paris postcard: saint-germain-des-pres

paris postcard: market scene, montparnasse

on wednesdays and saturdays, the narrow island that divides boulevard edgar quinet in montparnasse hosts a market where neighborhood folk can purchase gorgeous, locally grown fruits and vegetables and flowers. the meats are plump and tempting...

i'll take a quick spin through tomorrow for cherries (cerises!), before heading to roland garros, but here are a few shots from last week:

may 21, 2011

all photos © anita aguilar

paris postcard: roland garros, a favorite shot (day 1)

the most absolutely adorable usher and usherette at the french open...

i love everything about these two, especially her uniform dress...and their smiling faces.

may 25, 2011 outside philippe chatrier stadium © anita aguilar

and for more local color, read monsieur tignor's wonderful paris post: the grandest dirt.

paris postcard: maracon wars (it's on)

2 chocolat + 1 vanille from patisserie thevenin

in the 14th arrondissement

photo © anita aguilar

paris postcard: versailles views (day 2)

whoa. not parisienne style...

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the lovely l'orangerie

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all photos taken may 21, 2011

© anita aguilar

paris postcard, day 1: stealth shots, the orsay

when did the orsay outlaw the taking of photos? i don't recall a ban in 2008...

i defied them this time, i just couldn't resist taking a few shots while we took a rest/tried to get our bearings (and second wind):

this one, i had to take because of the christian marclay "clock" exhibit, which will elude me forever, but will continue to inspire...i also wanted to commemorate the time we were there: 6:30pm

i love the toes in this one...

i imagine this is my cousin, jenny, working one of her crafts...

the only downside of a trip to the orsay on this day in may was that many of the best impressionist works were out on loan to the hotel de ville (which we may try to see tomorrow) and major renovation forced the rest of the collection to be re-presented throughout the lower floors.

while the current configuration reinforces the awareness of the orsay's array of heavy hitters--one masterpiece next to another--there is little space in-between for a breath, let alone a deep thought about them...(the mental lingering starts in earnest much later). but the museum remains a must see if you're in paris.

bonus for 2011 travelers: through july 17, there is a major manet retrospective. manet: inventeur du moderne (the man who invented modernity--it sounds better en francais, oui?) is worth the extra euro and a long queue. i liked manet's work before, but i have new appreciation for his mastery of form and style, and some new favorites: the dramatic still life renderings (asparagus) and his more dramatic, photo- journalistic pieces, like the execution of maximilian and the velasquez-like "dead toreador."

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a few au revoirs:

may 19, 2011

all photos © anita aguilar

paris postcard, day 1: pretty city

a late night flight that gets you into paris at the noon hour is a smart play, but if you don't sleep well on planes, the "i'm in paris!!" buzz wears off smack in the middle of the afternoon.

it hit me pretty hard, so i don't have many photos from day 1, but i love this lady on her bike.

and wherever i go, i love to see an "I love NY" tee..

may 19, 2011

photos © anita aguilar

postcard: vehicular madness 3 "look (sharapova)"

look (sharapova).
from the car. quezon city, manila. july 15, 2009.

postcard: vehicular madness 1

jeepney: the passenger. batangas, philippines. july 12, 2009.

a jeepney, in batangas...july 12, 2009.

a "tricycle" i.e. a motorcycle with a sidecar...batangas, philippines. july 12, 2009.

a tricycle...packed with produce. quezon city, philippines. july 15, 2009.

vacation plan...

go-go's vacation.

original record release date: august 1982.

right around 5 o'clock today, i started to panic. i had just wrapped up a couple of projects, but still had one awaiting. i sussed out the piles (newspapers, magazines, printouts, manila folders, binder clips and paper clips...why so many CLIPS everywhere?) all over my cubicle and thought, god. this could be a long night.

by 6pm, all but one of my co-workers had left, though i could hear my friend teri, in the cubicle next to mine, typing more maniacally than i'd ever heard before--there was no way she was going to be there much longer. i started to get a little bluesy. feeling a little bluesy on a friday night isn't new or unusual, but tonight was to be the start of my vacation.

it seemed very far away.

it's funny and frustrating how much there is to do before taking any significant amount of time off. at work, you either have to wrap it all up or delegate (which always takes longer than i anticipate). and then there are all the terrifically forgettable tasks (turning on the out-of-office notifications, changing the voicemail message--it only took me 6 takes this time). even at home, you have to arrange for the mail, suspend the newspaper delivery, rid the fridge of perishables (milk gone bad? oof), and basically clean the whole place, kitchen to bath, so that you can have a happy, chore-free homecoming.

but i don't have to worry about that last part--the homecoming--since i'm going to be, for the most part, at home.

and perhaps this is contributing to my bluesy-ness. because as delighted as i am about the break from my job, i also intend for these next 12 days to be...productive.

you friends of mine know that i can while away nearly whole days listening to music and dancing around this apartment in my stocking feet. or drinking coffee and tearing (literally) through my favorite magazines. all of that will be part of my plan. and i will take myself out for breakfast, meet friends for lunch and dinner, COOK! take photos, swim, sleeeep, read the books i borrowed from the library about 6 weeks ago (whoops. think i can finish up pictures at a revolution and get through the rest is noise? hmmm)...

but then i'm also supposed to fix my life. not totally change it in less than a fortnight. that would be crazy!

i aim for clarity and action.

hence, the panic.

i really do want to make this time good...

but first, i'm going to finish my glass of wine and start the conversation.

cheers...