Bye bye, see you soon, my dear Paris.

The last days were good, sad and full of packing and re-packing and then again....re-repacking...

I must say, Paris was my love at first sight, and it was sooooo my city. It still is and will forever be. For sure.

I will miss my bridge, my latenight walks home...I will miss the smell of freshly baked bread and sweets in the morning in the hallway...I will even miss my stupid neighbours.
I will miss my restaurants and wine and cheeses and raw meats....well I will miss the good food in general.

I already do miss all that...+ my friends there.

Despite all that, what I know for sure is that London has some good stuff there for me and the future is going to be soooo good and CHOOLOS... :)
Good thing is that the English have porridges, yet, I'd rather a good cup of coffee instead of that, and THAT is not easy to get!

Peace. OUT.

Love

In between

This is it. The time of strange outfits is back! While me, who managed to turn into a Parisian in what comes to wearing long sleeved tops when it was 29 degrees outside, back in August. And now, when it is 15 degrees outside and probably even more, while I wear my winter gear - boots and jacket with fur, scarf and when really cold, even the gloves....the same time there are people out there, tourists mostly, wearing just t-shirts!! For example, a moment ago, there was a Asian looking dude entering the Starbucks in Opera, where I'm currently located, wearing a sleeveless top and sunglasses. And I was thinking: "Dude, c'est pas Miami!" :D 

And....I don't even start with the sandals and open-cut shoes....

Another story, that needs to be told involves a saying I heard lately. 

So, when something happens, something good. Then the French say something like that: It's good, but it's no America. :D 

It doesn't really fit in here, I mean, in this post, but before I forget this. :) 

What else. Paris is still awesome. Love my life. Of course, it could be better, I do have few depth, my rent is way tooo expensive for my income, I can not afford to go places and do stuff, go shopping and all that, but, it's all happening in Paris. One of the most amazing cities I know. Even if I had a shitty day at work, then there is a sparkling Eiffel tower on my way home. So, when things are shit, then the difference is, that the things are shit in Paris and it is way better than shit anywhere else, believe me! :) True story! 

This photo was taken yesterday around midnight, on my way home. 

Also, I have cute old Chinese man keeping a store downstairs. His "Ca va!" is sometimes just what I need to get my good mood back. :) And, in the mornings, when going to work or where ever....when I step out of my apartment, I can smell freshly baked bread. (there is a Boulangerie downstairs!!) MMMMmmmmmm! Love it!

Autumn is amazing in Paris. Sooooo pretty! :) The Sun shines more softly, leaves are falling... when rains, it's soooo beautiful, streets are all rain shiny and the city smells differently.

And as much as I love Paris, it will be London in few weeks! The Wannabe Parisian, me, is moving to London with her boyfriend to find a great job and get some more international experience and work hard and play hard and....do things I always wanted to do. It's like that! If not now, then when, right! Yay! This is going to be another adventure... and Maria's going cosmopolitan. 

Bisous!

In Paris..

..and so in love.

♥ ♥ ♥

Stories of my crrent reality

Paris, Prance & Las Vegas, USA

One of my funniest stories from recent history involves one French Casanova I happen to know, he's really young (20) and he's in the middle of seducing as many beautiful girls as possible. 

He is very picky. Like he says, it's better if she is beautiful, not too fat (skinny in this case), long hair, because it is more feminin and you have something to hold on to while in the middle of certain activities. Also, she has to have some sense of style and better if she is a tourist, even better if she doesn't speak French nor English too good or at all. And stupid. 

Like he says, girls usually come in pairs – one ugly and one gorgeous. Sometimes 2xgorgeous, but it's rare. And when trios, one is always (f)ugly. 

So, this story is about this Casanova I know and one of his many one night girls, she was a tourist from NY. Well, the thing is – he did he's usual, taking her out to a restaurant and getting her drunk so her morals would get more flexible. Sounds pretty universal, uh? The thing is that the French are more classy in this process and more gentleman-like and more considerate., more ...hm..charming ...and all this makes the girls let their guards down and falllllllll into the trap! This is what happened to that girl... I don't need to mention the place, right, the most romantic city in the world, the city where anybody would love to be in love, swept off their feet by a charming prince and etc... Those factors work in favour to those millions Casanovas in this city! Especially when you are used to those jerks who do not know that it is polite to open a door for a woman or actually, when walking on a street, to make her hold your hand to make her feel safe...

Sidenote: Hilda, my canadian friend is back in town for a week,  met up with her for drinks yesteday and what she pointed out was that while here, she thought French men were a bit too much for her. All this. And now, when she is back home, she misses that! She says that canadian men are booooooring. True. French are French. They sure do know how to make a women feel like a princess and how to enjoy simple pleasures of life...

Back to the story. He seduced her, she spent the night at his place, in the morning, he went to get croissants and after he drove her to her hotel, then she cried and they both went separate ways. 

Yes, she CRIED. Well, I knew he had conquered another one of those ...I simly asked how did it go and he said that all was good, but when she cried in the morning, that this was weeeeeeird. That one night girl and cryyyying... :D And, yes, for him, this was another Win after the usual game. For her this might have been one of the most remembable events of maybe her life (so far, I hope).  

Yes, so, she cried, that's funny! Or not, maybe it was win-win, if you know what I mean. :)

So, and the second story involves one of my friends, about a month ago, when I last saw her, we were sitting in a restaurant, having drinks and she was updating me with her life's most recant happenings - how she's in rather intimate relations with three guys from around here...oh, the details were juicy! :)
But the main line of this was that all she wanted was an actual serious relationship and a real BF. Also, she was real excited about her going to UK, home, and from there to holidays for a week with her girlfriends - girls gone wild trip to Las Vegas, USA. And what absolutley needs to be mentioned, she's gorgeous!
There she went.

A week later, I heard from another friend of ours, that the night before she had gotten married to a Swiss dude, who was shitloads wealthy and he's flying her to his by the end of the week. WTF. :) This is the most unbelievable story I had heard, yet, not that unbelievable of her. :) She's one of the craziest girls I happen to know these days. Yes, she's married now, for real, they are still together, a month later and this can be considered to be the happy ending of her foxy life as it was. Win! :)

You get what the waiter thinks you deserve.

I    This is The Post, that I didn't know if it was worth posting or not. Well, it all started....before I got to Paris in the first place - by hearing stories about French waiters being arrogant... or were supposed to be... or who knows.

Then, as you, my dearest reader, know, I'm currently working as a waitress. I'm really cool one in fact....BUT! What happened to me was that - on one of those nights there were 4 people sitting in one of my tables for 4 and they were having a pint of beer.

To be clear: 4 people, 1 pint that was half empty (and I'm no pessimist here!).

So I approached politely and asked them if they would like to order anything else to drink or some snacks. Because.... don't you just hate when you feel like having something and it takes forever from the waiter to ask you.... so.... All good. Done! And...their answer was: "No, we're good!"
What did I do: rolled my eyes at them right at this moment, didn't say anything and left! Voilaaa! I have turned into a French waiter stereotype! And I'm not ashamed of it! Because: they were directly messing with my sales - we have personal sales targets on every shift and they were f***ing with that. The table they kept occupied could have made me like 100 eur easy sales if it was taken by someone who were there to eat and drink and have a good time, not those cheap-asses. And, without even thinking about it, I acted as if they should know it! As I was walking away from them, I realized what I had just pulled off... & smiled a little.

And...all this got me thinking if the French restaurant business has gotten to me or not really and I needed to look into the topic about French waiters being arrogant and rude...because, almost noone has been like that directly to me. ...Well, I just needed to find out what that was all about.

II   Did my research and decided that this post was not worth posting.

III   Gave this some more thought and reconsidered the posting - all my sources were american and this is not the same to my cultural background and why  it is even worth posting. Cultural differences between French, USA and Estonia are enormous and somewhat the same. It's just the circumstances that dictate the act, right! I know I am right.

IV So, are the French waiters rude or is that you? (As how many of those research results were titled).
Well. It all comes down to one thing....two things and the first one has something to do with the culture and language. As I have already told you, the French language is very polite language (wild guess - among other things, is this a reason why this is one of the political languages in the world?). For them it is the matter of respect that you said hello to them....while entering a bus, in the post office, in the tabac...and restaurants of course! American approach is "let's get down to business" and therefore there are many articles about French vs American and how they should act in the restaurants. Works both ways, American believe French to be rude if they put on their rude act what they think the customer deserves by simply not saying "Bonjour!" when entering. And french, when going to a American one, they think of them as unpolite if they do not receive any superficial politeness from their waiters and they "go straight to business" or "What can I get you?".

The second thing is the circumstances - as you might know (!), both are countries with more than 1,34 million citizens. Which basically means that there are more people there to feed and give drinks to for money! So, when not buying, then you're no longer an "asset" to hold on to. Simple as that.

What comes to my confusion on this matter is the last thing, my cultural background is mixed with simple people, some are naturally polite and some are not so polite, I think I can not afford to describe the whole nation as polite or not so polite. I mean that I am proud of my nation and my heritage, but to be honest, where I come from, a lot of as*ho*es come from the same place. Sure, there are many in any nation, but it might have something to do with the smallness of Estonia that those stand out better....or who knows... Anyway. Since EST is tiny and there are many restaurants there, there are certain amount of people treating their-selves daily with eating out, but mostly it is considered to be a special day if you went out to eat. Sooooo, that makes the demand! And demand makes the rules! Due to that, in EST, even if you are not spending right now, but you spent some before (doesn't even need to be much), then you can drink your cold coffee and sit there with your friend for another hour or two... No-one comes nervously to your table to make you leave...it's rather to give other people an impression that the place is full and popular and makes other people to come in too...

Get it? That's the difference! :)

Nose-ology

Have you heard that the French have big noses? The stereotype is that French smell and they have big noses, French women are hairy and they don't wear a bra.
All wrong... well, OK, I have seen braless ladies, but those you can see everywhere in the world occasionally...

But, yes, a majority of French do have bigger nose than mine, remarkably bigger. Because, Ich habe eine kleine Stupsnase! 

French humour is a bit different from all the others I know, well sophisticated and real irony runs through. This can be illustrated by what I found out recently, French have a saying about having a big nose - that those who do,  can smoke in the shower!

How cool is that. :)


Bisou
Sincerely,
Maria (keeping her frenchyness up!)

Words of Wisdom

Promotion

My new title:

Volilaaaaa, je suis tres tres reconnaissant:

Maria Jogi

Director of Global Recruitment

Organization for International Cooperation

100 Conestoga Drive - Building C, Suite 196

Marlton, NJ 08053 USA

Direct Tel 33 682184673

Tel 001  856 596 6679

Fax 001 856 282 1184

Skype oicworldpeace

Twitter oicworldpeace

http://www.oic-world-peace.org

I guess, this might be considered as a direct outcome of my last months activities. I really have been busy. :)

The art of getting hired - Curriculum Vitae & the importance of your PICTURE

I had a chat with my current employer. She is in the middle of massive job interviewing and going through a "online pile" of CVs.

When I asked how's it going, she answered that there are only few good applicants and the rest is rubbish. I asked why and she started showing me people's pics they have attached to their CVs.

So, we all know already that picture attached to your CV is important. Sure, it is. But I would never have guessed that it was THAT important. And I never would have guessed that people still do attach their holiday pics to their official CV. (FAIL!)

If you don't have a decant photo of yourself, it's better not to add anything. For example, there was a picture of one lady with her baby and Eiffel tower in the background. The most likely message the employer receives   is that you will be calling her in the future saying that your kid is sick and you can not come to work. No matter what kind of experience you do have. If there is someone with same level of experience and skills, then the other one gets rather picked.

More no-no's:
a) funny pics - taken at some party, where you might have somewhat serious impression, yet there is predictable unseriousness cancelling that out because of the background and date and time to be seen on the photo.
b) Know where you apply to. When you apply to a service position and you have experience, then you should know that the appearance is important. Not too much make up, clean-cut facial hairstyle :) or nice moustache or beard. Nothing in between is ok, apparently. And you should know it.
c) No photo is better than rubbish. It allows the employer to concentrate to your experience and skills instead.

Hearing comments: Scary!, Looks like a serial killer!, Cute!, Too fat!; He needs to loose all the piercing, cut the beard and hair!...etc
Makes you wonder, uh.

So yeah. There is, no doubt, a fair share of interpenetration to it, a amount of subjectivity, and for you applying this is just luck. The person hiring, if he/she doesn't like how you look, it might be shallow, but would you want to work in a place like that?

Facts.
* Also, my employer told me that one girl sent in a pic, where she was looking like a barbie girl giving the most intensive-fake smile, almost saying "I love youuuuuu".... she said that she scheduled a job interview with her because she wanted to find out what she was like. She got hired. And she's a lovely person.
* One dude got hired just because of his moustache. He had awesome moustache. :) He too - amazing person with GREAT sense of humour and the best team worker.

And sometimes you just need to ask for what you want and not take no as an answer. 

Do you remember the episode of How I met your mother where Robyn was searching for a job and Barney volunteered to help her with her video CV? I'm guessing that this is the future of CV. Plenty companies already do this, but right this moment the traditional CV is still nr one. Would a video CV give you better chance to succeed, have your dream carreer and give you an advantage in competition at the job market?

Tricky.

Helen

Mul läheb kenasti, raskelt, aga kenasti. Kallistan.

Autumn in Paris

At the place where I have spent most of my life, where I have spent all my summers turning into fall...know the feeling of bittersweetness---sad-that-summer-is-over-and-anxiousness-about-the-new-season-of-school-or-what-ever-to begin... I need to point out that in Paris, august has been hotttt, and since those hot days have ended I realized that the autumn is almost here, leaves are not as bright green as they used to and there is this special scent of autumn you can barely feel....but it is there. 

August - the air was hot and thick with humidity. Every time I descended into the metro, I got hit with a wall of moist, hot air, different odours from Chanel's newest output to natural human ones...like sweat as the easy one and I-haven't-had-a-shower-since-2-weeks-ago as the worst to be standing next to.  Despite all of your efforts to look Paris-chic, you would inevitably return home bushy-haired and sweaty with eye makeup on the verge of running down your face.. Time, where you do not know what to wear is here - in the Sun it is still like July hot, yet, the wind breezes are cold and sneaky. Especially, after the metro, whilst you are still hot, you wouldn't want to get sick just because of the cold breeze... Yet, since I am still here, I can not wait to do the fall too! I'm sure that the autumn in Paris will be as amazing as any other time. 

And... another thing.. Chrish, she left to Dubai - autumn it is. 

When we first discussed that, it was in April. She told me that she was going there to do her internship in the fall... and now she left, on Sunday. I will miss her. 

Photos were taken in Montmartre, yesterday. What a place! :)

From Paris with love!

Maria

True story, things still happen and not only to me.

Me to a French dude: So, what's the difference between French kiss and ....I don't know...British or any?
Dude: I don't know...they always ask for French one and after they don't want their British...or any...

French dude II to me about Italians: You know, Maria, French men are very very proud. Arrogant and proud. But this is nothing compared to Italian men.

A dude running in font of me. Me: "Oh, you're sooo fast!"
Him: " I know, once a girl told me the same thing. ....is it over already? and I said Yes and then she said I was like a rabbit!"

So, I had unexpected friends over for few nights by mistake. What happened was a true story:
Gare de Lyon - a train station in Paris.
Lyon train staion- train station in a small city in the South of France.
3 backpackers from est, Saaremaa.
Plan: Lyon!
Reality: Gare de Lyon!
So, 1 out of those three to a random person walking on a street, after getting out of the train station and being confused as hell: "Excuseeeemoaaaaaaa, pardoooon...could you please tell me where we are? Which city is this??"
Random dude with judgemental tone: "Um, Paris!"

 :) Have a BONNE day! :)

♥

♥

Forever Waitress

Have you heard about this vicious circle - studying and needing to get a job to pay for it. Not a job on the field of your studies, but a random one.  Then, when done with school, you need to keep on working to earn money to pay off depth you got into when you were studying and didn't have time for a full time job. And the easiest is to keep your current position and just increase the hours, despite the job being something that you just do do pay the bills... 

So, remember the time, when I told you about the weird stoned waiter and how I met him again few days later after the first time. It was in January of February sometime...well, at the same tiny French restaurant, there was a waiter working. As many of them are like that, so he started asking me where I was from and what was I doing here in Paris...bla-bla-bla.. Then, unlike most of them question-askers, he told me his story too, that he was from Far-Far-Away-Land (I don't really remember from where he was, but let's go for that) and he had graduated from Sorbonne, THE top UNI in FRANCE, studied translation in masters level, French + few other languages. Sooooo, and after 5 years, he was still working at the restaurant that he got the job only to pay the rent while studying. He said it was difficult to find a better job. Sooooooooo, the thin g is. I DO NOT want to end up like that: 

And therefore, I need to find a better job right now, one that is al least slightly connected to my field, has perspectives, is fun and pays well. Either in Paris or where ever in the world. Need to figure that out within next few weeks. Wish me luck. 

Aitäh/Merci/Thank you/Takk/Tack/Kiitos/Spasibo/Dhonnobad/Danke :) 

A night out with Chrish

My current view

My baby

She is going to leave Paris in 3 weeks, I will miss her tiny little ass! 

At least Chrish is looking nice :) 

Working out with the private instructor.

I'll miss her, indeed. 

The Sunday Dinners

As I was doing my research on something yesterday....who knows what it was. And I randomly found myself on a site called www.gonomad.com, inspiration and links to plan your trip. And out of curiosity I searched Paris to maybe find something interesting to do. Aaaaand I did.

What needs to be done in the nearest future is to go to a dinnerparty at Jim Haynes's. A man who has hosted Sunday dinners at his home in Paris since 30 years ago by now. He has friends and total strangers going to his place to meet and have good time. And eat. The place is ca 15 min away from where I live, in fact, so attendance mandatory.

Here is the Nomad article and here is the host's official website. Anyone who wants to come with me?

The Sunday Dinners

In the early 70s launch with Cathy Sroufe (now Monnet), a Sunday salon chez moi. It is still a major event in my life and takes place, rain or shine, every Sunday evening from 20h00 to 23h00 - except for the two or three weeks in August when I attend the Edinburgh International Festival. People, over the past twenty-five years, come from all corners of the world. 

My City

Boulevard Voltaire, that's what the view was like from my tiny place I used to live.  The lady who lived behind the window, she used to clean her windows once a week, every Saturday morning. 

At the Bir-Hakeim, near the river. 

The view from on top of the Montparnasse, that used to be the tallest building in Paris. The last event , that I know of, what took place there...was the show of Justin Bieber. So, me and him, we have walked the same grounds and shared an elevator in a way. We're so close, maybe we should just get married, right. 

At the Marc Jacobs and Luis Vuitton ex. Went there with Chrishara, we had FB invitations and  it was awesome.  My favourites were the walls of where Marc J gets his inspiration from. Variety of strangeness. Kids shows to classic art pieces and all sorts of  ...everything. 

My Chrish, looking fabulous in a fabulous environment. 

Me and my Chrish

By the river, La Seine, there are different boats in dock, on many of them, people live in all year around. And this here is a little girl having tons of fun on her own private pool area. She was so cute. 

Paris Plages. Well yes, as a daughter of a captain and an islander, I must say I miss seaside. Especially at this time of the year. I misssssss going to the beach. I miss sand. I miss .... This here is the Paris version of beach. 

At the Louxemburg gardens near St Germain. I love it there! Neat!

Routine

As Elias said about 6 month ago, I'm at the point right now where it is no longer a exciting holiday for me here any more. :) ...I mean that before it was wayyyyy more going out to exciting places and doing things you had not done before. And now, more work, less free time ...especially now, when I'm also occupied with my OIC internship...and the times when I actually go out, there is so little of that.

Ok, last week I ended up going to a latin bar at St Michel, which was awesome....all of my dear girlfriends, you come visit me, I'll take you there for a salsa :P
Can you imagine, hot-hot-hot waiters wearing only underwear! :) what a nite it was. ;)

Other than that, recent parties are located at Trocadero, where I work, because you are too tired to go out and it is the cheapest place for drinks! + since the place I work at, there are people working from all over the world and they are usually in town for a certain period of time...6month ...a year or so. Due to that, we have had quite a lot of farewell parties lately - Hilda from Canada, Joss from Monaco, Ditte from Denmark, Ryan from Scotland, Zoe from UK..today is Tabitha's last shift and she'll go back to UK soon and there is more to come... Sad. Yet, I still like it there - Tom from Sidney, Australia is soooooo awesome person, working with him is always a blast. And Francois, one of the few actual French, he's almost as funny as my BFF, but in a more conservative way... a man with few words and only the good few.

Internship is going fine, been lazy lately, but I'm getting myself back together. Posting ad's, communicating with people all over the world, mostly US, but hell yea, still enjoying my time difference- a need to check what time it is at people's to whom I'm calling.
Here is my new footer I use when sending e-mails:

Maria Jogi

Special Assistant to the President

Organization for International Cooperation

100 Conestoga Drive - Building C, Suite 196

Marlton, NJ 08053 USA

Direct Tel 33 682184673

Tel 001856 596 6679

Fax 001856 282 1184

Skype oicworldpeace

Twitter oicworldpeace

http://www.oic-world-peace.org

And that's it. ...oh yea...funny things that have happened to me lately:
a) Climbing the wall of Balzac's museum wall for photos.
b) Paris Plage

hmm...that's it... not so impressive, uh:) Been a long time since my last post and now there is not much to write about either. .... if you wanted to, dear reader, I could write to you about my waitress work or internship...more closely- just let me know. I just figured it is not interesting enough.

And I will upload some of my awesome shoots....I still do take photos.

Ding-Dong. Chrishara is here. We'll do nails, eat, watch a movie and catch up. Haven't seen her either .......for a looooong time....now when I think about it, it was after I got back from Est, when I last saw her...

That reminds me that I haven't really written anything about my trip to est either.... I really need to get myself together, right!!!

Love.

28+1

I met one 3-year old and 5-year old american girls today, besides being the cutest things ever....they could say "thank you" in 28+1 different languages.and the +1 is Estonian, as "aitäh!" from now on :)

I was impressed! What a cute talent, uh! :)