Paris Day 3 - Drama at the Eiffel Tower

The lovely Eiffel taken just below the structure

On the 20th July,while my wife was shopping, I went to catch a glimpse of Paris' most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower.
As I approached the tower from the Metro, there were many vendors of different origins, I imagine they must be immigrants from the past colonies. Algeria,Senegal,French Guinea and Vietnam spring to mind. The most prevalent were the African vendors probably from Senegal, selling all kinds of trinkets from small Eiffel keychains to silk scarves.


His countrymen are screaming but as more police and reinforcements come up,they back off.

At the foot of the Eiffel, I am reminded that this structure was once given to America as a gift between the French and American Governments and it is now back at its rightful place. Seeing the thousands of tourists there, I decided to take snaps of the Eiffel from various angles just for fun. At the base of the Eiffel, I milled with many photographers and tourists who were queueing to buy tickets to either take the elevators to the 1stbase, 2nd section or the top. There was the presence of armed soldiers - special operations weapons specialists who were patrolling the place to deter any suspected terrorists or any people causing trouble. Some were on foot and some were on bicycles, a smart thing given that there are masses of people in close proximity and a home made bomb or detonating device can cause massive collateral damage. So the need for heightened vigilance.


A second vendor is arrested while the first guy is still wrestled on the ground - all this in full view of about 2,000 tourists just standing metres away

Suddenly, without warning, I heard shouting and the soldiers made a beeline for someone, before I know it, 2 soldiiers wrestle a Senegalese vendor to the ground and pin him there. What I didn't expect next was that, in a flash, ALL the Senegal vendors started screaming and became very hostile swinging their goods and taunting the soldiers.There was a tense standoff and I, bouyed by my karate training and slight sense of bravado, started taking pictures barely 10 feet away of the standoff. All this in front of thousands of tourists and onlookers !


Verbal taunts and tense situation with army people with submachineguns

There a few pushes and staring going on and the vedors told some tourists to backoff. Police reinforcements started filtering in - seems like they were prepared for this kind of situation on a regular basis. The vendors got really angry and one guy who shoved the policeman got caught and was handcuffed.


Suddenly about 20 vendors start to faceoff with the army

The rest of them started to shout and curse and the police came in in droves. The Senegalses started to back away and made a hasty retrest,but you could see the killer stares. Calm was restored and the Eiffel looked as resplendent as ever in the morning Sun.


A Senegalese vendor is wresteld to the ground by 2 army personnel, he had stolen something

It was going to be a lovely day.More of that in a later blog.

Paris Day 2 - Shopping

Outside Rue St Honore, Chanel Store

It is many ladies dream all over the world to buy branded goods and the 'best of the best' places to shop in terms of quality, price (yes price unbelievably), service and for the latest fashion accessories, the chic women, the tai tais, the supermodels, the film stars (men and women) all flock to Paris. Make no mistake. This is the centre of high fashion. I followed my wife shopping and the experience is quite underwhelming, to be frank. I was half expecting people to be bowing at us (like in Tokyo) or salesgirls who run and are familiar with all the models of bags, shoes and purses. On the contrary, the service provided by some boutique shops was (according to my wife) substandard. Salesgirls were poor in their product knowledge, whether they had stock of that make of bag, or in the colours she requested. They were not arrogant, although one store (I won't name) was quite high handed in stating that they 'never' have a sale.




Louis Vuitton Store Display with the Summer Collection 2009

We visited Chanel, Balenciaga, Hermes, Givenchy and Ferragamo. On the whole the service was reasonably good although I had heard for 'high end shoppers' they would serve champagne but we were probably looking like middle class tourists just window shopping. There were several good 'buys' which compared to Singapore shops, the savings were as much as 30% even without the summer sales.




101 Ave de Champs Elysee - Home of Louis Vuitton Flagship store

One thing I noticed, the gay men in Paris dress very very fashionably. There was one very dashing looking fellow, he looked about 6 foor tall and had his tie undone,with a full suit and hair coiffered. Of course he had a 5 oclock shadow (unshaven chin) and I thought "wow, this guy is cool". He spoke very stylishly and as he showed my wife and I down the stairs to the basement for more items, he 'galeked' or walked very daintily with his limp wrist sticking out like carrying a tray ! I was quite speechless. There are some handbags which the gay men like to carry and Chanel and Hermes caters to their gay clientele.



Typical Parisian Street

Many tourists make a beeline for LV as it is most distinctive but spare a thaought for the more humble Department Stores such as Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. I bought a pair of Tiger (former name of ASICS) for EUR 95 (S$ 200) and Zegna shirt for EUR 160 (S$ 320). Not cheap and there is a tourist VAT of 17.5% on top, which can be claimed at either the airport or at the store itself. The thing is, Paris shopping is tops for quality, variety and of course genuineness. No one will dream of an imitation whatever here. The truly discerning shopper can tell the difference in the clot, cutting,the design and colour and 'how well put together it is'. No pasar malam clothes shopping here.

The shopping never ends and the dreams of many women the world over are satisfied in Paris.

Paris Day 2 - Jardin (Garden) du Tuileries

I bought an oil painting of the Arc de Triumph from Mr. Akhbas, a Turk

After a full nights rest, we decided to check out the shops at the Champs Elysee as well as George V and Rue de Royal. All these are the dreams of many women, because the latest, fashion clothes, apparel like handbags, shoes and scarves are all in Paris. My wife had checked out all the locations of the shops 2 weeks in advance and also the Metro (subway) lines to get to
them. The list of the 'A' list shops are Balenciaga, Chanel (2 shops), Hermes (2 shops), Louis Vuitton, Prada. More of these in a later blog.


Lazing by the fountain in the Gardens - the weather is a perfect 21 deg C and sunny with occasional clouds

In the afternoon, we went to the Jardin du Tuileries which is the main garden within Paris. It covers about 5 football fields in length and is framed by the Concorde on one end and the Louvre Museum on the other.Everyday, when the whether permits, literally ten thousand or more tourists from all over the world descend and wlak through its gardens. I must warn that Paris is a place where they love their dogs and don't eat them (!), so care must be taken not to walk over the dog droppings.

I am glad to say that on 2 consecutive mornings,I ran 5 km and 8 km respectively in the Touleries Gardens and was surprised to see Singaporean (a lady with my Army half-marathon T shirt) and another Caucasian chap with the Merlion T -shirt runners among them. Truly, Singaporeans are very well travelled even though we may only have 4.5 million population.


This waiter, Pierre, wanted to be in the picture so... 3 in the photo !

During the walk in the Gardens, we had a cup of coffee in the same cafe my wife and I had 16 years ago when we were newly weds, so this is a second honeymoon of sorts ! My thinking has matured when I was last here and my expectations of myself as well as the places I visit are now more exacting so the conclusion I came to after just 2 - 3 days staying here is this
as shown below. We also lazed by the fountains which resembled a huge swimming pool but the weather was a perfect 21 deg C so much so that many people were lazing around because it was so pleasant. I cannot say the same for any place in South East Asia.


Having a coffee in the afternoon in summer,in the Gardens of Tuileries

Parisians in general are well groomed and stylish and the French language is very smooth sounding to the foreign ear. On top of that, with almost 1500 years of history and culture in the past, they have many great achievements and are proud of those achievements. However, as a modern city, it is quite backward in the sense that the infrastructure like the airports,the Metro, the buses and even the traffic systems are all 3rd world so much so that many newly industrialised countries like Singapore,Malaysia,Taiwan,South Korea have newer, far efficient (and less dirty and grafitti filled) infrasrtucture,people movers and and make a greater impression so much so that I believe that this Millenium truly belongs to Asia.

Paris 1 - Place du Concorde

The Obelisk at the Place du Concorde

Taking a short holiday from work is never easy but I managed to squeeze an 8 day personal visit to Paris and Budapest with my wife,May. Time was of the essence as we have 2 teenage and near teeange boys who can get into a whole lot of trouble if they are not supervised even for a day. Thankfully, we have the family support from my brother's family who live next door and my mother who lives 5 minutes away by car. The first day after catching the 'red eye' or overnight flight by Air France was spent checking into our hotel in the Marais district (4) near to the Metro station, Hotel de Ville. When we arrived, we were quite surprised to see that although France is a developed country, it has not progressed in developing many of the facilities for the elderly like ramps, lifts, to accomodate the less mobile who will be on wheelchairs or using walking aids like crutches and walking sticks. Many travelators and trains had wide gaps and if not careful people could and often do fall into these gaps and cause serious injury or death. So within the first half hour, we were moving around finding - with all our heavy luggage -

a) places to change coins for the RER trains (overground)
b) Metro stations leading to our hotel
c) day passes and Metro lines to take (there are 15 !)

Filth, such as rubbish, graffiti,lots of stairs and non- working escalators were all there as we attempted to make our way to the hotel in the heart if the city. It took us about 1 hour about 20 EUROs, cheaper than taking the taxi which would cost about 50 EUROs.

So in my opinion, many developing countries like Malaysia are even far ahead in their hardware infrastructure aspect.


Outside the Hotel de Ville, now a museum.

Once we reached the hotel, which we booked via Internet, we left our luggage and decided to view this famous city of Lights.
Our first stop was the Hotel de Ville, just 5 minutes from our hotel. Now a musuem, it has the Metro station - one of the oldest in Western Europe - after its name.


Place du Concorde with the Obelisk and the Eiffel in the distance

We took the Metro (underground) to the Place de la Concorde, so named to honour the past Concords or Agreements with foreign countries, and there is the famous Obelisk, a gift from Egypt in 1833 to France. The Obelisk with its hyroglyphics still intact symbolisies the warm friendships both countries have had over the centuries. The Place was also the location of many coronations of kings (namely Louis XV) and the beheadings of kings too such as King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Elisabeth etc. This was during the time of the famous French Revolution. At its height, the Revolutionaries beheaded up to 1,300 people PER MONTH after they were identified as imperialists.



Jacques Hittorf's Fountain at the Place du Concorde

The cloudy day did not deter the thousands of tourists at the Concorde or the nearby Jardins de Touleries or Tuuleries Gardens where I ran for 5 km each morning for 2 mornings just to catch the 'air of Paris'. In the early morning, when the city is stripped of its romanticism is where I can take a hard and critical look at its core - while running. The runs gave me a fresh insight of this city which is actually a 3rd world in quality. Dirty, Unkempt and alot of history and baggage tied to it.



Outside Chanel Boutique Shop at Rue St Honore, Paris

Later on in the day we went to Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vitton shops situated at the Rue de Champs Elysee. The mother of all the latest and most modern fashion in the world lies in Paris and the street is the Rue de Champs Elysee. Every star in Hollywood has been to this street make no mistake about that.


My wife, May, with her Croque Monsuier, ham and cheese toast French style

Finally, a post on French food, the Croque Monsuier is a basic Ham and Cheese toast but it did put a smile on my wife's face !

Cricket Club Lunch Treat by My Mother 6 June 2009

My mother Anna Abisheganaden bought my family a nice lunch at the Singapore Cricket Club next to the famous Padang in downtown Civic District. She turns 79 this year and is still a very feisty and active Senior Citizen. Born in 1930, she worked in the Ministry of Health serving 4 Permanent Secretaries up till the day she retired some 10 odd years ago. She has instilled in me that sports is able to develop one's character and the many values which good sportsmen have can be applied to our working and business life.



Though she did not earn as much as my father, she managed to invest their joint income in properties in Singapore and overseas in countries such as Australia, Perth, London UK and even United States. Ever the street smart lady, she had the input of many successful lawyers,doctors and banker friends who advised her on making the correct purchases at the right time.
With the double increment of net house price increase and rental, her portfolio was pretty successful. She and my father would join several Clubs in Singapore such as the NUSS, the Cricket Club and the Singapore Swimming Club all of which I am and will be a member soon.

Noel after finishing off his Chicken Rice 

"Who dares wins" is a motto which my mother would ascribe to as her philosophy in business investment. It pretty much sums up her life as she has never been one to shy away from trying new and novel things. When she was in her forties, she was very active in the Singapore Swimming Club at Tanjong Rhu, taking an active interest in ensuring that my brother and I had rigorous swimming training. She religiously brought us to the Club at least 3 to 4 times a week after school and even on Sunday,much to my father's dismay - he wanted us to attend Church. Later on in life,after my swimming days were over, I went on to attend the service at the Saint Andrew's Cathedral at Coleman Street.

My Mother Anna Abisheganaden - a great inspiration to me.

She belongs to that generation who survived the Second World War and made tremendous sacrifices for her children.I feel truly privileged to be her son and will take on her motto in my quest for business success as well as in life.

Delicious Local Food in Coffee Shop-My Cosy Corner

The Humble Signage of My Favourite Eatery

Tucked away on the 2nd Floor of Coronation Plaza,next to the Coronation Clinic, is this gem of a food haven which has been in operation for perhaps 20 years now. Operated by Mr. Leong and his family, the devout Christian owner (his shop has Catholic artifacts and Christian Music piped in continuously) manages to dish out many very tasty Peranakan dishes from his late Aunt and has attracted a full to overflowing crowd every lunchtime. I try to eat there before 12pm or after 2pm else there is always a long wait. The dishes which I highly recommend are :

a) Mee Siam
b) Poh Piah
c) Mee Rebus
d) Pie Tie
e) Cod Fish Ramen


Andrew and his Favourite Snack
The Poh Piah is a favourite amongst the young and not so young alike. I personally like the Pie Tie and the Mee Siam which is a Peranakan favourite dish with special chilli belacan as condiment and the fried shallots for flavouring.


Poh Piah
One of the 'top 3' Poh Piahs made in Singapore,as rated by Life Food Editor in 2006. The popiah skin is kept airtight in a container and the Poh Piah is handmade by the Leong Family who run this small coffee shop which is a favourite with the neighbourhood College students (Hwa Chong,NJC), school students (St Margerets and SCGS) as well as working people like me and well heeled people from the neighbourhood. Price per Poh Piah : $2.20 is high but the flavour is slightly sweet and the ingredients like turnip and fish skin are very fresh.



Kueh Pie Tie

The Bangkwang (turnip) is slightly sweet and the pie tie filling is kept crunchy by sealing in an airtight box.Each serving comes with a slice of boiled egg and freshly ground chilli paste and parsely as garnish.

No Place Like Home

Books next to my bed

Its almost midnight, Tuesday 9th June and I have had an exhausting day in Kuala Lumpur meeting with 5 different groups of people for negotiations and working lunch. The pace has not slackened since I started my business,except that with more staff on board, things have to move at a quicker pace and higher goals to achieve sales numbers year on year.



As I chill out at the small open space outside my home, I ponder when the worldwide economic crisis will end and growth will finally come to our countries and what will be the engines which drive the world economy. We have had the Internet, the dot com boom and bust, the Asian Recovery and since September last year. Things have been on a virtual drop in economic growth,export numbers, visitor arrivals as well as tonnage shipped by air or by sea.


Andrew with his Famous Five Book

When I reach home, I am comforted that it is my refuge from the dog-eat-dog world and can forget about the troubles and pressures of work. The sight of my family and the warmth of the house is one which I remind myself that I must treasure for a long time.



Watching Prison Break

Small squabbles between the boys like who gets to use the TV remote and home PC are now taking centre-stage.They have finished their assigned homework today and can use some computer time. As the grow up and mature to be young men, I remind myself to Seize the Day and spend as much time with them in their growing years which will encompass many challenges,setbacks, joys, sorrows and excitement.


I am back and home and there is no place like it in the world for me. :)