gynae
- being persuaded to have a baby
etcs etcs etcs...
Well, sounds like my fear of gynae visit will be worsen by the cultural differences!

Anyway, my main concerns will be:
- pap smear
- my irregular (non exisitent) period
- any possible checks / tests for fertility

Surprisingly, there was a receptionist in the clinic
i announced my arrival and sat at the waiting area
The doctor was on time and i was in her office at the scheduled time
despite being declared online as an english gynae, she informed me that she speaks a little english
So, we sat at her desk for about 15mins
To go through medical history and my reasons for coming
She was a nice old lady about 50+
but speaks more than i answered
Doc: are you trying for a baby? How long have you been trying? 6months?1 year? 2 years?
after, she asked me to go the tiny room (feels like an attached toilet) for the check

As expected, there is no special room to strip
So, i was to strip totally at the desk area and put my clothes on the chair i was sitting
The crazy thing is there is a huge window with a thin curtain (I can see the opposite building) 
Well, i guess i try to remind myself this is France
and being naked is  nothing

What i do like about the check was that she match each movement with a statement
so, i know exactly what she was doing and kinda make it less embarassing than in a silence room
Such as when she used her fingers to check me
And the tiny details to warm up the the opener (i call it the duck mouth)
closer to the body temperature before using it
The crazy thing is at first try, she say she cant find my cervix?!
I guess there must be still some difference between asians and french women
Anyway, it was completed in like 5mins
and i get to be naked with my legs closed, haha
She proceeded to check my breast  
Explaining her each actions again
while i was a little paiseh that my armpits were wet with sweat, opps
Then i was asked to dress up
and i rushed back to the desk to dress myself up

She then informed me that she will refer me to a infertility clinic to do a scan
The dreadful full-bladder-dont-pee scan
just to ensure that my ovaries are fine
and if there is any follow up, i can do at the clinic (Type 1)
I was quite surprised that she is refering me to a clinic instead of asking me to follow up with her
as she said that it will be much cheaper to do all the scans and follow ups at the clinic

Then came the surprise,
she passed me an envelope that constains my pap smear cells
and asked me to include a euro20 cheque and mailed it to the lab?!
The results will be mailed back to the gynae and me
Since i didnt carry any cheque book, i brought it home and mailed it the next day
Husband was equally shocked that i was to mail the cells
Like, what if i forgot to mail it till a week later?
or the weather is so hot that the cells wont be affected?
I can imagine the amount of cells in the postal system

Finally, was the scary moment of billing
Since is a type 2, i was worried that the bill will be more than euro150
After the subsidy, the bill came up to euro75
It is unsure whether our insurance will be covering more
but at least its not a crazy amont
Phew

Then i was ushered out of the office
and another lady went in after me..
And i realised the whole visit took only 30mins but felt like eternity..

The bad news is i wanted some medicines to let me have my period now
my last period was months ago and i have been suffering from PMS without it
Then i had a "lecture" on how she is not going to prescribe me any medicine
because i am trying for a baby and how i should let my body have it naturally etcs
The good news is physically i seems to be good in the check up

Oh, im prescribed with folic acid for 1 year
i went to the pharmacy to buy it with the prescription
and realised that the folic acid is fully subsidised by the state and our insurance
Well, free folic acid for the year!

Rotting at home

Time flies when you are doing nothing
Since 18/4 to 4/5 is the school's holidays, with the girls at their grandparents' home,
Im also on holiday from work for 2 weeks
And sadly, almost half the holiday is gone with me doing nothing
I was supposed to take the time to practice my french
but I guess motivation is not my best friend
The only achievement will be collecting my carte de sejour!

So basically, I was given a 1 year family visa in March 2014
which is a sticker in my passport that no one ever checks it
even when i took flight or train
In 1 of my older post, I wrote about how we went to renew my visa 
before we went to Singapore
Basically, I needed to ask for an appointment 4/5months before the visa expired
Then the appointment to give all the documents, get a temp visa,
and to collect the visa after 2 months

Finally, the day arrived that my visa was ready for collection
Unlike previous visa, it will be in form of an ID card
Since we think that it will be a simple collection process,
husband did not go with me for the collection.
The letter indicated that my card will be ready for collection from the friday 17/4,
so the blur us thought it was only to be collected on Fridays
haha

Anyway, i did went to collect last Friday, as the coming Friday is a public holiday,
I was little unwell and didnt managed to get out of the house as planned (like 830am)
Only managed to drag myself out at 10am.
Based on previous experience, where the queue to enter is long, even at 8.30am
I was sure I will be stuck in a long queue to enter and collection 
That it will end up be the lunch time where I will need to wait till the afternoon

Surprisingly, there was no queue to enter when i arrived at 1035am
However, there was a lot of people standing, sitting, squating area the area of collection
I went to the ticket machince to get my number, 168... sounds lucky?
But the current number was 98!
So, i decided to sit at the stairs like many others around

While painfully waiting for the number, 
Okay, its quite fast, less than 5min for a number.
A lady came out of the collection room, and spoke to everyone
well, in french and so soft that i have no idea what she was saying
but everyone started to pass her their numbers and collection letter
i assumed that she was collecting the papers to look for the cards first
so that the queue will be faster.
Before I could cut through the crowd to pass her my document,
She went back to the room.

About 30mins later, she reappeared and repeated the process
So, I managed to pass mine to her.
But i realised it didnt really matter, because some people still hold on to theirs,
and bring in when their number arrived.
Oh well, Im just being kiasu

At 11.45am, the number was 140+
Husband was sure that i was to leave the building during the lunch time
and return after lunch time to continue my queue
while im still hoping that i need not waste 1hour of lunch time loitering
and i do think if it will be close for lunch, they will stop the number taking etc
as lunch time is really like IMPORTANT here in france, opps
At 12.10pm, the number was 150+
Maybe because lunch time was near, or the effect of the earlier collection,
the number started to move faster and it was finally 168 at 12.20pm!

So, i went in to the collection room,
gave the necessary stamps (which is representative of 106eur cash)
sign the acknowledgement slip
and walk out of the room with my card proudly 
like everyone else did previously

The crazy thing is,
the issue date of the card is February 2015, the date of our appointment,
its valid for 1 year, means at the end of the year, i will need to repeat the whole process
So, the real validity of the card is only about 7 months???

Oh well, I am just happy to have my card,
although is no different from the visa sticker in my passport,
I just feel better to have a card that at least indicate my marriage name.

Till now, im still wondering whether the collection office closes at lunch..

Mental block

Dont really have anything to blog recently
Maybe due to the fact nothing much has been happening,
nothing has changed for better or worse
and im simply going through day by day...

Job
Im still continuously sending applications for full time job
But is either no response or rejection emails,
I have yet to score even one interview.
Seems like my goal to get a full time job by July/Sept is impossible
Good news is my boss's husband asked me whether ill like to continue another year
as babysitter with them from September.
Which means i wont be unemployed if i take it up.
Yet, it will mean another year of commitment to part time babysitting,
and i will find it hard to quit even if i find a full time job.
So, shall see what is going to happen in next few months,
before i take the offer.

Finances
Husband received a 5percent increment and a small bonus in Apil
which is not a lot but at least better than nothing.

Appartment
When i first arrived at Paris, I was happy to have a place to be our home
even though it is rented
As time passes, my negativity towards the appartment grew,
and i think the appartment sensed it and trying to make me feel worse
It started with 1 leaking pipe next to the toilet bowl,
to 2 leaking pipes, to broken tap and constant mould growing
Since it is not our appartment, we really dont want to spend money fixing stuff
yet, more and more breakdowns seems to be starting...

Buying an apprtment
Since the euro fall and interest rates hits low this year,
people around us are starting to buy appartments.
We really want to buy an appartment too
but prices in paris is really crazy like 400,000eur for 40m2 appartment
I really dont mind moving to suburbs of Paris as prices are more affordable eg 250,000eur for 40m2
and i do prefer the quieter suburbs,
Yet, it will take husband 1.5hrs to travel to work
which, he strongly rejects the idea 
Shifting to a smaller city, eg Lille, will be even more affordable eg 100,000eur for 40m2
but with the bad economy in france, Paris seems to be where the jobs are...
In any case, we are still saving for the required 10percent cash required for deposit and fees.
It doesnt help that i dont have a full time job so that we can get a better bank loan
Apart from location and price,
We also need to consider the size and environment since we hope to start a family soon
Oh well....

French
My motivation for french is dying... because it is so difficult!!!
I have stopped my classes in December 2014 and has not signed on for any new classes.
Initially, i wanted to sign up for the cheap french classes at the townhall (90-150eur/semester)
although its classes are in the evenings or crazily strange hours.
I missed the registration and test deadline in February due to our trip to Singapore
and that was for the class to start in April/ September
In any case, the class hours will clash with my working hours and i can only wait till September 
To register for 2016 classes.
I do have a few schools to call and asked about their classes,
which i gave this responsibility to husband to call them and he has not do so.
So, im blogging it here so that he will remember to do so.

To be considered
Thinking should I take up the TEFL (Teach English as Foreign Language) certificate
Which means I may be able to find some English teaching jobs after
but is an uncertainty, without French, there is still a limit 
and most schools prefer to teachers to have degree related to education and TEFL
The thing is I dont even know my English theories (eg past participant and verbs) 
I really have no confidence in doing this at all

I want to strike lotto (Toto) soon...

Oh, Im a fan of Peppa pig now! Out of all the french / french dubbed cartoons, eg OuiOui, Tchoupi...
I think the french dubbed Peppa pig is the most enjoyable, at least its not talking about how to be a good kid
Yes, is for preschoolers, well, at least i need not struggle to understand them in French...

Unemployment

As my babysitting contract comes to an end in July
i realised that i have been unemployed for more than a year
at least, i have secured this part time job for 7 months
but the reality is i have not being able to find a full time job
in my targeted 1 year

The truth is, there are often times i asked myself,
why do i give up a managerial post to applying for any random jobs now?
Is hard to admit that im not affected when i used to be a manager and now, 
im applying jobs from retail sales to admin asst
Yes, im even looking at being a salesgirl when im 31yo...
just short of being a cashier at supermarket or waitress 

it doesnt help that after a year, 
my french is no way near what i determine as fluent enough for work level
and sadly, i have not even receive a job interview for all the random jobs i applied
at times, i comfort myself that im overqualified,
at times, i blamed the need of being biligual in french 
at times, i blamed myself for starting a career in social service, which is country restricted
many times i wish that i can return to the past and chosen a different career path
at least i will have a higher chance to land in a job now
well, too bad we cant change the past and looking back,
i did enjoy my work experiences, being good at what i do and proud of my achievements

no matter what i do it seems to be hopeless
i cant make my brain learn french faster
i cant redesign my work experience
or why im an asian that people dont think English is my native language?

The idea that asians should be working in supermarkets and restuarants is so deeply rooted here
well, even my father in law asked why i dont try to work in the chinatown
after my education and work experience, i really cant accept the fact
to work as a cashier or waitress in chinatown
Maybe im too prideful or im not desperate enough

Considering that husband is earning enough to put food on the table,
a roof over our heads and for the 2 of us to spend,
i shouldnt be so hopeless right?
Well, i dont dare plan for a kid because we are worried that having a kid while unemployed
means i will be stuck (or happy) caring for the kid and not work for few years minimum
and lets not even talk about the financial constraints...

The future is bleak and i cant see the light at the end of the tunnel... 

first dental visit

I have been having this dull toothache for a few weeks
worried that i may have a cavity since i saw 2 black dots on my last tooth
i decided that its time to go to the dentist to check it
and to finally use my newly acquired social security card and husband's insurance
It is always to scary to go to the dentist even after my braces and childhood's scary school dentist
and now is worse, when i cant really converse in french
husband was worried that the dentist extract my tooth when i have no idea whats she saying
haha

Anyway husband helped me to make an appointment at the dentist near home
i was able to do so but im just delaying to make the appointment, haha
yes, you need to make an appointment to see dentist, doctor....
I wonder what happen if people just walked in
Or in case of emergency...

Unlike the doctor clinic, there are receptionists in this clinic
probably because its a clinic with a few dentists
all was going well till the receptionist asked me about husband's insurance
and i had to ask her to explain in english
because it was the first time im using my social security and husband's insurance
added with anxiety of dentist
i really had no mood or patience to try understand her
To summarise, i was to provide husband's information as the insurance is under his name,
i need to pay the part that the mutual pays (after the social security deduction)
and it will be refunded by the mutual (i need not do anything)

Everything was quite quick that i was in the dentist's room in 10mins
The thing is, in singapore, when you ask for cleaning, it includes polishing
so, i indicated i was here for cleaning
but to my surprise, i was done in 5mins!
because she didnt polish my teeth!
apparently, i should asked for both polishing and cleaning!
Thereafter, i just pay the remaining of the fees (9eur) and i was done
a dental appointment completed in less than 20mins!

Although im shocked at how fast the teeth cleaning was, it was painful
i guess dentists takes longer time if they want to be really gentle and careful
The problem is, she say there is no cavity!
So, i have no idea why i have tooth ache???

Well, i guess the polishing can wait till the next time i summon my courage for another appointment

Where is home?

I have been having the strangest dreams
and husband concluded because im missing Singapore

Dream 1:
I was back in my old home in bedok reservoir
and with my mum, we discovered a hidden staircase in the corner of the studying corner
then i realised when i climbed down the stairs
i can be teleported to the basement of a strange pub
or in the middle of city hall area
the rest of the dream was like mission impossible doing something weird...

Dream 2: 
Ioyce and I were at gladdys home 
and she shown us that her toilet is a teleport that we can go anywhere in minutes
then kenny came home and we were supposed to help gladdys hide the teleport from him

Dream 3:
Husband and i were bored and we decided to set up a table to sell things on the street
in front of a tour effiel and singapore flyer hybrid
before we set up, i fell asleep on the chair
when i woke up, it was evening 
i realised we were just selling an alarm clock and few pieces of papers
So, i asked husband why he didnt woke me up
and whats the point of selling these
he told me that it was fine and we should watch the fireworks before we go for dinner

After fireworks, we walked around to find dinner
we ended up in an areas with many kopitiams and hdb flats
and we settled down at a kopitiam with fishball noodles and zi char
then i told husband that we can consider buying appartment here
since there are so many kopitiams where we can get food easily
but i knew that husband will prefer to stay in classical paris buildings and not hdb
husband told me that if we stay in this place
it will be better that we stay in Singapore

Okay, it really strange dreams and i must really want a teleport to be able to travel fast
after i told husband the dream
he felt that Im missing singapore
and to him, the most difficult part of relocation is to miss out on family growing old/up
which i feel is so true!
I cant imagine each year when we return Singapore, the kids will be growing older

When we were still dating long distance,
there were so many times that i wished that i could come Paris asap.
Now, i realised i have so much attachments to friends and family, 
that i wished i can fly back much more
I wonder will there be a day where i feel so settled down in france that my homesick will be reduced
I guess grass is always greener on the other side....

Back in france...

It has been a week since we returned...
Sadly, it hasnt really been a good week 
except that we managed to unpack on the day we arrived!

First, husband and i were suffering from serious jetlag
that we cant sleep past 5/6am
and have headaches
Poor husband had to return to work on Monday
while i enjoyed another day of rest and returned to work on Tuesday

The sleeping issue continued to bother us for the next few days
well, at least husband is always early for work and i need not drag him off bed in the mornings
but we are sleepy like 8pm daily
Basically lifestyle of people in their 70s..

Maybe my body started to be used to the hot temperature in sg
i really have difficulty readjusting the cold temperature
although it is starting to get warm, about 10 degrees,
but i feel so cold...

Thereafter, i think i caught a flu
due to the change in temperature or from the girls im babysitting,
that im having muscle-aches, headache, tiredness...

And i think im missing my sg lifestyle,
where i get to meet friends and family...
that im kinda down about coming back to the lonely boring life...

hope next week will be better!

connecting flights

I have never taken connecting flights
Because I never travelled to far countries
that requires connecting flights
My trips to paris were short
that I prefer to arrive asap
13hours flights is already long
that I dont want to spend more time in transit
and surprisingly AF direct flights 
costed the same as those with connecting flight

However, this time we are travelling aS 2
and near cny
so we took the cheaper Swiss air
that include a 50m transit at zurich

The day before our flight
we received news that there is a strike
at German air at paris
which affect other flights
we were happy that our flight was not affected
but the departure was delayed
and we depart at 930 instead of 845pm

As we panic about missing our flight
the pilot announced at 1030 that our flight 
is still available
after the plane touched down at 1035
We ran likE crazy with others
but was stopped by the staff before the gates
to exchange our tickets
initially we thought it was for people 
whose flight left and not us
then we were told all flights left
because all flights are to depart at 1045

While queuing up
we panicked abouT when is the next flight
can we arrive before wedding
and are we sleeping in airport that night
while watching others crying and screaming
because their next flight is 24hrs later

Lucky for us,
we were given a hotel stay
with dinner and breakfast buffet
and our flight became SQ to depart at 1030am
husband said that he was glad I didnt cry etcS
is because we get a hotel stay, sq flight
and only 12hours delay
so, feels like a free upgrade!

I guess the flights had to leave on 
And we get a hotel stay
because zurich airport is not 24hours!
the hotel was really nice-Big and posH
Connected to the airport
the dinner buffet was just lousy sandwiches 
I guess the hotel prepared last min

By the time we settled down it was 1am
we woke up at 630aM for good breakfast
and kiasU arrive at check in by 830
as we want a seat together
we panicked again 
when sq said our rebook no was wrong
but all was fine and we made it back to sg

I felt that it was husband who jinx our flight
with his constant mention about 
sleeping in airport
and he never visited zurich/swiss
the day before

Well, at least we saw snow!
but I guess I will prefer direct flights
more than ever...

Renewal of visa

One year has passed...
The day has come for us to go renew my visa expiring end March
I was to make the online appointment about 4 months before my visa expired
and ended up with the appointment a day before we fly
Hoping that all will be fine and our plans will not be affected

So, we are to go the the police headquarter 
long before, i had read online about this scary procedures
If you miss any documents,
If you forget to photocopy any document, etc etcs
the typical french administration will require you to take another appointment..
The infamous queue where people start queuing up at 6am even
if their appointment is at 830am....

Anyway, we prepared the documents from January
and based on the list of required documents,
it seemed that husband didnt need to provide anything except his ID

Our appointment was 9am
we arrived at 840am and there was a long queue just to get in
Lucky the security checks was fast and we were in about 10mins time
Thereafter, we were asked to go to area F
and we see a long queue of people, so we took a waiting number
we had 034 and current no was 008
After about 10mins of wait, we realised we were to go the room beside
and not followed this queue
which is to collect the visa
well, we will need to this when we come to collect in few months

In the room, we had a new waiting number 015
and current no was 010
After about 10mins, it was our turn!
We start giving our required documents and photocopies..
all was fine till:

Electricity bills
We printed the wrong electricity bills
France has the 3months old rule
and we printed the one for January 2014!!
I guess both of us were blur thinking is still 2014
lucky, husband has a copy of letter sent by the electricity company
he accidently left in his bag when he opened the mailbox a day ago
although it was not actually the correct document
but we submit it
well, they actually have a photocopy machine

Bank statements
The list didnt state what kind of bank document was required
so we only had the contract of our joint account
and the joint account statement of December 2014
Apparently they require the monthly statement for the past 12 months!

Husband's documents
Not written in the list, they request for husband's:
- Income tax reciept
- emplyment letter
- Payslips
which we never prepared...

By then, we are thinking that we will be coming back for another appointment
the staff collect whatever we have and asked us to take a seat
they will send all the documents to the office to verify
and later, she will let us know whether the documents will be accepted
or another documents will be required

so, we end up waiting for about an hour
when we returned to the staff
she just returned me an extra photo i gave
asked me to sign on 2 documents
sticking my photos on the documents
with no expression or words
and after, I received my temporary visa till June!
My visa will be ready in mid april for collection...
and she had us a collection paper which states the amount to pay on that day...

and thats it!
I officially got my visa renewed!
Husband and i were complaining a little
like the last 10 mins were like suspense
because after waiting for 1 hour, the staff didnt event say whether it was alright
or we need to come back with more documents
till the last 30s

But i was telling husband that it probably worked because im holding SG passport
I think if im holding a another passport and short of so much documents
that cant prove we have a proper salary
We surely need to return again
In any case, all is done!!


-last blog post from paris before my flight-

Carte vitale

Finally, after 6 months of application
I received my carte viale and social security number!
surprisingly, i received a new social security number
and not tag under husband's
probably because i have been working
and is not seen as a dependent

anyway, it just mean im in the social welfare / health insurance system
where i can get reinbusement for my doctors, dentists, hospital, medicines fees!
I shall start doing some health visits soon...

Bilan de competence

As required by the visa contract
I was to go for an employment suitability assessment session
Husband says is like helping the unemployed to build their CV
and to be match with possible jobs

Last friday i was really nervous for my appointment
I am sure it will be done in French
and with my level of french,
i am unsure how I will be able to explain my CV
Considering the fact that my job sector is not easy to explain
Even to english speakers about social worker, art therapist etcs

My appointment was 930am
There was only a man in 40s and me to 1 job consultant
First, we were to fill up a simple form - 
personal info, education qualifications, past work experience
The man spoke a really good french
but he is unable to read or write
I was practically left alone

Thereafter, we were given an assessment test 
Since the man was unable to read or write,
he was only required to do like 3 pages out of the 10 pages
So, the consultant did the individual session with him at 10.30am
while i am struggling to complete the crazy assessment paper

So, first page was to self-rate on compentence/ qualitites...
I rated myself quite highly and consistently
till i realised i rated myself  to perform these in English
and not french
Eg: Public speaking
i think i should have rated myslf low
anyway, the consultant didnt even read

Next, was to indicate my preference of industry
So i just had to tick "Yes, no, maybe"
to the long list of various industries

Then, the nightmare begins..
I was to write of a personal job experience
that i felt discouraged and how i regained my job satisfaction
in French  -,-"

After, a french poem was given 
and i was to circle the grammartical mistakes
I cant even identify the normal sentences mistakes
and i was to highlight them in a poem?!!!

Next, was 2 pages of words related to job qualities
that i was to give alternative words to represent them
Eg Logical - Reasoning, Cognitive
This is a freaking french test than an assessment

Then, it was french idioms 
and i have to choose the meaning of the idioms

Finally, the nightmare was over..
With spotting 10 difference in 2 photos,
mental representation exercises like this IQ test
where a box is lay flat and you are to choose
how it will look like in various direction

At 11.45am, the consultant finally returned
to end my assessment test misery
and she informed that our session will be short
because she wants to go for lunch
so, she basically just briefly looked through what i did in 3mins
except for the writing on the job incident
and i was surprise that she mentioned that i wrote quite well
at least, not much mistakes
that she wrote that i will be able to handle simple admin work
with some supervision

due to a miscommunication,
or rather i interpreted her question wrongly,
she thought i was unemployed
and started to ask whether i will like to work as cashiers in supermarkets
or in restaurants, saying that many asians make sushi
how sad it is that foreigners can only be suited to do these

Thereafter, I received a write up
like a summary of my job experiences and followups to be done
while she was happy to go for lunch
i mentioned that i was heading to work
and she realised i am employed
Immediately changes what she wrote in my profile
and delayed the session
but overall, she was still nice and helpful
and probably the last time i will be here
since, the next time i was supposed to follow up
at the official unemployment organization

I was glad that all was done even in my poor french
But something she said is like rubbing salt in my wound
"Its sad that you have so much knowledge 
but unable to share due to the language difference"

Oh well, c'est la vie.