Toady is my birthday!

Hey guys! 

So today's my birthday! 26 years old! Damn! I'm more than a quarter of a century old lol!

What's the big thing about birthdays? I don't really find the 29th of november any different from any other day (except for presents^^). 

Each day is the first day of the rest of your life right? 

On the 29 th of novemebr am I suddenly older? I don't think so. 

The 29 of November my mother did undergo and achieve the hard, painful and tiring trial of childbirth. I think it should be she, and not I, that should be remembered and congratulated on this day.

One question that people always seem to ask on your birthday is : 'well how does it feel to be X years old?' Well really no different from yesterday when I was 'one year younger'!

The only birthday that really made a difference for me was my 18th. I passed my driving license the very same day. Being able to drive a car was freedom for me! Since then, I think I've been stuck thinking that I'm still 18...

Anyway, today since it is my birthday, I've decided to share some pics of who I've been and how I've changed over the last quarter of a century!

First typewriter! I didn't have a computer when I was young! No blogging back then!

First time horse riding! I can actually remember that day! I thought the horse looked enormous! Now I see that it was only a small pony...

Holidays in France! What am I doing here with that pan? Catching lizards! Yes, I was the kind of girl that preferred to catch lizards than play with dolls...

Let's move on to teenager years! At the age of 14, I had a really weird boyish style! Good god look at those socks! (I'm on the left). I cut my hair short, liked to wear baggy trousers and caps.

Here we were playing life size table football.

At 18 I got my first car, a red Cordoba. I loved it to bits! I also loved dragons, so a friend of mine painted one on the petrol cap :)

20 years old, geek period! Cut all my hair off again. Spent most of my spare time on computers and playstaion.

Age 22, my first 'real' job was the army! 

I heard that kaki was back in fashion... ;)

I only stayed a year in the army... a bad accident made me have to choose another career...

... so I went back to school and studied marketing and quality in wine and spirits!! (Looking bad here! Not much sleep! Hard course!)

And then at age 24 became quality manager in automobile manufacturing in Morocco!

I've changed in many ways over the years, but some things about me always stay the same...

I've always loved animals! I can't live without their company!

My rats who I shared 3 years with. I miss those cuties so much!

My frog, that I called Franck. I had him for  7 years... little did I know at that time that my future husband's name would also be Franck... When we first met he was not very impressed when I told him that I had a pet frog with the same name as him!

I've always loved outdoor sports...

...and I've always loved to travel...

...discover new places...

I don't mind living in a car or van to go on adventures...

... And I've always liked trying new exciting things, like driving speed boats or planes

I've always been a bit crazy...

...and over the years, in all the places I have lived, I have met wonderful people (who put up with my craziness!)

Well that's about it!

I'm 26, and very grateful for all the things I've had a chance to do over the years.

...but I still ask my magic ball advice when i'm having a hard time deciding on something! ;)

Sorry for long picture heavy post! ;) Plus it was all just about "me" , but it is my birthday!!
Will post about more interesting subjects soon!

Have a great day!!

After a busy week time to go for a Quad bike ride!

Hello hello !!

Hope you all had a great week. Mine was a busy one! Last week seems to have flied by. Not only have I been quite busy getting my birthday party all planned out, there were lots of other fun things going on! Here are a few photos of what I've been up to!

Well, this pic wasn't from last week but the week before. Each year on the 3rd thursday of november in France we celebrate and taste the arrival of the 'Beaujolais nouveau' wine. The wine isn't that good, but it's always a fun evening. This year the 'Wine Bar' in Tangier (Morocco) organized a tasting. We had a great time, plus a photo of us ended up in the local magazine!

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With my friend Fatima :)

Friday evening a friend's company (which is actually right next door to the one where I work) had an 'inaugural evening'. After all the speeches and delicious buffet we all headed off to a local bar. We had a great time dancing on 80's music.

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I look terrible on this photo! Scoffing down a delicious clementine and caramel dessert! A friend of mine organized an Italian cheese and wine party on Saturday evening. It was a great party! We got to meet lots of new people and the italian cheese was delicious! I love cheese but we can't get many different sorts over here in Morocco, so I was trilled to get a chance to eat some! 

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Sunday it was time to get a bit of fresh air! Nothing better than a quad bike ride!

(I suppose you guys are getting fed up with me always posting about quad and 4x4 outings, but that's how I spend most of my weekends! Sorry ^^)

Right at the beginning of our ride, Franck's quad broke down... Things like that aways seem to happen to him! So he ended up driving our guide's bike and she climbed on behind me. It was the first time that I was the lead driver (normally we always follow the guide). 

This time we were driving rather fast because we had set off late. Plus all the rain has made big holes and puddles on the track which can be rather dangerous! When you're in the front you have to choose which is the best and safest path to take, and you have to decide quickly when you're driving fast!

As always I made a short video of our outing. 

At one point my GoPro camera came flying of my quad! No harm done, lucky that they are tough cameras! It was rather funny though so I added the 'falling gopro video' at the end of the film ;)

My quad is a big fast one, but it doesn't have mud guards. At the end of the day I was speckled with mud! Not very glamourous at all!

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I haven't posted any of my outfits for ages! Really haven't had time! Anyway, here are a couple of dresses that I love wearing at the moment. They're both from Bershka.

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And here's a pic of the evil puppy Hermès. 

Last week he found a new game: stealing clothes of the washing line! 

One of my shirts did not survive...

Take care!

Testing my sony NEX-EN - Random photos

Hi guys! 

Salut à tous!

I think the title pretty much says it all. I just got a new camera! It's the Sony NEX-EN. It's my (early) birthday present from Franck.

Je pense que titre explique en grande partie tout. Je viens de recevoir un nouveau appareil photo! C'est le SONY NEX-EN, mon cadeau d'anniversaire par Franck que j'ai reçu en avance.

I know that the new NEX has just come out, but we opted for the older version (by far a good enough camera for a novice like myself).

Je sais qu'une nouvelle version du NEX viens de sortir, mais on a préféré choisir l'ancienne (de loin un appareil assez complet pour un novice comme moi-même).

I love taking photos and videos. In no way am I professional, but I'd like to learn more about photography now that I have this great camera.

J'aime beaucoup prendre des photos et vidéos. Capturer le moment présent et le conserver. En aucun cas je ne me considère comme un photographe professionnel, mais depuis que je possède cet appareil j'aimerai apprendre plus de techniques dans ce domaine.

It's the first time I have owned a 'reflex' camera. I always opted for 'bridge' cameras because of a question of size. Reflex cameras are rather bulky, plus you have to carry all your different lenses around with you. I also love filming, and not many of the (cheaper) reflex cameras have that option.

C'est la première fois que je possède un appareil photo reflex. Dans le passé j'ai toujours choisi des bridges (question de taille et options). Le boitier d'un reflex est assez encombrant, et en plus tu dois apporter tous tes objectifs avec toi. J'adore également crée des films, et la plupart des reflets (prix moyens) ne proposaient pas l'option video.

My old bridge camera has been mucking up recently, so I decided it was time to get a new one. Thats when I started looking at Hybrid cameras. The camera itself is really small, but you can add lenses. It seemed the perfect choice for me. And I chose Sony because I love all the different 'gadgets' their cameras offer.

Mon vieux appareil bridge me fait quelques malheurs depuis peu, donc j'ai décidé qu'il était enfin temps de changer. C'est seulement là que j'ai commencer a m'intéresser aux appareils Hybrides. Le boitier de l'appareil est vraiment petit, lever et compact, mais tu peux ajouter des zooms et objectifs comme sur un reflex. Pour mon utilisation, ce choix semblait bien me convenir. Et, j'ai choisi Sony car j'adore tous les 'gadget's et nouveautés qu'ils proposent sur leurs appareils.

Like I said, I'm no professional in photography and cameras. I can't tell you if this camera is any better than others. All I have to offer are the pictures I took around where I live in Morocco while testing it!

Comme j'ai précisé auparavant, je suis loin d'être un pro dans le domaine des appareils photos et la photographie. Je ne pourrai vous dire si cet appareil est meilleur ou pire qu'un autre. Tout ce que je peux partager avec vous c'est quelques clichés que j'ai pris autour de chez moi (au Maroc) pour le tester.

One tired wet dog! I find the details amazing, but then again I'm not used to reflex cameras!

Un chien fatigué et mouillé! Je trouve que les détails sont surprenants, mais encore une fois, je ne suis pas habitués aux appareils reflex!

The dog looks kind of crazy here!

Hermès, tu fais peur ici!

Hibiscus flower in my garden.

Hibiscus dans mon jardin.

Another flower from my garden. Again, I am stunned by the details!

Une autre fleur du jardin. Encore une fois, je suis étonné par la qualité des détails!

The colors of the photos are really vibrant!

Les couleurs sont vraiment vibrants!

View from my house. This is what the sea looks like after it has rained! The water flushes the mud down the cliff and into the sea creating a sort of yellow color.

La vue de chez moi. Voici a quoi ressemble la mer après une inverse de pluie! L'eau coulisse le long des pentes pour se retrouver dans la mer, ramassant sur son passage boue et sable.

Another view from my house. A beautiful rainbow. I'm really pleased how the camera captured the colors.

Une autre vue de chez moi. Un joli arc-en-ciel. Je suis vraiment contente que l'appareil photo a pu capter et reproduire les couleurs.

Random camel.

Dromadaire.

After the rain, the sun! Weather here is strange at the moment: one minute it's raining cats and dogs (you're cold and wet) and the next the sun comes out (and you're back wearing a t-shirt like in summer)!

Apres la pluie, le soleil! Le temps est assez farfelu en ce moment: d'un coup il pleut comme vache qui pisse (tu te retrouve trempé et frissonnant) et le moment d'après grand soleil (tu te retrouve en t-shirt comme en été)!

A house that seems to have sunk. The worst thing is that people are actually living here...

Une maison qui semble avoir 'coulé'. Le pire ce qu'elle est habité...

Cat eating garbage. I hate how people just leave rubbish everywhere here. (Photo taken in Pop mode).

Un chat qui fouille les poubelles. Je déteste la façon dont les gens laissent trainer des ordures partout ici. (Photo en mode Pop).

The camera also takes stunning portrait photos!

L'appareil prend également de magnifiques portraits!

A villa in Tangier, with the moon.

Une villa de Tanger, avec la lune.

The old canons of Tangier.

Les vieux canons de Tanger.

The Kasbah (old fort) of Tangier

La Kasbah (vieux fort) de Tanger.

Sunset over the bay of Tangier.

Le soleil se couche sur la baie de Tanger.

One of the 'gadgets' I love about this camera is the 'color selection'. You select a color (red, green, blue or yellow) and the camera takes the shot in black and white with just the color that you selected highlighted.

Un des 'gadgets' que j'adore avec ce Sony c'est le mode 'sélection de couleur'. Tu choisi une couleur (rouge, vert, bleu ou jaune) et l'appareil prends la photo en noir et blanc avec seulement la couleur sélectionné.

This old beetle has been sitting in a street in Tangier for more than 2 years now. Whenever I see it, I always feel a little sad...

Cette vieille coccinelle traine dans une rue de Tanger depuis au moins 2 ans maintenant. Des que je la vois, elle me rends toujours un peu triste de la voir pourrir ainsi...j'adore les vieilles voitures...

Well that's all for now! I'm having lots of fun with this new camera, trying to figure out how everything works! You can even take 3D panoramic photos (but I don't have a 3D screen so I can't test that!)

From now on most of my photos and films will be taken with it!

Voila tout pour l'instant! Je m'amuse beaucoup a essayer de comprendre comment tout marche sur mon nouveau appareil photo. Tu peux même prendre des panoramiques en 3D (mais je n'ai pas d'écran 3D donc pas moyen de tester cela). A partir de maintenant la plupart de mes photos et vidéos seront réalisés avec ce Sony-NEX.

Have a great day!
Bonne journée à tous!