City of Love

Ahhh PARIS, the city of love.

Every girl's fantasy city.

The Chanel bags, the Eiffel Tower, the baguettes, what's not to love?

The rain sure didn't stop the tourists from wanting to get their portraits done from local Parisian Artists.

The crowd enjoying a little musical entertainment while overlooking the city of Paris.

Arrived in Paris on the day of their National holiday. I patiently waited for the annual fireworks to start. This was as close as I got....

A little taste of the French National Holiday Fireworks......

View of the Eiffel Tower from my river cruise....

Shopping on the famous Champs-Élysées. I passed by Louis Vuitton, and wow! look at the line up!

Paris was definitely a fascinating city, great views, beautiful architecture, and even yummier food. However, as a first time visitor to Paris, I did not feel very welcomed by its people. Some Parisians were genuinely nice, however many were not very friendly. Many refused to speak English and were very snobby. Perhaps it's my fault, I should have remembered most of my French from high school ( big regret!).

Tourists can easily be taken advantage of by cab drivers too. One too many shopping bags, and you become an easy target on the streets or in the cab. If we did not have a local traveling with us, we would have been scammed easily by one cab driver who insisted on over charging our cab fare because of our extra "luggages" (our shopping bags). However, another cab driver we later met was more than friendly, and when we offered extra for his services, he even refused! We took comfort in knowing that there were still nice people around.

I don't know if it was generally over crowded during summer months, because of the national holiday, but the city was extremely dirty when I was visiting. Everything looked so beautiful above eye level, but when you looked down, there was always garbage everywhere. There were also no public washrooms in Paris, so many times walking through the subway or the streets it would reek of pee. Not exactly a Paris delight.

All in all it was quite an unforgettable experience. I would still love to revisit France and explore the country more. There is always so much to see and too little time/or too little money! lol

Summer in Japan

I'm currently on a trip visiting different countries in Asia.
First Stop: JAPAN!

Japan is one of my favorite-est places to shop... I have always felt that Japan is an extremely fashion forward country.

The Japanese aren't afraid to wear whatever they want. No one judges anyone, and no matter how "weird" you think you look, there will always be someone who is dressed much crazier than you.

It's funny, because the country itself is still very traditional in a lot of ways, but in terms of fashion they are way ahead in many respects.

I often purchase clothes from Japan, only to see it come into style more than a year later in the Americas.

The trouble with buying clothes in Japan is, I mostly buy jackets, tops and accessories. I RARELY find pants or skirts etc, which fit me, because Japanese girls are tiny! Something that fits like a dress on them becomes a shirt on me. (ok, maybe im exaggerating a bit) But yea... I'm a giant...

Before I come to Japan, I always buy ViVi Magazine, which is a fashion magazine for 20-somethings. It features all the latest fashions, and lists the stores where you can buy them... plus the ViVi models are very cute, so they definitely help to up the appeal of the clothes...

Some recent fashions from the mag.....

Must haves right now:

• LACE! Lots of it, lace vests, lace shirts, lace rompers etc
• Wedges of all shapes and sizes!
• Anything Bohemian
  
• Floral prints
• Rompers, short and long
• Decorated vests or vests made from different materials
  
• Straw hats in all different shapes and colors
• Long flowy dresses

I can go on and on...

Great places I have been shopping at in Tokyo are Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya.
But obviously, these places don't do Japan justice at all. There are TONS of places in Japan one can just go and get lost in... I plan to do more exploring in the future.. I just need a partner in crime *hint hint*

Another thing I absolutely LOVE about Japan is their endless supply of cosmetics. I always feel like a kid in a candy shop when I visit their cosmetic stores.

They have all these colorful palettes in these cute little boxes that tells you where to use each color. I could spend all day there...
I see many girls go to these stores and they actually put on a full face of make-up from the samples and then leave.... ummm hardly sanitary but yea... whatever makes you happy =D


Anyways, if you visit Asia, be sure to hit up Japan for a few days, definitely worth the visit!!!!


soo where to next.....
Sherry