Christmas Cakes

Finally my Christmas cakes...

Winter Fancy

For my class Christmas party. Some liked it, some didn't, some loved it...and others were scared to even taste it. (They'd never heard of a cake that soaks in rum for over a month)

The Whimsical Tree in Winter

I also wanted to make one with only traditional marzipan fruits. As this was the 3rd cake (and I had a lot more time to decorate. The first ones were done in a rush following exams, as the christmas party was the day after), I think it turned out the best. Enjoyed with Mémé and Pépé, my grandparents, for our Christmas lunch. 

A gift for my teachers at school. Thankfully they were some of the ones that loved the cake!

Merry Christmas! 

In the accidental footsteps of Blair...review of Gerome...french pastries...and my birthday

There's a first time for everything.

I had my first macaron. It was a disappointment for its price, personally, but definitely something very original.

No photo, but I'm sure everyone knows what they look like (or you can google it to find out). Early birthday present to myself :D.

My sister got us French pastries for breakfast on my birthday: pain au chocolat (the best!), cinnamon roll, and croissant. With a nice bowl of coffee to accompany it, I was off to an awesome start to the day!

On my actual birthday...Class was cancelled due to the snow, and the teachers not being able to make it (due to the snow), so I went to my new favorite museum, since my first visit a couple weeks before, the Musée d'Orsay with a friend.

It just so happened I discovered that Blair Waldorf's favorite Monet painting is in the Musée d'Orsay. Somehow it had me feeling like I was part of their world for a minute to stand there and look at that painting. So I stood there for a little while, but sadly no prince walked up to meet me heh heh. Then again, I was far more interested in seeing the exhibition on Gérôme, an artist I had never heard of before, but who I realized I had seen allot of his paintings before, in someone's screensaver collection. A lot of Arab and Moroccan scenes, but what is amazing is his skill in detail, with color, how one's eye is drawn into the scene and a feeling of peace is conveyed, despite some scenes that are far from nice, it is portrayed as the normal part of life that it is. I had heard that there is always something hidden to be discovered with close scrutiny in all of his pictures. Some are the faint outline of a woman in a dark doorway, or a detail of clothing or architecture not noticed at first glance. So much detail, it almost looks like a photograph, but more styled, with the well defined style that is Gérôme.

 I went to the Champs Elysées afterwards where we landed right in the middle of the Marche de Noël, so we walked around for awhile looking at all of the fascinating food and gifts.

Party was planned, but postponed until the weekend after exams! Overall a good day, it even snowed, my first white birthday since I was five I think!

I'M IN!

It's finally time to say it...

I GOT IN TO PARSONS PARIS!

I've been overwhelmed, overjoyed, liberated, empowered, feeling damn good about myself and my future, thankful to my family and friends that helped me through and believed I could do it...

These are of course shadowed by waiting to find out if I got the scholarships necessary to attend.

But in any case...it's a first success I can always look back proudly on!
Fingers crossed for the next step...

Happy Birthday to me!

Yay I'm officially older! May the next year always be better than the last!

To be clear, or not to be?

I am going to start my own American versus French life column. I swear, the American mentality is to study for a good future career. The French mentality is study what you have a passion for, is the most mentally tasking, and never talk about money. If you tell a French person "Oh I want to study x because there are good job opportunities in that field". eeeeerrrrr! Wrong answer. You tell them you are a fine arts student however, and they flip with praise, ask to see your work (at least 70% of the people I've met here).
You tell an American person, "Oh I want to study art because I love it"....and I've been looked at like I'm crazy, and immediately asked what I intend to do in the future, and how I intend to make a living.

Fortunately I am in the middle of these. I want to study visual communications because I love art, and because I can see potential career in it. After all isn't the dream to get paid doing what you love? (at least where I come from :D)

But to learn the right things to say at the right time, and what will not offend the ears of the hearer is a massive challenge. With my multi-cultural background, I realise more and more that I am a citizen of the world, and I have to learn to balance the varied cultures and mentalities I have floating around in me head. Basically, learn to say the truth in the RIGHT PRESENTATION to everyone, so that they can understand me. Sucess or failure depends on who you are trying to succeed with, and the right thing to say depends on who is listening.

Another example of my current dilema:
My teacher today really liked my mis en page (layout) of my application CV.

(first draft)

But one of his critiques was, you need to put something over that picture on the side, its too direct, its too clear and draws attention to itself. You see like the painting on the bottom, it is a "challenge intellectuel" to see what the picture underneath is.
The critics I am used to hearing have been "Its not clear enough" or "Can you move it to the front so we can see what it is?" After years of learning to tell it like it is, and show it as it is...subtlety for the sake of subtlety is...a new thing.

What I take away from this is the French don't want things to be clear, they want them to be complicated. Whatever happened to simplicity in design? I guess that was an American idea.

autoportraits psycologiques

Etranger = Foreigner

Etrange = strange. One letter fell off, but I realised it gave an altered meaning to the picture, so I just took another photo.

My first abstract. We were supposed to use different methods of expression and styles, so I thought why not. 

I don't want to say what I meant by each of them...although some are fairly obvious. This was our first homework assignment of the year and the point was to represent different facets of our personality through six to ten images, and then show how each one connects to the other (hense my floor circle). 

Apple tart

Result of holidays: enough time to attempt baking. I decided to try an apple tart, the first time I'm baking since moving to France.

I also began my Christmas cakes...wanted to start early while I had time in the holidays. I was missing the English Christmas cake we would have every year in South Africa. This is my first time actually making one though. I spent a Saturday shopping for ingredients (how hard is it to find nutmeg???), and that evening and Sunday morning listening to Christmas music, and baking the cakes. I'm thinking my Christmas presents for relatives and teachers..if the cakes turn out.