Utah Beach

29 01 2009

In this beach, the Americans arrived to liberate Europe on June 6, 1944. First wave includes Theodore Roosevelt Junior – the former Governor General of the Philippines. J.D. Salinger also landed on this beach.

Utah Beach

Utah Beach

This is the landing craft infantry – where soldiers passed from ship to land.

Landing Craft Infantry

Landing Craft Infantry

These steel obstacles used to be underwater during high tide – it would surely mess up a ship landing. If low tide, it would be impossible for a tank to pass by.

obstacles

obstacles

Amazing how the French preserve history by keeping artifacts like this US tank.

US Tank

US Tank

Several direction plates indicate how far the city is from this point.

Direction Plate

Direction Plate

Sunset at Utah Beach – too bad it was on the opposite of the beach. But sunrises here are truly beautiful.

Sunset

Sunset

Utah Beach

Utah Beach


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Sleep Paralysis?

26 01 2009

Lately, I feel like I’ve been experiencing sleep paralysis more often. I used to experience it once or twice a year, but these past few days is crazy – I even experienced it while sleeping in the car (in a very odd position – my neck was dangerously leaning on my left shoulder).

We spent the weekend in Alsace with BF’s parents. Saturday night, we saw Revolutionary Road, had drinks in Strasbourg and then went home and slept. Parents were out in a party – it was 1AM and it was beginning to look like we were the parents – in bed after midnight, waiting up for the kids to arrive.

I began to drift into sleep although I knew I wasn’t in so deep…yet. Suddenly, the door of the room opened. BF’s mom checking in? She approached the two of us, looked how peacefully we were sleeping – our bodies intertwined. She gave each of us a kiss and then suddenly, she laid down on top of me. I could feel her weight. Except that it wasn’t the mom anymore. It was a different person now. I couldn’t see the person anymore, but I could feel his heavy weight pressing down on my body.

My neck began to feel tickling sensations and I wanted to move, but my body refused to follow my mind. I tried to move my arms, but it was hopeless. It was just resting on top of my bf’s torso. My right leg was still and panic began to build up inside of me as the tickling sensation in my neck continued, the weight of the person on me was getting heavier and heavier as each passing second turned into minutes. I was in a panic – though I knew  it would pass. I kept remembering that bf’s room used to be a chapel that held masses for people. I couldn’t help but think that maybe they had rituals here as well – sacrifices, chantings, offerings. I shivered in my sleep.

Suddenly, my eyes opened. I called bf’s name. He woke up – I woke up. 3AM. I moved my body and exchanged places with him. I wrapped the blanket all over me and tried hard not to fall asleep again. I heard the door open in the hallway. Parents arrived. Footsteps. Voices. They’re here, finally. I was relieved. I wasn’t dreaming anymore. I drifted to sleep again and then when I woke up again – it was lunchtime.


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Ripoff Report

23 01 2009

Why do I need to have my birth certificate translated in French? Is it so hard to understand the English version?

These were the questions running in my mind when the securitie sociale won’t accept my very own BC.

Found one translator over the internet after the Philippine Embassy denied my request. Cost 40 euros for normal translation but 50 euros if it’s a Philippine BC – too long to translate. It will take 3 days at least. Fine – better than the 80 euros I saw on my previous googling.

Went to the translator’s office somewhere in Mirabeau – the building was pleasant, but the translator wouldn’t even sit us in her office. Not even an offer to give us a glass of water? I was dying of thirst. We discussed the entire time behind the entrance door – standing. I see there was a pram beside the plant in the corner of the big apartment, office (?) – honestly don’t know where I was. At least the plant was real, or wasn’t it?

Anyway, she told me that my BC is fake. Seriously? I spent an hour falling in line in the Makati NSO to get that authenticated BC. She insisted that she knows how a Philippine BC looks like. That’s weird – coz she’s French. Again, I was firm and told her to just translate it – my authenticated BC. She read it and told me the writings were not clear. I gave her my mobile just in case she really needed my help. She asked us to pay the 50 euros then and there – in cash – coz she doesn’t have a card reader. Fine. Ran across the street to get some cash.

Two days after, she called me and told me to write all the questions (or type it in Word) written in my BC and send her via email. So I did. She gave me her wrong email address even after I confirmed and repeated and spelled her address to her. The mail kept bouncing back and I gave up and looked for her website. It was completely faux – the one she gave me. I emailed it to her. The day after, I got my BC but she was in a rush again so she handed me the BC in the entrance this time. She didn’t even let us in.

I saw the stamp that ok, she was a trusted translator blah blah. When I read it, some of the details were all wrong and she used my template! She didn’t even translate Manila to Manille. And one question remained in English – If twin or triplet, was child: First, Second, Last?

Crap! I was robbed. But at least, the Securitie Sociale accepted it – didn’t even read it. Just asked if it was in French.

On Submitting my Documents to the Social Security:

Everything was complete – BC, check; last payslip, check; photocopy of passport and recepisse, check; proof of address, check; bank details, check; the paperwork – filled it up, check; that was it.

I will receive my social security number after one month of processing – by mail. According to the pretty rude guy who processed my papers, Santa Claus does not exist and it’s not so easy anymore to get a number in one day. Hated him so much – as if I ain’t working my ass off here. I forgot to give him the URSSAF – returned the next day and according to another kinda rude girl there, is a completely useless paper – but which according to our accountant, is important. She’s pressuring me for the number already!

Still, I have to wait a month. I won’t count the days.


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My Visite Medical

21 01 2009

I took a leave of absence from work this Monday for my visite medical. I went to the ANAEM in Strasbourg and I was surprised by how fast the procedure was. I read in some blogs that there are too many people in Lyon or Paris – so I’m glad I got to do mine in Strasbourg.

I was there a little after 8.30 – I think I was 6 minutes late. I was the 3rd in line to give my passport, recepisse, and convocation. I was a little bit nervous at first because I didn’t have the carnet medical (book of my vaccinations since I was a baby). I never really thought of bringing it. Since I had my dengue fever when I was 17, I’ve never been sick after that – not even a cold. I think I’m pretty healthy – I played a lot outside when I was a kid and I guess I got all the good germs. Well, not having the book wasn’t a problem at all – they didn’t look for any medical records!

I waited for my name to be called in the reception area. First step is to have my lungs examined. I didn’t have to wait long and was finally inside the x-ray room, well – almost. The girl told me to lock the door behind me and to remove my clothes from waist up. I was so surprised to see her close and lock another door in front of me – I was inside a very small box-like room! So anyway, I was waiting there for 3 minutes – naked from the waist up, wondering if I made a mistake – putting my arms in front of me to cover myself just in case someone comes in. I tried to open the door to the x-ray room and it was locked. I made sure the other door leading to the reception was locked as well.

Finally, the door to the x-ray room opened and I was relieved. She took a chest x-ray and then told me to dress up after and go back to the waiting area and wait for the eye checkup. Medical gowns here are not in style.

Anyway, during my eye checkup (I had my contacts on the whole time!) – I failed to read the smallest of letters when I covered  my right eye. I thought it was over for me – but finally it was OK when I told the girl who checked my vision that I will see an eye doctor this Saturday (which is true). She then gave me information on what to watch out for to avoid HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C. Basically, avoid sharing needles, razors, nailcutters, etc. with other people and be safe when getting a tattoo or a piercing.

After that, a doctor talked to me and then gave me my medical certificate. He also took my blood pressure and asked me if I smoke. My blood pressure was normal and then he gave me the certificate stating that I was healthy. I had to ask him if my lungs are OK – and all is ok. All those years of smoking and it didn’t ruin my lungs – I was relieved.

So well, that was it. It was not complicated at all and it was a very informal medical examination.

The doctor told me to wait for a letter from the prefecture so I can get my carte de sejour. They will be the one to submit the certificate to the prefecture and I was told that I could go home already.

I still wonder if I have to pay the 275 euros timbre fiscal in my convocation. I heard you can buy this in TABAC stores – maybe when I get the carte de sejour (which is within the week) – I guess I’ll find out then.

By the way, my first carte de sejour will be for a duration of 3 years because it’s the carte de sejour competences et talents – i saw this in the recepisse and once again, I’m relieved. Don’t have to do the renew process next year.


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Choose your Own Style

16 01 2009

8 months ago, a friend told me about a website on how you can create your own fashion sets. I signed up for Polyvore (the site), but completely forgot about it until now. In 1 hour, I have made 2 sets.

Now, I’m not a good designer like Jela – but I know how to dress without looking like an overdecorated Christmas tree. My style is more simple, but I wish I can experiment more with bright colors. Well, there’s time and patience.

Please check out my design sets. Your comments will be greatly appreciated.

Below is an example of one of the design sets that I created. Click the photo for more details on the clothes!

TGIF
TGIF by timi_sace


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Inside the Dead Man’s Corner

15 01 2009

It wasn’t a good time for museum hopping when we went to Normandy. We visited only 2 – because everything was closed (even some restaurants and most of the hotels). But it was nice as well because it was quiet and calm.

As I said before in my last post, we went to the Dead Man’s Corner Museum in located between Carentan and Saint-Côme-du-Mont. It was really interesting but in my opinion, the entrance fee was overpriced. We paid 5.90 euros per person and spent less than one hour inside before going to Utah Beach.

This museum opened in June 2004, showing the story of American airborne forces who were parachuting onto the Carentan peninsula during the D day and the German airborne troops who faced them. The actual house itself was featured during the war.

Plaque

Plaque

These soldier mannequins are from the 6 Fallschirmjäger Rgt of the German Army that were based in Carentan.

Dead Man's Corner

Dead Man's Corner

During the war, a German doctor operated on the wounded. There are some American soldiers as well who were operated by the German doctor in this corner house. I forgot the name of the doctor, but it was written in the description of this setup.

wounded

wounded

Below are gears and uniform used by Band of Brothers’ Major Richard Winters during the D-day.

Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers

George Dickson’s lucky helmet – he recalled he was hit twice in the helmet but he was never hurt. Because of this, he wore this helmet the whole time during the war. There is also a snapshot of Dickson included in the paraphernalia set.

Lucky helmet of George "Birdlegs" Dickson

Lucky helmet of George "Birdlegs" Dickson

These artifacts belonged to Captain Francis Libby – Liberatori Company Commander and Lt. Roy Barnes – Assistant Platoon Leader. The Nazi flag was captured by Dickson in Carentan. Some of the US troops signed the flag and indicated the state and the city where they come from.

D-day gear

D-day gear

I was surprised when I looked up and there are soldier mannequins in the attic.

Soldiers in the attic

Soldiers in the attic

After less than one hour of exploring the small museum (they do have a store that sells military gear) – we headed to Utah Beach – where several American troops landed, including the famous Theodore Roosevelt and one of my favorite authors, J.D. Salinger.

Going to Utah Beach

Going to Utah Beach


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D-Day and Beyond

13 01 2009

We went to Normandy last weekend to visit the memorials and museums and places where the liberation of Europe began during the WW2. In the region of Basse-Normandie, our exploration began. Driving 2.5 hours from Paris was a breeze (slept the whole time) and before I knew it, we were entering the department of Calvados. We stayed in a very lovely hotel in Arromanche – where the British landed and artificial piers were built

I won’t go discussing the whole liberation of France, but I will try to explain clearly how some places were significant through these photographs. This is just the first day of our trip (not including the evening). We were blessed with a bright and sunny weather and a plus 8 degrees celsius temperature.

First off, this is the hotel Normandie – where we stayed for a night and the best room was given to us. It was low season and we were the only guests of the hotel! The view was spectacular. Gold Beach lays in front of us and we watched the sun went up from the 2nd floor (try to count in French – it’s actually the 3rd floor if you count in Philippine manner) of the colombage area.

Hotel Normandie

Hotel Normandie

The British entered Normandy by reaching Gold Beach by ship. This is also where one of the Mulberry harbors (code name for the used for the artificial harbors) had been deployed to offload cargo during the Allied invasion. A complete Mulberry harbor was constructed out of 600,000 tons of concrete between 33 jetties, and had 10 miles (15 km) of floating roadways to land men and vehicles on the beach. The beaches of Normandy don’t have harbors so the allies brought the harbor to the beach. Genius!

Gold Beach

Gold Beach

Beautiful Normandy

Beautiful Normandy

Built in the first few months of 1944 by the Germans, the naval battery at Longues was equipped with four 150-mm guns and a range-finding post embedded in the cliff face perfect for firing in the Omaha and Gold Beach areas.

Batterie des longues

Batterie des longues

When the allies began parachuting in Normandy, they did not intend to land on Saint-Mere-Eglise, but due to the Germans shooting at the air crafts, some of the troops were landing here in this area – a big mistake! The village was full of German troops!. One man got his parachute trapped and he was left hanging on a church tower. A German soldier shoot at him and he pretended to be dead. He saw all his friends killed and he lost his hearing because the church bells were too loud for him as he was hanging there for 2-3 hours. See the soldier hanging by the tower? That’s a tribute to the soldier who was trapped there during the D-day.

Saint-Mere-Eglise

Saint-Mere-Eglise

From the website http://www.paratrooper-museum.org/about_dmc.html On June 8th, from hedgerow to hedgerow, through field after field, then onto the road and on into town, fierce fighting raged as the Eagle troopers swept into the streets of St. Come-du-Mont. As the first American tank reached this intersection and drove toward Carentan, it was struck in the turret by a German rocket. The tank was disabled and the commander was killed. For several days thereafter, the hull remained abandoned at the intersection, with the dead lieutenant hanging out of the turret. The paratroopers at first referred to ‘the corner with the dead guy in the tank’, but soon shortened it to ‘Dead Man’s Corner’, by which name it will always be remembered.

Dead Man's Corner

Dead Man's Corner

Last one for this post is a photograph of several cows. Well, Normandy is famous for its local cheese – Camembert – because they have good cows, healthy cows, and furry cows. :)

Cows of Normandy

Cows of Normandy

More photos to come very soon!


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C’est Moi!

7 01 2009

Love this caricature. My signature hairstyle – even if I cut it short a few months back (but it’s growing now), the bangs always have to be swept sideways. And seriously lovin’ the earrings!

Timi

Courtesy of Call Center Boy – he made some very cool caricature in his “Friends” section.

Kept seeing his so-called drawings before at work, but never really believed it was his – til he launched his blog :P

Check out the comic strips and follow the story of Eddie boy and his work and life in the call center biz.


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Some Photos that Changed the World and Moved Me

6 01 2009

As I was browsing in the Internet for some photos of Normandy, I came across a very interesting website that really caught my interest. It was about photos that changed the world. I selected 10 photos that moved me and decided to share it to everyone :)

Photo 1: Omaha Beach

American troops landed in Omaha Beach and fought with other allied countries to liberate France from Germany during the D-day (6 June 1944). Known as Bloody Omaha due to the fact that most of the casualties during the D-day suffered and died here.

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Photo 2: Power of One

This is a photo by Oded Balility that won the Pulitzer Prize. A Jewish settler resisting Israel’s security forces when conflicts between Palestine and Israel erupted as authorities cleared the West Bank settlement outpost of Amona, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, on Feb. 1, 2006.

lonewoman

one woman resisting Israel's security forces

Photo 3: A 5-year old mother

Lina Medina, born in Peru, gave birth to her first child when she was five years old. She is the first known case of precocious pregnancy. Her puberty started early and at 8 months old, she was already menstruating. Lina is now 74, married, and is living in Peru.

Five Year Old Child Pregnant

Five Year Old Child Pregnant

Photo 4: Ice Storm in Geneva, Switzerland

OK, this photo didn’t really change the world, but it awed me. It is simply amazing to see something like this. The storm happened on the 27th of January, 2005. A temperature that was ranging between -8° and -12° Celsius plus very strong winds caused the waves to pass over the dikes – everything the water touched turned into ice.

Ice storm in Geneva, Switzerland

Ice storm in Geneva, Switzerland

Photo 5: The Falling Man

A jumper during the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack. The falling man seems to me more like he’s flying with ease and grace. This is really heartbreaking – so much innocent people died during the 9-11 attack.

Flying Man?

Flying Man?

Photo 6: The Buchenwald Concentration Camp

Although Buchenwald technically was not an extermination camp, so many Jews, Poles, political prisoners, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah’s Witnesses, religious prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, and prisoners of war (POWs) died here. Among the prisoners were also writers, doctors, artists, former nobility, and an Italian Princess. The camp was one of the largest that existed in Nazi Germany.

Buchenwald camp

Buchenwald camp

Photo 7: The Kiss at Times Square

Make love, not war. End of World War II in US cities – everybody went to the streets to celebrate the end of the war. Everybody was united with everybody. This picture shows a sailor kissing a young nurse in Times Square. Actually, the sailor was kissing every girl he saw and encountered. This kiss earned him a slap from the nurse he just smooched.

Kiss at Times Square By Alfred Eisenstaedt

Kiss at Times Square By Alfred Eisenstaedt

Photo 8: Asian Tsunami Disaster

The tsunami that struck Thailand after Christmas of 2004 left several people dead and without family. The damage was so great and several countries unified to help the victims of the tsunami.

Dead bodies during the Tsunami catastrophe

Dead bodies during the Tsunami catastrophe

Photo 9: Nagasaki Mushroom Cloud

This is the picture of the “mushroom cloud” showing the enormous quantity of energy. The first atomic bomb that was released on the 6th of August, 1945 in Hiroshima (Japan) killed approximately 80,000 people. Another bomb was released 3 days after in Nagasaki. The effects of the second bomb were even more devastating – around 150,000 people were killed and injured.The powerful wind, the extremely high temperature, and radiation caused enormous long term damage.

Nagasaki, Japan

Nagasaki, Japan

Photo 10: The Child Vulture

One of the effects of poverty in Africa is this photo – a Sudanese child being stalked by the vulture behind him. Obviously, the child was starving to death, and the vulture was just there – patiently waiting for the child to die so he can have a feastl.

Child Vulture

Child Vulture

There are so much more in the site that touched my heart – a special mention of which is the murder of Emmett Till – a young, African American from Chicago who was murdered in Money, Mississipi in 1955. The funeral of Emmett Till became public, with an open casket that showed how brutally he was murdered.  He was beaten up so bad that his face became disfigured and unrecognizable – his eye had been gouged out, before he was shot through the head and thrown into the Tallahatchie River with a 75-pound cotton gin fan tied to his neck with barbed wire. All because Emmett Till was spotted flirting with a white girl in Mississipi – where many lynchings happened during the 19th and 20th century to retain and enforce the so-called “white supremacy”.

There were many versions of what actually transpired that night. Some accounts say that Till was dared by one of the other boys to flirt with the 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant; Till wolf whistled at Bryant; others say he grabbed her hand and asked her for a date; still others say that he said “Bye, baby” as he left the store.

Anyway, I’m signing off. Hope the photos I shared enlightened some people. Let history be a lesson to all of us. Never forget.

Note: Photos taken from the site http://photosthatchangedtheworld.com


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Welcome to France, New Year’s Eve 2009

2 01 2009

Happy new year to all!

My first time away from home during the New Year.  The traditions here are different from the one I had in Manila, but nevertheless, I had fun. We didn’t have the midnight dinner like we usually do in Manila. Last year, I was in Somerset with my family watching the fireworks in the rooftop of the hotel brought to you by Ayala. And then ate the buffet that was laid out in the long table of our room. This year, we were lighting our own fireworks and we were drinking champagne. BF’s cousin had 2 glasses of champagne – and he was only 11! I had 2 full glasses and I was immediately red and tipsy.

Anyway, what really got me was the car burning in the big cities of France. I didn’t really give this much thought last year when BF told me about it, but after watching the news yesterday morning, it bothered me a lot – especially when I read somewhere that Strasbourg is the home of the car burning fanatics.

New Year’s Eve 2009 – The interior ministry of France said that 1,147 cars were burned down, but journalists stuck to only 450. If the numbers were actually 1,147 – then the percentage of the car burning went up to 300% from last year. This year, the area that was most affected was in a Northern suburb of Paris – the Seine-Saint-Denis region. Strasbourg had around 50 cars burning during the eve of New Year.

Why do people do this? I have read so much stuff on this car burning incident or “tradition” (whatever) – I found some forums that say that it was immigrants who mostly burn down cars – because they feel left out of mainstream French society. According to Michel Wievorka, a French sociologist who studied the phenomenon, the whole thing is easy to understand – Set a fire, the whole world watches you. It calls the attention of the media, and when the media comes, the government follows. Hmm – quite true. I imagine that if someone does this in the Philippines, the owner of a burned car may hunt down the burnee and kick his ass.

It’s really sad – especially for those people who had invested a lot in their cars and treated these cars like their babies and then just found them burning at the start of 2009.

I found a really good article, explaining the difference of immigration and cultural integration between France and America. The title of the article is “You Shouldn’t Have to Burn Cars to Get a Better Life”.

Of course, the burned hands during the New Year’s eve in Manila bothers me as well – and the stray bullets that usually kill innocent people – and even children sleeping peacefully are sometimes victims. I grew up scared of playing with firecrackers – my dad never failed to remind us about the dangers and consequences of firecrackers by switching the TV and watching the news – showing us all those people who were hurt due to careless handling of fireworks. Some were simply victims walking along the street and stepping on an unlit firecracker that suddenly exploded.

I just hope the year 2009 will be better – peace, love, and hope to everyone!


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