The year is still young…

Alors, bonjour. I realized it’s been ages since I wrote here, and really, I face-palm myself every time I remember. So, sorry about the long absence. Then again I’m not sure if anyone really notices.

I’m very excited to say that I’ve started studying French in school again. Hurrah! I’m still crap but at least the teacher liked that I introduced myself as une enseignante instead of un prof. Also, I earned a few well-meant laughs when I said un parapluie est jetable…(weird, I know) so hopefully I’ll come up with some hijinks again soon.

In any case, even though it’s a bit late now, je vous souhaite une bonne année. Here’s to an awesomer 2011. We all deserve it.

Armistice Day

We don’t really observe Armistice Day here but since I was on holiday, my friend Chuck and I visited Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery for the Heroes), where my paternal grandfather, a soldier, was buried.

It was only right, I thought, because I wasn’t able to visit him last Nov 1. Okay, so he was in the second war instead of the first and he survived the Bataan Death March in 1942 (commemorated every year on April 9 in the Philippines), but I thought he deserved a tribute of sorts today, too. He’s my hero, after all.

On the way to his grave, we also passed by the tombs of the unknown soldiers, for whom this holiday is kept in France, Britain, and other parts of the world.

Armistice Day also reminds me of MCMXIV by Philip Larkin, which was recited in The History Boys:

Bonjour, et une citation

I know I promised to write for as much as I could, but real life, comme d’habitude, got in the way. So for now I’d like to say a quick salut, and also share a quote from a friend:

L’amour est clair comme le jour, l’amour est simple comme le bonjour, l’amour est nu comme la main, c’est ton amour et le mien… – Jacques Prévert

Eh bien, je vous souhaite un bon week-end!

Fun in traffic

My friend Kathleen and I used to drive to AFM together last year, when she was enrolled in module 1 and I was studying module 2. As anyone from the Philippines can tell you, traffic in Manila can be epic.

Traffic-induced boredom can get you somewhere. Eventually, we thought of practicing how to count in French by reading plate numbers. This was a challenge, particularly because I hated counting, especially after soixante-neuf. So if you happened to ride with us, you’d hear us screaming, “Te-Ve-Ce! Six cent quatre-vingt-quinze!”

It’s been ages since we’ve held French counting contests. Now that I’ve mentioned it, we might try it again…but I’ve got to brush up on numbers first.

Photo source

Joking “en français”

But of course, everyone jokes about foreign words. French, however posh it sounds, is never an exception–especially in the Philippines, a country that thrives on humor.

Filipinos love mispronouncing merci so that it sounds like “mercy.” Saying “mercy buko” is common (buko is Filipino for coconut), and in keeping with the joke, the reply is “durian.” One of my friends even came up with “silver plate” for s‘il vous plaît.

One joke about a Filipino word in a fake French accent, however, stands out in my memory.

En vacances

Most of my French students have started their holidays this week. (Students on holiday means I’m doing close to nothing at work, hence this blog.) So, these days, I hear about their plans to go to Nice, le sud, Maroc, etcetera. To say that I’m jealous is an understatement. I know I’ve just had the longest vacation of my working life, but staying in bed will never come close to soaking up the sun.

Nice, from sxc

I’m from the tropics, yes, which means I’ll always be accustomed to heat. Even so, the sunny south will always be fascinating to me. Blame it on the Mayle books, the stories by La Pomme, and being deprived of a proper summer vacation.

I’m enjoying Manila’s wet, chilly weather now, but all this talk about summer makes me want to slip on a light dress and sleep on a hammock. Ah, the things you pine for once they’re gone!

Roundup: Art programs at Alliance Française

Calling artist and photographer friends, you might be interested:

* Alliance Française de Manille – Philippine Artist Residency Program
The AFM-PARP is conceived as a structured visit to France by a Filipino visual artist for a minimum of two (2) months and a maximum of three (3) months.  The residency will be hosted by a bona fide non-profit cultural organization, e.g., an art school, museum, or an artist-run initiative. It is conceived as a professional opportunity rather than a project-based grant. (Read more)
Unfortunately, I’m not an artist to get into this program. I wish my artist friends the best of luck, however!

* Photography contest: “J’ai 20 ans dans mon pays” (I’m 20 years old in my country)
The Fondation Alliance Française, in partnership with the French magazine Courrier international, has launched an international photography contest on the theme “I’m 20 years old in my country” (“J’ai 20 ans dans mon pays”) or photographs of the youth of the Philippines. The local photography’s selection is organized by the Alliance Française de Manille with the support of Silverlens Gallery. (Read more)
Well, now, here’s something a lot of us can try!

Application forms can be downloaded from the AFM website. Allons-y!

Chocolates for a French holiday

One of the nicest things I love about working for a European company is the celebration of French holidays.  I look forward to them because it means I can go gallivanting on odd days when everyone else is away at work. My friends are naturally all for the idea of taking little breaks, hence their support for such days. I love my friends

Unfortunately, we were not able to celebrate le quatorze juillet because of the typhoon yesterday. However, here is one of my fond memories of the last French holiday (Easter Monday) that I spent with mes amies:

Chocolate Fire (thanks, Chuck!)

For the first ever French holiday we celebrated, we had tea at Chocolate Fire, a café in Salcedo Village, Makati, near my friends’ offices. The chocolates were divine, even if they looked so simple.

For dinner, we went to a totally un-French place because it was impossible to turn down Korean food. I can’t promise we’ll go French all the way next time, but we’ll see.

LSS: Kaolin – Partons vite

To be honest, I don’t know a lot of chansons en française except for songs recommended by friends. So, I’m proud to say that here’s one I listened to for the first time yesterday, thanks to Philou, along with more songs. I know it’s not exactly new, but I can’t stop listening to it for now:

Read more for the lyrics and a pretty decent translation. I’m sorry to say that I cheated with this one, though–Google Translate is turning out to be a vice!

A French artist in the Philippines

Nothing makes me so proud as learning that my native country has served as an inspiration to foreign artists, especially after seeing this new announcement from Alliance Française de Manille:

A week and a day before the French National Day on July 14, Alliance Française de Manille, in collaboration with Avellana Art Gallery, opens Henri Etève’s exhibition “This French is Pinoy!”.  The exhibition will feature black-and-white-themed works from the 45-year artistic career in the Philippines of French artist Henri Etève a.k.a. Di Meliora, and is one of three simultaneous exhibitions in three different venues: Alliance Française de Manille, White Cube Gallery (Metropolitan Museum of Manila) and Alliance Française de Cebu.