[PaW] Paris - Singapore

[Hugh_3170]

Yes indeed - that is the great benefit of where Singapore is located.

..........................................

 ..................there are so many desirable holidays spots easily reachable from Singapore that we won't have enough time for everything. Definitely, Cambodia, Indonesia and Australia will come before the rest!

[Akira]

Olivier, this thread will surely be a precious record of this period of time of your family history.

[Olivier]

Thanks Akira, and we'll do all we can to turn this period in a positive experience!

[Olivier]

My youngest children belong to an art school (music and drama) which has tight links with a similar school based in Italy, near Firenze. They exchange students and musical groups on a regular basis, and people are housed by the local families. This helps keep the costs down and favors the built of strong personal relationships.
We were lucky to have Patrizia with us for nearly a week. She is a chemistry teacher and a jazz singer. A very open, energetic and enjoyable person who started the week as a stranger and ended it as another family member. After three days we were already invited to spend our next vacation at her place in Tuscany. Well, as much as we like the idea, it may not happen this year...
In the end, it can hurt to make new friends when you are so close to a complete life change.

She asked for a portrait, I would never answer no to this request!

Week 5: The Jazz Singer, and some blues

[Erik Lund]

Very well framed with the Subtle BG,,, a little dark but perfectly 'acceptable' for enhanced mood effect

[Olivier]

Thanks Erik. In most cases I end up darkening the backgroud...

[Olivier]

Week 6: The English teacher

J. is our 9 years old neighbour, a complex and rich blend of Indian, English and French bloads. He speaks French and English indifferently and likes to play with our son Robin. He is most often on the calm side and has already built an impressive culture in many domains but he can easily become very energetic and his laughter is extremely funny and communicative. I gave him the mission to forget everything about French when he is around our house. This drives my son crazy as he is more interested in playing than being taught another lesson when they are together, but J. will not give up and repeats "you are probably speaking French and I can't understand a word". It is actually working as Robin is now making efforts to use whatever words he knows and what he picks up from J.
Here he is, proud to be a successful English teacher, just like his mother.

[Akira]

Love his curious eyes which show his intelligence!

[armando_m]

fantastic portrait

[Olivier]

thanks!

[John Geerts]

Beautiful, Olivier !

[golunvolo]

Endearing portrait of a young happy fellow with wise eyes. It totally matches your description.

[Olivier]

John, Paco, thank you very much.

[Olivier]

Oh man, I am so late on this...
time flies and we spend our time and energy preparing everything for the departure. And the week ends are devoted to friends and family that we won't se as much for a while.
So there is not much time for photography.
Let us not count weeks anymore in this project as I can't keep up with the expected pace.

Picture 7: the wine poet


For more than 10 years now I've gone to the same covered market on Sunday mornings to get the food essentials (high quality cheese, poulty from the farm, vegetables from the grower...) and have developed a casual friendly relationship with many retailers there.
I had never stopped by Sebastien's booth until two weeks ago, and seriously regret it now.
He used to be a sports photographer, specialized in the French football national team and following the players wherever the went. Over the years he grew tired of this life and felt a strong desire to live of his passion, wine.
I needed a good white wine for a lunch at a Japanese's friend, and my usual answer is "fruity yet not too sweet Alsace wine" like a Pinot Gris for instance, since Alsace is the place I come from. But I was out of my usual stuff and needed something immediately so I stopped and asked for his advice. He suggested a rather rare option, a remarkably complex and quite woody white from the Languedoc region. I was convinced after my friends and I enjoyed our great lunch.
Sebastien specializes in small producers, with limited productions and sometimes variable quality. He speaks with a mix of technicality and poetry, and has a good ability to integrate one's needs. So far he has not disappointed me and we now talk about developing a small set of bottles that I could take with me to Singapore, since wine is so expensive there. And I guess over there it will be easier to find good bootles from Australia or New Zeeland, maybe less from France...

So here he is, patiently posing for me while I was cursing my 50 AF Nikkor because it is not easy to MF, even with my X-T1's lovely EVF... The background is too busy and contrasty, but I had to deal with what was available.

[Olivier]

Thomas is a friend's and ex-colleague's son, born 17 years ago, just when I move from New Jersey back to France. My stay in Paris was not supposed to last long and every time I see him I remind him that he should definitely not be that old...
He is one more successful product of multiculturalism as his mother is originated from the ex East Germany, I met her while finishing my Ph.D in Strasbourg and his father is Welsh and we spent a few years working for the same company. They all live happily near Paris now. Thomas speaks German, English and French indifferently, he is highly committed to his sports (triathlon and basketball!) and plays the accordillion quite well. He is a lively, humorous, smart boy.
He heard we were leaving and insisted on seeing us before. That happened today, in the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles. The castle is visible in the background.

Picture 8: the time marker