Chips & Fish (EN)

Roller Disco Night, with fever

2008-09-05T23:23:00.000+01:00

I found the best way to get rid of a cold when it's just starting : Roller Disco in Vauxhall !

So I had fever, but sweating and drinking on the wooden rink got me cured !
a lot of ass bone breaking stunts, but a lot of fun :)

Wine dinner 2 the comeback

2008-09-03T23:00:00.000+01:00

hey it was time we had dinner all together again ! I hadn't seen Perrine since her wedding with Ben :) and Daria, for months !

So this time, it's cheese open bar, good bread and red wine ! an excellent Bordeaux 2003.

And as we had only one of those bottles, we ended up drinking Old Rhum !

Soon a 3rd episode, I hope, but with such schedules as we have, it's gonna be hard...

My best friend's wedding

2008-08-30T23:59:00.000+01:00

Absolutely Crazy ! Olivier and Myriam's wedding ! un great honnour and a huge pleasure to be part of it !!!

A day I won't forget, and a party I won't forget either :) So happy to close the door at 7 AM with the bride and the groom, and the DJ packing his stuff.

And I met ooooold long not seen friends !

Olivier, Myriam, see you soon ! and they lived happily ever after...

Training in Tunisia

2008-08-29T23:55:00.000+01:00

So what ! The best business travel of the year ! great customers, nice weather, magnificent hotel, and friends to see !

Visit of Sidi Bou Saïd, La Marsa and Gamarth, everlasting coffee breaks, Ramzi's jokes, a really good atmosphere.

and to see Edouard who's engaged to Myriam now is a pleasure, and all his expat friends to party with...

And big thanks to Neila and Hela, I enjoyed that great evening with you at the café des arts.
But I'm still waiting for your pictures to sell you on Ebay, Neila...

It's a decision, I'll be back soon !

Week-end La Bagarre !

2008-08-15T23:59:00.000+01:00

On s'etait donne rendez-vous dans 10 ans !

So it's been 10 years I know them, but nothing changed ! the same stupid sense of humour, the same taste for music, and the same stupid sense of humour.

We launched a new trend, soon it will be everywhere.

So who's better to buy my first electric guitar and my first amp than my former guitar teacher and the leader of my first band ?

Prospection Week-end in Denmark Street and on internet, to find an Amp shop way more far than it seems, and to finally fall for a magnificent Fender Jaguar Japan Special Edition HH aaaaaall black. I am happy.

Not only shopping of course, we went for some drinks, with Neill for his job leaving do ! Rough night as usual with him and Ben.

Discussions which make no sense, nap on the sidewalk for Math, and adultry attempt for Seb.

The finish was an awful and ridiculous night bus ride.

So Sunday, nothing cause I was leaving for Tunisia, but anyway, we won't wait for 10 more years to meet, we're doing that in November in Cardiff ???

btw, Seb, for Christmas, I can't come...

Earl's Court Beer Festival

2008-08-08T23:59:00.000+01:00

A beer festival... I should have expected the worst, and even so...

I joined Ben, Neill, Vickie, Emma and the others for a tasting, a massive tasting actually. You book your ticket, you buy a glass, and you wander around the hall trying every beer you find.

Thus, after quite a lot of bitter and ales, we decided to go for a pub ! But Bobby didn't want us to leave with our pints :(

And after the pub, we decided to go at Emma's to have Gin & Tonic...

On my way back home, felt asleep in the bus, the driver woke me up at the bus terminal, and I stumbled me home using a lot of detours...

Next year I'll ride cab. Definitely.

Guinness is good for you.

2008-08-05T11:15:00.000+01:00

End of the Nigerian Training

2008-08-04T22:00:00.000+01:00

I just spent 2 weeks in Lagos, Nigeria ! Insecurity is so frustrating, it helps from visiting such beautiful countries...

But the customers were great, I even received a traditionnal outfit and an African name : Babatunde !

Monopoly Pub Crawl

2008-07-19T22:42:00.002+01:00

And here's how I met again my friends Neill and Ben ! No darts this time, but a specific version of the Pub Crawl. The principle is to hit a pub in all streets of the English Monopoly.

Every participant is assigned to a street, and when it's his pub he drinks twice as much as the others, and gets to chose the drink in the next pub. Oh, of course, there's the community chest card for each pub.

Thank you Vickie for the double whisky w/ Canada dry !

That's the kind of things you can see when you walk through Mayfair!

What a moment of Nostalgy as we went through the pub were we first met ! We were crying out loud, and don't tell me it's because we were drunk...

Thankfully I only joined in the middle and left before the end, didn't wanna miss my flight to Nigeria the next morning. But guys, I wanna do it again !!!

Rendez-vous for the beer festival you told me about on the 8th of August !

And thanks for the great pictures, Mieke ! Bottles !

Elsa's leaving do

2008-07-18T23:30:00.001+01:00

Second try for Elsa's leaving do ! Eva, Cécile, Elsa, Alissa and me, at the Fudge ! Seems I always end up there ! we took a lot of pictures, and we had a lot of drinks.

Special evening with free shots thanks to some vouchers that were mass distributed... Thanks for the free hangover too.

We had so much fun, so I'm looking forward to the comeback party !

1st real BBQ at the 654

2008-07-16T22:19:00.002+01:00

It's done ! and it's a success ! the first BBQ at the 654 ! Only Rodolfo, my Italian housemate, and myself, but it was delicious... at least once we ended our struggle to get some proper fire, but we had beers to wait !
it calls for many more !!!

The Harder They Come

2008-07-15T23:16:00.001+01:00

I went to watch my first Music hall, with Elsa ! I would never think this could happen, but it's a very special one ! The harder they come, famous movie with Jimmy Cliff.
It was damn good, with some kick ass reggae live band on stage !

And after it, so fun, we met Ihab in the street ! of course then, we had to go for a pint !

Koni and the Bastille

2008-07-12T22:46:00.002+01:00

And so Koni arrives in London ! Two days only, but he knows too well how to order a round !
Saturday evening, French national day celebration at Charles de Gaulle lycée, in South Kensington. Champagne to celebrate Elsa's leaving do ! and a drink at the Fudge then !

On Sunday, when I asked him if he wants to visit London, he replied "yes, the pubs", and so we went.

We even met 3 english guys and spent the whole evening playing darts and having pints with them ! And watch my Robin Hood special move !

Luke, Neill, Ben, it calls for a rematch ! but why did I have to work the next day...

A whiteboard in the kitchen

2008-07-11T22:40:00.001+01:00

We have a white board in the kitchen ! Good thing to leave messages to the other housemates, so we'll end up having damn good barbecues all together !

Howling Bells gig

2008-07-09T23:50:00.002+01:00

Howling Bells at Hoxton square Bar & Kitchen ! www.myspace.com/howlingbells ! what else ! Listen to their music !

Chief were damn good too. www.myspace.com/chieftheband !

I can't wait for Christmas

2008-07-06T14:13:00.001+01:00

Vote for Chris ! Chris Christmas Rodriguez !

Independance Day in London

2008-07-04T22:40:00.002+01:00

The 4th of July, independance day of the United States of America.
For me, a time to have a few drinks in Soho with Amit, who's leaving Bill's company to work on his music with his cousin G !

Good bye suckers and fuck off Bill !
The 4th of July is now Amit's independance day !!!

And Ronald save my life today...

My Jordan friends

2008-07-03T22:00:00.002+01:00

I am training 5 customers from Jordan for the next 2 weeks ! from left to right, Kefah, Zaid, Wesam, Mahmmoud, Ihab, and me !

The occasion to see Régis and Serge for a dinner in Covent Garden !

Here's the game : Guess where's the only christian in the last picture ?

Canada Rock in Trafalgar Square

2008-06-30T22:52:00.001+01:00

I love concerts, and so does Elsa, and this one is free, in Trafalgar Square, to celebrate the canadian national day. A chance to listen to good bands I don't know, drink a few good beers, and eat Bison burgers ! But where the hell is Céline Dion !!?

Week-end in Tunis !

2008-06-27T21:19:00.004+01:00

I've been waiting for this moment for all my life (thank you Mr Collins for the lyrics) ! Visit Eddy in Tunis ! 2 years I didn't see him ! and still the same good old buddy !

Dinner near the swimming pool of a chic restaurant, chill out on the beach which is, excuse me, only a step through his backyard door, near the barbecue and the swimming pool (inflatable) :)

So, OK, I got a terrace in London, but not one of that kind ! I am so Jealous. BBQ on the road side because we were too lazy to do one by ourselves, nice and fun apart from the noise of the passing cars.

Last night with his friends, damn good restaurant, damn crazy open air night club, Frank's swimming pool on our way back, and finish line on the beach with the rising sun...

And the best of it is that I am coming back in August for 2 weeks, for my job ! It's a hard knock life (J to da Z !)

Matth's 30th birtday !!!

2008-06-20T22:02:00.002+01:00

30 years old ! for a massive party, a proper place ! Raymond's Villa, here we are, and the sun is shining bright !

30 years old ! 30 shots ! mixed with love and too much alcohol by Hervé and me, just do it Matth, and enjoy !

You're almost gone through ! stop counting, there's no trap here.

Only 2 left and mission accomplished ! congrats man !

Villa means swimming pool, and of course we made some big splash (I liked the flat dives competition)

We shot some subwater pictures

and we chilled out in the jacuzzi, too much !

With such a blue sky, we didn't count the numbers of pétanque games and BBQ !

but the new game was the downhill track !

Dan, everyone who tried got hurt, but it was a blast !

And the other damn good idea was to bring in a Flamenkuche oven (traditional custard pie where you can put cheese, bacon, mushrooms... kinda like a pizza but no tomato, and it's daaaaamn delicious)

And of course, huge party all week-end long, with the apex on Saturday night, when everybody was disguised !
Long live to the emperor !

Matth, I wish you could be 30 every year !
We took our foot (does it even mean anything in English ?)

Matth's African gig at la coupole

2008-06-14T23:18:00.002+01:00

Cool ! African drum concert with Matth's band ! The opening of a bar in Niederbronn, good occasion to pass through the casino before driving home, and to lose 20 euros...

Through the Alps

2008-06-13T22:47:00.001+01:00

Driving through Switzerland on my way back from Italy, behind the steering wheel of a Fiat Punto (souvenir souvenir, Boris!), following my GPS and drinking too much Red Bull.

What a great adventure ! But when it's mainly to watch the Euro game France Holland, and witness how bad my damn team was, then it's fucking boring I'll have to drive back to Milan on Sunday...

Clooney and alcohol

2008-06-12T21:06:00.000+01:00

I'm in Italy and Georges Clooney is advertising Martini here :

Red Bull Flug Tag London 2008

2008-06-07T21:11:00.000+01:00

So here's the famous Red Bull Flug Tag, whose name indicates (yes it does) that it consists in a various flying objects competition, like for example a veggie cart, a big banana, a bike with a lot of umbrellas, or even giant inflatable facet balls or a crop harvester :

It's under the hesitating sun of Hyde Park that we settled our planket, Elsa, Adrian and myself, to watch the performance and it was really delirious. I guess I'll come back next year !

We ended up having diner with ANLN...

What a Brit !

I love newspapers

2008-06-05T17:12:00.001+01:00

Cruise on the Thames

2008-06-04T23:17:00.002+01:00

Instead of a raft, I found myself a boat, a real one.

Tekelec UK organized a cruise on the Thames. A pretext for an open bar on a boat with a band that made me think I was on the Mississipi.
Really nice to see colleagues from Mulhouse ! See you soon !

Paris with Big Ben

2008-06-02T22:00:00.001+01:00

And here I am in Paris, with my colleague Ben the successful ! We have to work but let's get ready first ! You want more oysters with your Guinness Sir ?

And we met with some good people on Monday ! Aperitive drinks and Blind Test at the Long Hop.

We even met an old french actress who was always acting crazy in some 80's movies, and Alexandre from the Star Ac 2, some kind of American Idol show.

We didn't win the Blind Test, but I think Rom and me had found the best possible answers :)

Vince and Estelle Housewarming Week-end

2008-05-31T22:42:00.001+01:00

Vince had it easy to convince me to join his house warming, so I spent the week-end in Alsace !

Friday a small garage underground party at home ! return game from my departure celebration. You take the same guys (almost) and we do it all again ! we finished at 7:00...

Too late or too early for what I had planned on Saturday evening ! Road to Mulhouse, I pick up Arnaud Bossen on my way and here we are for a famous party ! it's been months I didn't see the Bens and David, and Gotchy !
Pure night with Homebrewed beer and El Matador (mixed with Blue Charge s'il vous plaît) : Boris was among us.

Speaking about Boris, we can speak of Neisson, as the Spirit of Neisson from Boris (that's it I'm entangled) was with us too, and Ben Rapp did really feel it go through.

10:00 in the morning and it's already time to drive home and pack my bag to leave for Paris with Arnaud and Sabrina to meet Ben (the London one) for some new adventures !

Moving !

2008-05-29T18:03:00.001+01:00

I am moving 2 houses further ! The house is exactly the same but it's newer and the room is bigger :) So more space for more people paying me a visit !

Week-end with Mat in Cardiff

2008-05-26T21:37:00.002+01:00

Aaaaaah finally the week-end, I will cool down and get some sleep.
Pff and what else !
I promised I would visit Mat soon, so we made us a bank holiday week-end in Cardiff !

And a bank holiday week-end gives you plenty of time to do a lot of shit :

Drink beers in a pub (a classic)

Drink beers in other pubs (of course)

A this stage we thought we needed something more : why not a student party ?

Carl found his former flatmate Oz who spent the rest of the evening or morning with us.
And the rest of the morning was not safe :

Stuck in a lift at 3:00 AM because we were 5 instead of 3 max... must be dumb. Big thanks to the fire brigade.

The fact we went to bed at 7:00 did somehow kill our saturday, but it didn't help us from getting tickets to watch the Heineken Cup final at the Cardiff Millenium Stadium !
Big show and big game ! a pity Toulouse lost...

Saturday evening was without us (after some more beer...).

Sunday, the sea was calm, the raft didn't pitch, we had everything at hand distance, we were so fine.

and Monday, to conclude, a short listening to the Draw Me Stories, an honour for me ! Check out their Myspace, they're really good !

TO DO again, urgently, I already miss sailing especially on the raft.

Jacques Cousteau ! Baguette !!!

Evening with DaniellE and Craig

2008-05-19T23:59:00.001+01:00

I finally got to see DaniellE !
Quiet evening chating and drinking a few glasses.

a BBQ is planned !
Soon I hope !

An improvised night out

2008-05-18T16:20:00.001+01:00

Oh what a night...

We were almost gone for doing nothing, but finally everybody got together ! Elsa and her friends ANLN and Dorothée, Daria and her flatmate Emma, Eva and Alissa ...

After seeing 2 pubs close, as well as the Fudge, we went back to chill out in the kitchen til 7 AM...
Where's my Sunday gone ? I didn't notice it :(

24 inches !

2008-05-16T16:56:00.001+01:00

Heeeeeeeey ! with my first income I bougth one hell of a huge computer screen. I needed that at least to write this blog. No ?

Wine Dinner at Ben and Perrine's place

2008-05-15T23:06:00.003+01:00

Hmm we had this scheduled since a long time.
The mission : Drink the bottles of wine I brought back from my last trip to France.

Who : Myself, Ben, Perrine and Daria !

And what did we eat ? I don't remember...
But I know the dinner ended with old Rhum !

But Sadness, today I learned that Bézu and Pompon are already dead... We had a few drinks in their memories !

The Raconteurs in concert with Elsa

2008-05-14T23:54:00.001+01:00

Jack Whit is in town !
I happen to find an ad in yesterday's newspaper and what do I learn ? The Raconteurs playing live in Hammersmith Appollo the next day ? I rushed to the Internet to buy some tickets, and in the mean time I asked Elsa if she'd like to join me for the gig.

Of course she came ! the concert was huuuuuuuuuuuuuge !

First BBQ on Old Kent Road

2008-05-12T22:40:00.000+01:00

Oh What a lovely day ! We can't miss the occasion : let's barbecue !

Big thanks to the creator of the disposable barbecues, apart from burning the ground, it was a real success.

Don't you think so, Eva? Alice?
This is a must-do-again-soon... well as soon as the good weather is back ! (who said next year ?)

Week-end Bill Mag & Estelle

2008-05-11T22:50:00.002+01:00

One more ! a long week-end in France because of the armistice, and here comes the Bill, Mag & Estelle

After their sight seeing on Thursday, we went to have drinks in Leicester square at Fudge, with Eva's co-workers. Happy hour til 20:00 = too many cocktails on this table !

Mag was MAGnificent in the tube !

After their re sight seeing on Friday, we went to drink more cockatils with tons of ice on our nice and sunny terrasse (the girls know the Alliance Ethnik song by heart o_o )

Then night clubbing at Fabric ! Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass Drum n'Bass oooh I feel better.

After visiting Camden all together on Saturday, we went back to the terrasse :)

to hang out in Oxton Square then ! Italian restaurant and The Legion with Eva's friends

And finally, if the girls had a safe trip back home, Bill almost missed his Eurostar. Because of the pints ? Because of the Victoria Line ? ... I would say, both ! what a drunken marathon we had through the tube...

And I swear it, we'll go to the Ministry of Sound next time you'll show up, Billoute !

Week-end with Vincent (and Céline !)

2008-05-05T15:47:00.004+01:00

What a surprise ! Céline calls me this week to have a drink in London. It's been a long time since we had seen each other but sorry, you are not the first one to visit me (a non visit anyway as you didn't know I'm living here now !)

You are 2nd only for a couple of hours ! Victory for Vince !
So we planned to go on a hike to discover London by foot. It's a first touristic visit for him and btw, same for me.

Tower Bridge, Tower of London, have a pint, Nothing Hill, Hyde Park, have a pint, Piccadilly Circus to lose our way in the Trocadero, have a pint, Camden, have a pint, House of Parliament, London Eye, have some pints in front of Big Ben with Ben, drink some vodka fraise in a concert bar.

We never could have walked that much without the pints, the blue charge and Vincent's favourite cereals !

It hurts

2008-05-02T13:46:00.000+01:00

Watch the look on those faces...

Red Bull Flug Tag on June, 7th

2008-05-01T21:44:00.000+01:00

I just read this in the newspaper ! Some kind of weird contest where flying machines are driven down a 6m high ramp to crash down in the water... I need tickets !!! I'll try to get more than one, so if someone is interested in joining me... it will take place in Hyde Park.

Welcome home, nerd !

2008-04-27T22:00:00.007+01:00

That's awesome, JSZ back in Paris for the week-end ! I couldn't resist, so Eurostar, here I come !

All started Friday evening with a Korean barbecue :

Then on Saturday we planned a surprise bar party following an anthology barbecue session on Pierroch's terrasse !

Guitar (Green yellow reeeeeeeed, Red red bluuuuuuuue), absinth, tatouages and smoking in the bar. Rock'n roll.

And I must admit it was one of the really best week-ends I spent in Paris since I moved from there. Sunshine, fiesta, and everybody showing up together to have a good time, just too much !

Thanks Pauline and thanks Jean-Marc, it was THE place to be. 9/10 Jizou !!!!

First day, first customers

2008-04-21T23:46:00.001+01:00

Now it starts for real and the first customers are from CAT, a Thailand company. This reminds me of my short vacation and we are eating Thai food every day for the next two weeks ! I looooove it !

And here's what we're working on : Eagle STP !

and have a look at this : Elegance and good taste have a name : Benoît "successful" Entzmann, my co-worker and friend and also my own Jedi master !

Yeah, smile, you'll be less proud at the pub !

Home sweet home

2008-04-20T22:44:00.006+01:00

After one month of vacations (with one last travel for Tekelec France) where I went from Santo Domingo (where I worked with Juan and Ricardo) ...

to Punta Cana (where I broke my nose and met a bunch of nice people : Guillaume, Sonya, James, Mike, Carlos, thanks for the fun, it was a blast !) ...

Thns back to Santo Domingo with Boris (to add a cocktail into the bar's list, work way too much in the switch room, lose money at the casino with Carlos, and hang out at Boca Chica) ...

And of course a 4 days pit stop on my way back to France at Bo and Julie's place in Martinica (rhum and bodyboard, what else would a Man need ?) ...

After Mulhouse and a goodbye drink at the office, I finally spent 10 days in Vietnam and Thailand !

But now I am home in England ! Must admit that giving my notice letter in a pub in France was a good start...

I didn't think I would make it, after 2 evenings (nights ?) more or less partying for my departure and for Jean's birthday... I didn't sleep enough for moving to another country today, but as I work there tomorrow, I just had to go.

So, I'm moving in a house (Thanks Eva !) shared by 6 other people, in south east of London, near Elephant & Castle, in the cheapest street you can buy in the English Monopoly, as you can see :

A few pictures from my new home ! my corridor (beautiful) and my kitchen (incredible)

My living room which looks like a laundry sometimes :And my bedroom !