The 'Eyesore' award

Graffiti - Lots of it. I was kind of surprised at how much there was at the arena and all over Paris in general. But I guess its a problem in any big city.

The 'Best Place for Ice Cream' award

The Public Drug Store - I know the name sounds kind of cheezy, but don't be fooled!! The PDS, located at the very end of the Champs Elysees, has a great menu of ice cream treats and a fantastic view of the Arc d' Triomphe.

The 'Curse of Vanessa Atler' award

Simona Amanar - Takes extra swings on her team UB, opening the door for Russia during the 3rd rotation. Then does almost the exact same thing during the AA, allowing Khorkina to defend her European AA title. Simona also botched bars way back in China, so I wonder if this will be a recurring problem with her or will she be able to rectify it before Sydney??

The 'Coolest Local Custom' award

Hanging out at the outdoor cafes - The outdoor cafes are really cool to begin with, but the French natives have perfected the art of hanging out. After they finish eating lunch or dinner at these cafes, they would literally sit there and people watch or engage in discussions for hours! Where I come from, that would never happen: people here eat breakfast on there way to work and get only an hour (if that) for lunch, which basically means 20 minutes. My colleagues made it a policy to sit in our seats for an hour after we finished eating and talk or just watch people walk by. The waiters are quite used to it so don't worry about them getting irate. Its really relaxing.

The 'Quick Change' award

Team UKR Senior Women - Just before the awards ceremony for the team competition, the Ukrainian women all quickly changed into different leotards, presumably to differentiate themselves from the Russian team leotards which were almost identical. I wonder if Ukraine won would Russia then have to change their leotards instead?? Hmmmm.

The 'Just Try To Do That in the US' award

Intimacy in public places - At the numerous parks there were couples getting extremely intimate with each other during the evening hours. Paris really lives up to its reputation as a city for lovers, that's for sure. But still it was kind of unusual for someone like me who comes from an anal retentive country like the US to see such open expressions of intimacy in public. C'est la vie!

The 'Fifth Wheel' award

Evgenia Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Loboznyuk - Both Russian gymnasts did not compete in any part of the meet, with Arkaev favoring his all arounders throughout. Kuznetsova was not given the chance to defend her balance beam champion status and Loboznyuk, a truly talented gymnast with high potential, was unable to showcase her routines. Maybe we'll see both in Sydney.

The 'Coolest Place Off the Beaten Path' award

The Latin Quarter - Just across the Seine south of Notre Dame and the Louvre, this hangout for the locals is teeming with neat stores and restaurants yet is not as infested with as many tourists as the Champs Elysees or Eiffel Tower. I was hoping to make it back there to eat, but I never made it. But if I get my way, I will be heading to Paris again one day and I'll head back to the Latin Quarter for sure!

The 'Best Grass to Take a Nap On' award

Champs du Mars next to the Eiffel Tower, Invalides, and L'Ecole Militaire - Nice, evenly cut grass that was remarkably free of bugs. After all the walking and sightseeing I did as a first timer in Paris, I definitely needed those naps! So did a lot of other people it seems.

The 'Golden Gift' award

Senior EF FX - I will say that Ludivine put on quite a show for FX finals and she deserved to win, but I thought her score was a tad on the high side. I guess one must consider the home field advantage factor. Similarly, I felt that Produnova's EF FX score was also high. Perhaps the judges pumped up her score to compensate for the excessively high score given to Furnon. In the end, the person who probably got screwed the most with the wacky EF FX scoring was Viktoria Karpenko. It probably should have been Ludi in first, Vika in second and Raducan in third.

The 'Munchkin' award

Anna Pavlova (RUS) - Talented Russian junior was probably the tiniest gymnast of the competition. While waiting in line at Charles de Gaulle airport, the Russian delegation showed up at the Aeroflot counter to check in, but I didn't see Anna at all. Either the other gymnasts towered over her and blocked her from view, or they stuffed her in her backpack and checked her in as baggage.

The 'Cold Shoulder' award

Yelena Zamolodchikova and Viktoria Karpenko - During the AA ceremonies, Svetlana Khorkina and Yelena Zamolodchikova are standing on the gold and silver podiums respectively. Viktoria comes forward for the bronze position. She shakes hands with Svetlana and exchanges the traditional kiss on both cheeks. Vika then goes over to Zamo and they only exchange a distant and detached handshake. Hmmmmm. Interesting!

The 'Fashion Faux Pas' award

Oleg Ostapenko - During a training session he wore a bright pink shirt with purple sweat bottoms. EGADS!! (I guess you had to see it).

Eva Serrano - During the EF FX medal presentation she wore a very snug yet flowing white outfit that really accentuated her 'physical assets'. Many in the crowd were astounded. I know I was! (Hee!)

Octavian Belu - During the EF press conference, Belu would speak at length and then repeat it in French and then in English. It got tedious after a while.

The 'Most Overused FX Music' award

The music that Tatiana Yarosh uses - Although I don't know the name of it, I was told this song was originally used as the Spanish World Cup theme or something . It's a nice and pleasant song, but during the team competition it was probably used by at least 8 gymnasts.

The 'Biggest Rip Off' award

Paying to use the bathrooms at the tourist spots.

The 'Botched Routine' award

Adriana Crisci - During her AA UB routine in the last rotation, Adriana immediately takes a few extra swings and then goes for a kip. As she gets up on the top bar she stops and looks completely disoriented and blanked out. After sitting there a couple of seconds she climbs over the top bar and continues her routine on the other side. After her transition to the low bar she hits her feet on the ground and falls off. She wanders to the chalk bin as if she didn't know where she was. She then chalks up and finishes off her routine. It was kind of strange. Up to that point she was doing well enough to get into the top 10.

The 'Biggest Idiot' award

The Jerk at Jim Morrison's Grave - This total moron was hovering over Jimbo's grave, caressing the headstone as if he owned the place. He never moved so anyone could take pictures and he gave everyone evil stares. What a dork. He didn't say anything or hurt anyone, but I'll bet you this guy has no job and sits there all day every day as the Lizard King's self appointed guardian. If you visit the cemetary you'll probably still see him there. If so, give him a swift kick in the teeth for me, and tell him the penguin sent ya.

The 'Most Useless Chant' award

France - At the beginning of the AA, a group of French folks were chanting, "Allez France!" in the stands. France had no gymnasts in the AA.